Kant Table Talks

2024 marks the 300th anniversary of Immanuel Kant's birth.

Immanuel Kant is a central philosopher of the Enlightenment, whose work is still being studied and used to discuss important contemporary issues ranging from questions about truth and aesthetics to ethics and politics. At the same time, criticisms of Kant, particularly with regard to his racist, anti-Semitic or misogynist attitudes, have become an essential part of current engagement with the thinker.

2024 will also be the year in which European voters will go to the polls to elect a new European Parliament. The new parliamentarians are tasked with safeguarding and promoting the values of the European Union: respect for human rights, freedom, democracy, equality and the rule of law, as well as the promotion of peace. These values and the insight that international cooperation is necessary for their achievement are directly linked to the ideas of Immanuel Kant.

Kant often invited people over for meals and so-called ‘table talks’ to discuss philosophical issues. This inspired us to organise three dinner parties. We will take up some of Kant's themes and concepts and ask ourselves what they mean for us today in view of the European elections.

The discussions will be conducted in English and moderated by dramaturg and writer Jappe Groenendijk. Guests from Germany and the Netherlands will engage in a dialog and you are cordially invited to think, talk and eat along.

Host or Publisher Goethe-Institut Niederlande