The Dean of Research at the Witten/Herdecke University, Prof. Dr. Matthias Kettner, was the fifth guest speaker in the IPU's public lecture series "Psychoanalysis as a Reflection of Culture". Professor Kettner is a psychologist  who is assigned to the Frankfurt School as a philosopher. In addition he is a Professor at the Witten/Herdecke University where he is responsible as the Dean for the "Faculty on the Reflection of Culture – Studium Fundamentale". According to Professor Kettner, "not only does this contain the term 'reflection of culture' in its name," but "this was also instrumental in shaping the programme terminology several years ago."

The public lecture series at the IPU Berlin which, as he pointed out, is held "under the reflection of culture programme terminology, one which as such is not obvious at all," is continuing this summer semester under the title "Pathologies of the Modern Age – Certitude as Fiction". In his talk entitled "The Failure in Freedom. On a Modern Feeling for Life" which he gave on the evening of 19 April 2012, Professor Kettner described what modern humans claim for themselves as freedom. Approaching his subject from an interdisciplinary perspective, he discussed this specific human feeling for life in the modern era.

The renowned scientist first described the methodological approach to his understanding of the reflection of culture programme terminology, while demarcating this precisely from the neighbouring disciplines. Accordingly, one does not conduct a reflection of culture "from the inside to the outside, and never only from the outside" or in other words never solely as a mere observer, or "as system theorists like to say: as  a primary observer", but also "never only from the inside" and "never only contemplatively".

Responding to the issue of which purpose the reflection of culture then fulfils, Professor Kettner referred to a society's cultural dimension. Reflection determines which "meaning or which relevance the activities by the people" can actually have for a society's cultural dimension. If one views the reflection of culture "as a change in that which is reflected upon" then, according to Professor Kettner, it certainly does contain a "practical element". He illustrated how helpful this element can be for the development of a diagnosis of culture perspective by taking examples from advertising and art, or as a result of literature with a psychoanalytical influence. In particular, he praised Erich Fromm's analytical reflection of culture as a "magnificent effort". He regards Fromm, to whom he returned repeatedly as he continued his talk, "as a culture reflective author of psychoanalysis waiting to be rediscovered".

"However, what comes from the modern age in this viewpoint?" Professor Kettner then went on to ask. "What comes from so-called modern man? And especially what comes from freedom?" Instead of immediately providing the answers to the listeners, he postulated the theory that freedom is not a quality of the will for instance, but rather it is a cultural practice and thus can never be stopped. Its impermanence is what can solely be guaranteed. This impermanence or even contingency is what characterises the modern age. And it is the specification of the modern age "to process this mental contingency somehow". Regardless of which area. While it is true that contingency is the prerequisite for freedom, Professor Kettner then continued, conversely it always has a threatening component as well: To wit, its own impermanence.


Next event dates
 
03.05.2012 - Prof. Dr. Christa Rohde-Dachser, Frankfurt / Hannover
Was sich ändert und was bleibt. Über die Unkündbarkeit der Verheißung

29.05.2012 - Siri Hustvedt, Ph.D., New York
Between You and Me: Art and Analysis

12.07.2012 - Dr. Ronald Britton, London
Natural, Unnatural and Super-natural Beliefs