Václav Němec’s Heretical Essays

Democracy is facing serious challenges: the rise of populism and extremism, the growing power of oligarchs and transnational corporations, aggressive undemocratic regimes and turbulent developments in information and communication technologies, etc. This situation forces us to ask uncomfortable questions. Is democracy in its current form viable and sustainable? Could freedom and democracy be threatened by the very mechanisms on which they are based? This discussion evening will provide a space for unconventional ideas from beyond mainstream ideological currents. Together, we will reflect on the present state of democracy as well as its future. The debate is being held on the occasion of the launch of philosopher Václav Němec's new book Kacířské eseje o budoucnosti svobody a demokracie (Heretical Essays on the Future of Freedom and Democracy), which takes a critical look at the state of democracy and liberty in the contemporary world from a deeper philosophical and historical perspective – and attempts to assess their future prospects.