Václav Havel European Dialogues: The truth of politics and the politics of truth, Brno
- Where: Univerzitní kino Scala, Moravské nám. 127, Brno
- When: May 12, 2022, 18:00 – 20:00
Truth is often among politicians’ declared values, though it rarely appears in policy programmes and other documents of political practice. It frequently falls victim to electoral tactics, the courting of popularity and both domestic and international diplomatic considerations. But how great can the tension between politics and reality become before citizens lose trust in their representatives or, even worse, democracy itself? This problem is all the more complicated in the European Union, occurring not just at national but at union level, where domestic politicians, with an eye to ratings, like to shunt it.
18.00 – 18.05 Opening: Stanislav Balík, Dean of the Faculty of Social Studies, Masaryk University
18.05 – 18.10 Greeting: Mikuláš Bek, Czech Minister for European Affairs
18.10 – 18.20 Opening address: Michael Žantovský, Director of the Václav Havel Library
18.20 – 19.55 Debate
Guests:
Peter Pomeranzev – UK writer and academic focused on research into disinformation and fake news, John Hopkins University, US
Marek Orko Vácha – head of the Institute for Ethics and Humanitarian Studies, 3 rd Medical Faculty, Charles University
Chair: Petra Mlejnková, political scientist and academic, Faculty of Social Studies, Masaryk University
19.55 – 20.00 Closing address: Michael Žantovský, Director of the Václav Havel Library
* The programme will take place in English and Czech with simultaneous interpretation into both languages. Free admission.
Václav Havel European Dialogues
● Dates: May 10 and 12, 2022
● Venues: Prague, Brno, Plzeň
● Organisers: The Václav Havel Library in cooperation with the Faculty of Social Sciences, Charles University, the Faculty of Social Studies, Masaryk University, and the Faculty of Education at the University of West Bohemia in Plzeň
● Partner: Representation of the European Commission in the Czech Republic
Václav Havel European Dialogues is an international project that aims to initiate and stimulate a discussion about issues determining the direction of contemporary Europe while referring to the European spiritual legacy of Václav Havel. The project is conceived as long-term and takes place in cooperation with partners in various cities in the Czech Republic and the European Union. The meetings take the form of a debate and are targeted primarily at secondary and third-level students, as well as experts and members of the public interested in European affairs.