Academic Day: Prof. Dr. Gabriel van den Brink, Prof. Dr. Govert Buijs, and Other Academics and Writers on Civilization

Friday August 16 we organized our annual Academic Day in Utrecht’s Grand Hotel Karel V, on the topic “Civilization”. You may find an extensive report of the discussion in this PDF.

The meeting consisted of three different panels. The first panel revolved around the question of what civilization actually is. The history of the concept of civilization was discussed, the foundations of different civilizations, their development, their similarities and differences. There was also discussion about the current state of our civilization. Are civilizational ideals still propagated enough in the public space? And is there still sufficient attention for community spirit in our modern, free society?

The second panel elaborated on the relationship between Western civilization and Christianity. The subject of discussion was the thesis that Christianity is essentially an anti-imperialist and egalitarian religion, and thus the precursor of modern civic and democratic movements. Much attention was paid to the development of civil society in the early modern period, and the question of whether it should be attributed to Christian inspiration or to classical and secular sources.

Both topics were discussed again (in each other’s light) in the last panel. There was ample attention for values that play a less central role in modern civilization, such as loyalty and a sense of community. Should we see the relatively minor role of these values as a loss or as a blessing? And if we want a stronger community spirit, how could we achieve this without collective coercion? Here a major role was seen for civil society.

Among the academics and writers who attended the Academic Day were: