Václav Havel’s Compass: On Respect

Compass is a series of debates that does not view Václav Havel as an untouchable symbol, instead offering his experience as inspiration for today’s world.  

Why is Václav Havel’s thinking still so inspiring? What questions can Václav Havel ask us today? What challenges does he place in front of us? What solutions does he offer? Compass is a series of debates that does not seek to idolize Václav Havel, but rather to explore his living legacy.  

Respect is one of the fundamental themes and values of Václav Havel’s work, even though the author often does not formulate this directly. He understands respect as a necessary prerequisite for a functioning democracy and as a deeply personal moral stance. By this, he means both one person’s respect for another and respect for otherness, for moral values, for nature and for the order of the world. In Havel’s conception, it is not merely a matter of tolerance, but of a responsible relationship to the transcendent, which transcends man and gives meaning to human action.    

Philosopher Daniel Kroupa has invited philosopher Alice Koubová to take part in the April edition of the series.