The Learned Society of the Czech Republic, 15 May 2023
Přednáška pro XXIX. valné shromáždění Učené společnosti České republiky, 15. května 2023
Prof. Dr. Konstantin Sigov, National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy
Truth supposes justice: this thought by Emmanuel Levinas is as relevant today as ever and is in tune with the philosophy of Vaclav Havel. Kуiv and Prague are drawing the attention of Europe to this key issue. As you know, the word “pravda”, truth, is connected with justice (“právo”). When Putin and his team reject the truth, they do it because they want to live arbitrarily, without any rules. Ukrainians became physical bodies witnessing the intangible connection between truth and right. Losing the truth, one loses the right to life, to dignity. Ukraine has woken us up - that’s the testimony we hear from a lot of cities in Europe. How will European cultural institutions and universities contribute to the victory over Russia’s terrorist regime and liberation from Putinism? Over the past year, we have learned quite distinctly that delay being deadly is not just a metaphor; delay is death. How can we lessen the murderous impact of lies on our present and future? What inhibits the realization that the question of truth brings us closer to the threshold of a new Europe?