| Time: | November 28, 2025, 6:00 p.m. (CET) |
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| Venue: | Künstlerhaus Stuttgart, Reuchlinstraße 4B |
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"Stories for a better future: The power of myth in philosophy, urban ecology and politics" is a collaborative project by ILPÖ, IZKT, Institut für Philosophie and Künstlerhaus Stuttgart. Collectively reflecting on Zheng Bo’s thought-provoking film installation, The Political Life of Plants, the evening’s conversation will explore the use and efficacy of narrative and “myth” as strategies for shaping attitudes to the future.
The rational arguments, empirical facts and abstract models characteristic of modernity have seen their power to change minds, impact decision-making or predict and mitigate disaster severely depleted. Alongside reason or logos, the ancient form of mythos has been and remains a powerful facilitator of transformative future-oriented change: stories propel us towards the future.
What kinds of stories accompany the political life of plants and the political and artistic agency of other-than-human lifeforms? And how do these stories, these myths, contribute to the shape of our future?
The talk will take place on the 4th floor of Künstlerhaus Stuttgart. The event will be held in English. All are welcome to join the open-ended discussion and inspiring exchange of thoughts.
Curated by: Tamarind Rossetti & Stephen Wright
Guests are welcome – please contact: info@izkt.uni-stuttgart.de.
About the project
In our transdisciplinary project, we examine perspectives from philosophy, urban ecology, and political science that deal with the potential stories have for shaping a better future and the challenges that come with it. What role does storytelling play in classical political thought? Could a new form of “eco-mythology” bridge the gap between values and action? Does a better future require the telling of new, place-based, ecological myths? And if so, what might these look like?
The project brings together students from three seminars (“Storyscapes,” “Hobbes and Rousseau,” and “Political Emotions”) to ask fundamental questions of philosophy, politics, and design and to examine compelling examples of imaginative, future-oriented storytelling in Stuttgart.
Further dates:
11.12.2025, 19 Uhr, Künstlerhaus Stuttgart
Filmscreening | Princess Mononoke (Film von Hayao Miyazaki)
30.01.26, 14-18 Uhr, Künstlerhaus Stuttgart
Transdisziplinärer Workshop | Stories for a better future
Ein Gemeinschaftsprojekt von ILPÖ, IZKT und Institut für Philosophie der Universität Stuttgart und dem Künstlerhaus Stuttgart.
