Denis diderot biography youtube documentary

Today, in the 21st century, does the Enlightenment still matter?

This 4-part documentary looks deeply at historic Enlightenment thinkers Denis Diderot, Olympe de Gouges, Thomas Jefferson and Immanuel Kant.

Then, it puts their ideas to the test in the modern world. What role do justice, responsibility, freedom and knowledge play, today?

Denis diderot biography youtube documentary

Questions that arise include: How can global warming be stopped? How can more and more people live together peacefully? Can we remain responsible citizens, even in the digital age? How can the new technologies be controlled? 

In this part of the documentary series, Austrian philosopher Armen Avanessian sets out on a journey around the world to try to answer some of these questions.

From Zurich to New York, Silicon Valley and West Africa, he explores the question of who bears responsibility for our future: states, large corporations or each individual?