Events

'What is Enlightenment?' asked pastor Johann Friedrich Zöllner in 1783, writing for the Berliner Monatsschrift. The editors of the monthly magazine picked up on this question and put it to their readers, thus igniting a debate that would shape the course of philosophy. The exhibition, titled 'What is Enlightenment? Questions for the Eighteenth Century', likewise explores this term from many sides. It concentrates on the most important debates of that era, taking its contradictions and ambivalence into account by revealing conflicts over concepts and demands, rather than presenting the Enlightenment as a homogeneous, progressive undertaking. In doing so, it also aims to make clear that the ideas of equality and tolerance prevalent then do not correspond to those held today and, moreover, were often not implemented in practice. The Enlightenment is often referred to in current debates about the social issues of today and about democracy as a form of government. The exhibition is also meant to provide a historical context for these conversations.