Anthony Pinn delivers the Socrates Lecture

This year the Dutch humanist organization Humanist Verbond is organizing the Socrates Lecture together with the University of Humanistic Studies. The lecture will be given by American professor and humanistic thinker Anthony Pinn who is visiting our university in the spring. Pinn is professor of Religious Studies at Rise University in Houston, USA, and an expert on the tension between humanism and racism. Also featuring Zaire Krieger, Fadoua Alaoui and others.

Humanism also has blind spots. Racism is one of them. For too long it was hardly a topic of conversation. That didn't seem too surprising, after all, humanism is at its core inclusive and anti-racist. Right? According to Pinn, that's exactly where the problem lies. He sees this as a passive form of anti-racism. By only speaking out as anti-racist, you place yourself outside the problem, while we are all part of it - including humanists. Pinn challenges us to think further and do more.

Pinn has focused on humanism and racism for nearly thirty years. After his lecture, we draw the conversation to the Dutch situation. Spoken word artist Zaire Krieger will give a reading, known for her translation of The Hill We Climb by Amanda Gorman.

For more information, visit the Humanist Verbond website (in Dutch).

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