What compels a person to stand up against a totalitarian system, even when they know that doing so will lead only to repression and hardship? In this lecture, Ludger Hagedorn—a permanent fellow at the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM) in Vienna and head of the Patočka Archive—examines the key ideas of the Czech thinker, who was one of the primary inspirations behind «Charter 77.» By analyzing the philosopher’s life and work, Hagedorn demonstrates that submission to those in power never alleviates pressure; rather, it only intensifies it. He explores what Patočka’s legacy can teach us today, how a «solidarity of the shaken» emerges, and why human dignity does not seek out comfortable compromises.
Shaken Solidarity: Ludger Hagedorn Delivers the 2026 Krzysztof Michalski Memorial Lecture
New article on the School’s website Sapere Aude
