Inauguration of the Université Populaire Edgar Morin

Faculté de Médecine de Montpellier, aâtiment historique, amphithéâtre d'anatomie - 2 rue de l'école de Médecine 34000 Montpellier.

Edgar Morin is one of today's leading thinkers. For his readers and listeners, his work is often a one-way gateway to the paradigm of tomorrow: complex thinking. The Université Populaire Edgar Morin aims to bring this work to life through a cycle of lectures, debates and themed workshops. The inaugural session will focus on war and its impact on our societies, as well as on the "Terre-Patrie".

Detailed description

Edgar Morin's interest in major societal and global issues is reflected in the Morinian concepts of "reliance", solidarity with the "Earth-Patriot" and the planetary "community of destiny". These three concepts bring together issues that are often neglected in official education: knowledge of knowledge, human complexity, understanding others, confronting uncertainties, globalization, the gigantic crises caused by wars, epidemics, climate change and the erosion of biodiversity, as well as complex ethics, the problems of the city and the revitalization of villages and the countryside. These are just some of the major themes that the Université Populaire Edgar Morin aims to disseminate to as many people as possible as we enter the 3rd millennium, a time of both peril and promise.

The subject of the inaugural conference reflects this focus on current issues, encouraging reflection not only on the nature of conflicts (particularly in Ukraine), but also on their impact on human societies, the environment and the economy.

Going against the grain of popularization, in favor of dissemination, this inaugural session is intended as a meeting place for intellectuals (from both the humanities and the sciences), artists, politicians, journalists and members of civil society. The aim is to create a symbolically powerful event in Montpellier's cultural life around complex thought, with a view to disseminating it to the general public. This project is one of the achievements of the " Reliance en Complexité " network, which aims to make Montpellier the reference and fertilization site for complex and Morinian thinking in various scientific fields. Although our initiative is global (our network extends as far as South America and Canada), it is first and foremost a local initiative (Edgar Morin lives in Montpellier). The choice to hold the event in the amphitheatre of Montpellier's Ecole de Médecine (a historic building) is in line with this logic.

Together, we'll be paying our respects to the inspirational figure who spurred the creation of this Université Populaire, and continuing his work through a cycle of conferences, debates and workshops on a variety of themes (including upcoming special sessions on 'Health and complex thinking', 'Ecology and complex thinking', 'Art and complex thinking').

General description :

A number of officials will take the floor to launch the inauguration (including an introductory speech by Agnès LANGEVINE, Vice-President of the Occitanie Region), before an ex cathedra lecture by Edgar Morin. Finally, a symbolic action will be organized to close the event, which also marks the end of its centenary year (started, as you may recall, at the Élysée Palace).

Target audience :

The principle of the Université Populaire is to be open to all audiences (of all ages and from all walks of life).

Program :

• 5pm-6pm: Opening remarks
• 6pm-7pm: Lecture by Edgar Morin
• 7pm-7:30pm: Questions from the audience
• 8pm: Closing surprise

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