The third book in my "summer series" is by Felwine Sarr, a Senegalese economist who was also invited to the "Sternstunde Philosophie" programme.

The relatively small book "Afrotopia" sharpens our view of what will soon be the most important continent on earth. Felwine Sarr writes:
"In 35 years, Africa will account for a quarter of the world's population. It will epitomise the vitality of humanity, as it will have the highest proportion of inhabitants between the ages of 15 and 45. This demographic weight and vitality will shift the social, political, economic and cultural balance of the planet. ... Above all, the continent must also contribute to the development of humanity by building a more responsible civilisation that takes better care of the environment, respects the balance between the different orders, takes care of future generations, the common good and human dignity: a poetic civilisation. Contributing to the development of humanity certainly means taking care of people's welfare, clothing, feeding and educating them. But above all, it means producing fully developed individuals who realise their full potential and allow the brightest parts of human capacity to blossom. In this way, Africa will help raise humanity to a new level."

I would like to quote a few key thoughts from Felwine Sarr's book.

"Human societies have always changed organically by facing and responding to their challenges and then surviving or perishing.

"It must be emphasised that this crisis is above all of a moral, philosophical and spiritual nature. It is the crisis of a material and technological civilisation that has lost all sense of priorities. It is about escaping the grasp of the rational and mechanistic model that has conquered the world. It has seen itself as the master and owner of nature and in doing so has imposed an inverted image of man, establishing the primacy of quantity over quality, of having over being."

"Economy, politics and culture are three pillars of the social edifice that needs to be renovated or even rebuilt. ... In order to achieve this, a revolution in the forms of knowledge that puts an end to the hegemony of Western traditions of thought is necessary, indeed urgent. Such a revolution would go hand in hand with the uncovering of the special knowledge of which African societies are the bearers."

"It is a question of designing social regulation mechanisms that meet the needs of the moment without displacing customs and traditional forms that have proven their worth and continue to do so, in areas as diverse as conflict resolution, compensatory justice, forms of representation and legitimisation, etc. The task is to design a civilising context and prevent the barbarism of negating the old and transferring it to the present. The African continent could understand its rich cultures as forces of adaptation and change in order to mobilise them for new social tasks. One of the most urgent of these challenges is the development of a genuinely democratic culture."

This is exactly what I propose for a new global community in my book "Me, You, and All of Us". Felwine Sarr writes the following about African cities.
"The city is the work of man par excellence. ... Its practical aspect is to organise the spatial concentration of the activities required for social life in the best possible way. ... Today, 471 million Africans, more than 45 per cent of the population, live in cities. Urbanisation is progressing faster in Africa than on other continents." But he also sees a global aberration here; completely different cities need to be built: "Build cities that don't scratch the clouds, not because they lack ambition, but because their inhabitants place more value on those in-between spaces where people meet, live and are whole. In this case, the construction project begins with an act of destruction."

In my book "Ich, Du, und Wir Alle", I also propose this re-foundation of urban spaces after the destruction of the completely pointless skyscrapers of the future.

The earliest book in my "summer series" was written by Rutger Bregman, who was also later featured in the "Sternstunde Philosophie" programme.

In the introduction to this 3Sat report (from 29 May 2022) we read:
"There is war in Europe, climate change is progressing, millions of people are starving. But for historian Rutger Bregman, it is clear that humans are basically benevolent and good.
How do the war atrocities in Ukraine fit in with his conviction? And can this belief in goodness really inspire others and change us humans?
Rutger Bregman has good news for us: in his million-selling bestseller "Basically Good. A New History of Humanity", he outlines humans as naturally helpful and co-operative. It is not "the survival of the fittest" that has led to success, but "the survival of the friendliest". And he is convinced: "It is precisely the belief in the good in people that makes us good people."
I lent the book to someone in my family and have not yet received it back (please return it!). So instead of copying some quotes here, I'll direct you straight to the video I made about this book a little earlier: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_wEq-k1uYo . It's worth investing a few minutes of your time for these ideas.

In the summer months of 2022, I have greatly reduced my online activities. Instead, I read several new books. Some of them are so valuable that I would like to briefly report on them here to encourage you to read them too. The first fantastic book in my "series" is by Lea Ypi, who I got to know enthusiastically via the "Sternstunde Philosophie" programme.

In the introduction to the 3Sat report (from 8 May 2022) we read
"Lea Ypi - The secret of freedom
The Albanian philosopher Lea Ypi believed she grew up in the freest state on earth. A mistake. Every word was monitored. Not even her parents told the truth. In fact, it was the last Stalinist country in Europe. Lea Ypi spent her entire youth in the last Stalinist country in Europe. Today, the Albanian philosopher teaches political theory at the renowned London School of Economics and Political Science. What does it mean for her to be free - to live freely? What mental, moral and political conditions must be in place for this?

In her impressive literary memoir 'Free - Coming of Age at the End of History', Lea Ypi describes everyday life in the Albania of dictator Enver Hodja, the shocking fall of the system in 1990, at the end of the Cold War, and the dissolution of every political order in the name of a new, presumably total freedom.

In conversation with Wolfram Eilenberger, Kant specialist Lea Ypi explains her understanding of a truly mature, adult freedom - and thus a political vision that has yet to be realised in both Eastern and Western Europe."

In response to the question: "Is freedom only conceivable in relation to other people?" Lea Ypi answers:
"Yes, I think so. Because what we do is never without consequences for other people. We are responsible for ourselves, but we are also jointly responsible for shaping the world in which other people live.
...
The idea of breaking with everything as an individual may be ideological. But in our society in particular, it is very problematic because it is fuelled by the prevailing idea that the individual is self-determined and free and has every opportunity to live out this freedom. In times of crisis, such as the one we are currently experiencing, socially responsible behaviour is crucial because everything we do as individuals has a significant impact on other people. So we see how fragile this narrative is that we have learnt to believe in.
...
You have to dig deep to expose the pretence.
...
(according to which) freedom must always include the possibility of realising it."

When asked about her attempt to combine the Kantian view of individual freedom with the Marxist view of social freedom, she replies:

"Certain philosophical or moral creeds deserve to be reassessed and reconsidered at their core. What I find lacking in the socialist tradition is the commitment to social responsibility and the idea that freedom fulfils itself in society and together with others. This is unique and stands out from the liberal tradition, where everything revolves around the individual and their concept of freedom.
...
It is important to revitalise democracy and make it representative. This includes transparency at the transnational level and a better connection between these transnational concerns among technocratic elites and the concerns of citizens. For this we need intermediary political parties or social movements that are able and willing to fundamentally question the status quo and offer radical alternatives."

Lea Ypi speaks directly to my physical-philosophical soul. Truly remarkable.