In our latest two-part episode, we welcome three guests from the University of Helsinki. As we explore current events and the global challenges we face, it seems the fatalistic view is prevailing. Institutions like the UN lack credibility and the power needed to intervene and enforce human rights, as the current situations in Gaza and Sudan have shown us. The West continuously illustrates examples of "rhetorical" moralism, demanding democratic values while also holding countries such as Saudi Arabia as their closest allies. Global inequality persists, populism is on the rise, and many of the post-World War II democratic values are perhaps eroding away. In this episode, we discuss these issues, concentrating on universal values, the problem of polarization, climate change, and visions of a better future.

Kristian Klockars is a Docent and Senior Lecturer of Practical Philosophy at the University of Helsinki. His research areas include political philosophy, especially the philosophy of democracy and critical social theory (both in the Frankfurt School and post-structuralist tradition).

Säde Hormio is an Academy Research Fellow at the University of Helsinki. Hormio’s research focuses especially on collective responsibility, social epistemology, and climate ethics. Hormio’s latest book, Taking Responsibility for Climate Change (2024), discusses, for example, the role of ethical arguments in setting climate policy.

Mattias Lehtinen is a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Helsinki. His areas of research include the traditions of contemporary continental political philosophy, post-phenomenological thought, and critical theory. He is especially interested in contemporary political thought and theory.