Leben und Freiheit: Selbstbestimmung jenseits des Kapitalismus

The concept of freedom, as traditionally understood, is facing a profound crisis. The liberal promise of freedom has been so thoroughly exhausted that reactionary and authoritarian movements have readily appropriated the term. This shift is not solely attributable to unmet expectations, but also to the widespread perception that the pursuit of liberal ideals has given rise to a new form of domination and subjugation. Rather than fostering self-determination, autonomy has, in practice, often led to self-exploitation, the exploitation of nature, and highly efficient mechanisms of social control. In this context, a radical rethinking of freedom is urgently required. In their respective works *This Life* (2024) and *The Life of Freedom* (2026), philosophers Martin Hägglund and Thomas Khurana confront this challenge by redefining freedom in relation to the condition of life itself. Hägglund argues that only by beginning from the reality of one finite life can we reconceive freedom as a collective endeavour to imbue our limited time on earth with meaning. Khurana, meanwhile, contends that true freedom emerges when autonomy is grounded in the self-determining capacity inherent in living beings—enabling us to shape and transform our lives, rather than seeking to dominate them through control. Both perspectives offer a critical alternative to the logic of capitalist exploitation and the mechanisms of neoliberal governance.

Martin Hägglund and Thomas Khurana will present their new books at Roter Salon and join Rahel Jaeggi in a discussion on reimagining our relationships with nature, with others, and with ourselves. The conversation will explore how freedom might be understood not as an abstract ideal, but as something that unfolds and is realised through life itself—how self-determination can be rethought beyond the confines of capitalist and liberal frameworks.

The Event will be held in English.