LCCP Research Seminar: After the Universal - On the Language of Co-Existence

This talk endeavors to address the challenge posed by the concept of the universal, which has faced scrutiny in recent decades for its perceived simplicity and validity. The decline of the universal coincides with the emergence of relativism, a trend partially fueled by critiques of colonialism and the Enlightenment. Given the complex political landscape of our current world—no longer accurately described as globalization or mondialization, but rather as planetarization—what can we assert about the universal? Should we seek something beyond what we traditionally understand as universal? After outlining these challenges, I propose a return to Kant to unpack the intricacies of the concept and explore the possibility of its continued relevance.