News
At the conference in memory of Donskis – about the impact of the pandemic on mental health
In honor of Leonidas Donskis, a professor at Vytautas Magnus University (Vytautas Magnus University), one of the most outstanding European thinkers, the third conference dedicated to the memory of the philosopher “Mind the Gap. Emotional Well-being and Social Solidarity during COVID-19“. Information and registration: https://www.sakharovcenter-vdu.eu/events/third-leonidas-donskis-memorial-conference/
.jpg "L. Donskis named among key figures of past 30 years in Lithuania")
L. Donskis named among key figures of past 30 years in Lithuania
Professor Vytautas Landsbergis, chairman of the Supreme Council-Reconstituent Seimas, as well as Presidents Valdas Adamkus and Algirdas Brazauskas have been named the most prominent figures in Lithuania over the past three decades, according to a delfit.lt/Reitingai survey. Landsbergis received 412 votes, Adamkus got 403 and Brazauskas was picked by 379 people. They are followed by ex-President Dalia Grybauskaite (364), basketball players Arvydas Sabonis (310), philosopher Leonidas Donskis (289), poet Justinas Marcinkevicius (282), singer Vytautas Kernagis (260), MEP Andrius Kubilius (258) and singer Andrius Mamontovas (227).(Tęsti...)
Kaunas university to open late philosopher Donskis` office featuring his book collection
Vytautas Magnus University (VDU) is opening on Thursday the Leonidas Donskis office featuring the late philosopher`s personal book collection and his creative legacy, VDU said. Preparations for the opening of the office took almost two years and involved bringing in 90 boxes of books from the home of Leonidas and Jolanta Donskis. (Continue...)
Publications
Vladimir Putin as Entertainer
In the twentieth century, we got accustomed to the clownish dictators who can sing or act or else amuse the crowds. In Russian, the term “yurodstvovat’” refers to clowning, practicing the art of amusement, yet it also allows the point of entry when dealing with being bound to balance between reality and non-reality, empirical evidence and non-entity, flesh-and-blood humanity and abstract ideas or principles. Small wonder that “yurodivye” were Russian medieval jesters whose work was to amuse the folks, and who were absolved from political responsibility for making any dangerous allusions to or even poking fun of real power structure. (Continue...)
Liquid Totalitarianism
Leonidas Donskis
The term “soft totalitarianism” is on the lips of many commentators. They imply that the European Union is not a democracy, but, instead, is a technocracy which walks in disguise as a democracy.(Tęsti...)
A wake-up call for Europe
“We are coming,” says Nigel Farage, the leader of UKIP (United Kingdom Independence Party), and co-chair of the Europe of Freedom and Democracy group in the European Parliament. As if to say that this is just his time, Farage comes up with the punch line directed straight to Martin Schulz, president of the European Parliament: “Please don’t pretend that nothing has happened. You know perfectly well that it has. And the day is nigh when all your EU institutions will be plain dead.
“We are coming.” I am paraphrasing his phrase, yet I can vouch for its credibility and content. So the message is clear – if we are to believe the most theatrical and eloquent political clown I have seen over the past five years that I spent as his fellow member of the European Parliament (2009-2014), that’s the beginning of the end of the EU. Needless to say, the news about the death of the EU is slightly exaggerated. Christian Democrats, Socialists, Liberals, and Greens will outweigh an increasingly visible minority of the far right led by Marine Le Pen and Nigel Farage. When the time comes, conventional and pro-European groups will easily achieve a decisive and crucial majority over pivotal issues of the EU. Yet at one point we willy-nilly have to agree with Nigel Farage.(Tęsti...)
