Alexander has been named "Defense of Democracy"-affiliated professor to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Foundation. The Foundation is located at Adams House at Harvard College in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It aims to "highlight" Alex' work on liberal democracy as the chairman of the foundation, Jed Williard, noted in his appointment e-mail.
Alex delivers a lecture at Seoul National University on September 14th on the topic: "European Identity and Politics on the Verge of the Refugee Crisis":
Alexander Görlach, delivering his TEDxTalk on July 2nd in Berlin, at the Philharmonie (Photo: TEDxBerlin)
Link to the TEDxTalk: https://saveliberaldemocracy.com/2017/08/09/a-tedxtalk-how-narratives-of-inclusiveness-could-save-liberal-democracy/
Short description:
Save Liberal Democracy founder Alexander Görlach delivered a TEDxTalk in Berlin, elaborating on how to save liberal democracy. His take is that the authoritarians of today use a simple and easy rhetoric to target minority groups such as Muslims or migrants. By doing so, they cater to the oldest and meanest trick in political ideology — “us versus them” labeling, with the result of “scapegoating” these minorties.
By defining their own peers as righteous and drawing a picture of them being endangered by a common enemy, the self proclaimd strong-men and women give way to a superstitutious, archaic model of human interaction for the sake of their hunger for power.
Healing is only possible through narratives of inclusiveness that tackle the scapegoater and label his rhetoric as not only removing the voice of the people, but also creating social unrest.
Being a visiting professor to the University of th Basque Country for the summer of 2017, Alex delivered a lecture on values in Europe alongside with Basque philosopher Daniel Innerarity at San Sebastian's Palacio de Miramar on July 13th.
Alex kicked off his thoughts with remarks on the comparision French philosopher Francois Baudrillard drew between the United States and Europe in his book "America": "Utopia" as paramount for the identity of the New World, and "History" as crucial for understanding Europe.
also at the conference: Guy Verhofstadt, Belgian liberal and member of the European Parliament
Approximately 600 people gathered in the famous Berlin Philharmony on Sunday, July 2nd to debate the future of democracy, listening to practicioners and academics alike who shared their ideas with this outstanding crowd.
Alex returned to this series, hosted by his friend Stephan Balzer, delivering a presentation on how to save liberal democracy through narratives of inclusiveness.
The video of this TEDxTalk will be uploaded shortly.
Alexander Görlach, visiting scholar to the University of the Basque Country, spoke on Friday, June 16th 2017, about pluralism and religion in liberal societies. His keynote kicked off the work-shop of the Globernance Institute at San Telmo Museum in San Sebastián.
Debating Political Religion and the fatal impact of an "us versus them"-scapegoating
Alex is invited to speak at TEDxBerlin on July 2nd on how to save liberal democracy. Being the founder of the media-initiative www.saveliberaldemocracy.com, Alex looks into the challenges that the liberal order faces nowadays due to so called strongmen and -women throughout the Western hemisphere and beyond that choose populist rather than rational arguments for their policymaking.
With the withdrawal from the Paris Climate accord, Donald Trump isolates the United States. China on the other hand stand up and takes leadership, in environmental questions and as advocate for free trade. The Chinese Century is about to start, my op-ed for The Huffington Post Germany.
Read MoreAs populists gain ground all over the world, religions have a key role in fostering understanding and creating new narratives that flourish without an hostile "us versus them" rhetoric. Alex' op-ed in Neue Zürcher Zeitung.
Read MoreHere's a piece publishing online in the New York Times discussing current and upcoming issues in Germany.
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