Zygmunt Bauman, photo credit: Marcin Oliva Soto
The Trouble with Being Human These Days, a documentary about the prominent Polish sociologist and philosopher, Zygmunt Baumann premieres at the Pałac na Wyspie in Warsaw’s Łazienki Royal Park. Jacek Żakowski, a journalist, editor and the head of Collegium Civitas’ Journalism Departament conducts the "Debate with Masters" – Zygmunt Baumann and Tadeusz Gadacz , which accompanies the screening
Zygmunt Bauman, the author of the "fluid modernity" theory has been taking up the challenge of diagnosing contemporary society for nearly half a century. His analyses, which are received by many as pessimistic are also presently regarded as very apt descriptions of the condition of a postmodern humanity. The Trouble With Being Human These Days touches upon themes familiar to many people in contemporary society, and it depicts life in a world where nobody interrogates the aim of our lives and what the journey’s score is. The film is devoted to Bauman’s theories, and it is based on a series of interviews with the sociologist, conducted by Mark Davies. Davies is also a sociologist who lectures at Leeds University, a critic of Bauman’s theories and his close friend. The documentary attempts to portray the Polish sociologist’s thoughts through a series of brief images and interviews with artists, sociologists and journalists.
The debate entitled Life According to the Masters, or Bauman vs Gadacz is the continuation of an exchange that took place as part of the professors’ courses at the Collegium Civitas - Gadacz’s Philosophical School and Bauman’s Sociological School.
Edmund Wnuk-Lipiński, the head of Collegium Civitas explains
The debate aims at an understanding of the contemporary world and its goal is to sustain the master-student relation which is presently fading in most contemporary academic centres. We have created a place of talk and discussion, which used to be accessible only to a narrow group of intellectuals. Listeners can acquaint themselves with the rich varitety of movements, trends, and schools of philosophy. They learn about social discrimination and inequality, the changing conflicts in society and the influence that the information revolution has on the condition of contemporary humanity.
The meeting with Gadacz and Bauman is addressed to those who search for unconventional means of self-development in their professional and private lives, and relate this development to fundamental philosophical and sociological issues. The event is co-organised by Collegium Civitas, the Polityka weekly and Ośrodek Edukacji Muzealnej (Centre for Museum Education) of the Łazienki Royal Park.
The Trouble with Being Human These Days is an English-language film. The debate is conducted in Polish. Registrations for the meeting should be submitted to marta.okon@collegium.edu.pl until the 19th of April, 2012
Source: press release