Prof. Dr. Astrid Séville

Heroism in Liberal Democracy – A Controversial Idea?

Lecture on November 15, 2024

Critics and opponents of liberal democracy frequently disparage it by accusing it of weakness and decadence. They claim that Western societies are no longer willing to make sacrifices and have lost any sense of nation, honor, or heroism. Beyond these politically motivated slurs, academic descriptions of "post-heroic societies" suggest that the military, military service, and the will to fight have become questionable, with the narrative of peaceful conflict resolution prevailing.

Today’s geopolitical landscape is marked by conflicts and wars, where pacifist, liberal-egalitarian forces clash with heroic, aggressive-authoritarian ones. Does this mean that liberal democratic societies must return to an ideal of combat readiness and willingness to sacrifice in order to defend themselves and their values? How can the concept of "re-heroization" be imagined? This lecture explores these questions and offers reflections on the controversial idea of a new kind of heroism.

Registration

Prof. Dr. Astrid Séville is a Professor of Political Science, specializing in Political Theory, at Leuphana University of Lüneburg. In 2022/2023, she was a Visiting Professor of Political Philosophy and Theory at the Hochschule für Politik at the Technical University of Munich and held the Sir Peter Ustinov Guest Professorship of the City of Vienna at the University of Vienna in 2022. She worked for many years at the Geschwister-Scholl-Institute for Political Science at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, where she earned her PhD in 2016. Prior to that, she studied Political Science, Romance Studies, and Historical Anthropology in Freiburg and Paris.

[Translate to English:] Prof. Dr. Astrid Séville

Only in German

Recording of the lecture on November 15, 2024

Review of the evening lecture with Prof. Dr. Astrid Séville

This lecture explores the tension between the concept of heroism and liberal democracy, which is being raised again in times of political uncertainty and war. It shows that in post-heroic societies, where equality and collective responsibility are upheld, heroism is often seen as dangerous and unnecessary. But especially in times of crisis, such as the war in Ukraine, the question arises as to whether society does not need heroes to defend its values and democracy.