On November 24 2020, the French sociologist and philosopher Bruno Latour (1949) was awarded the Spinozalens 2020 by Mayor of Amsterdam Femke Halsema. This event was organised by the International Spinozaprijs Foundation, the Embassy of the North Sea and Felix Meritis. Have a look at the live stream here.
Central theme of the Spinozalens cycle 2019-2020 was technology. According to the jury, Bruno Latour is one of the first to interpret technology as a social factor. In addition, Latour had already put sustainability on the agenda in the early 1990s. According to him, non-humans such as seas, plants, animals and microbes have a political voice that must be heard in our democracy. His plea for a “Parliament of Things” is very innovative and leads to a different way of dealing with all that is non-human.
The award ceremony was hosted and moderated by the Netherlands’ Philosopher Laureate, Daan Roovers and included:
— An artistic intervention by Harpo ’t Hart and Ibelisse Guardia Ferragutti,
— A brief lecture about the Parliament of Things by lawyer Daphina Misiedjan,
— An interview with Bruno Latour by essayist and writer Bas Heijne, with questions prepared especially from international thinkers Donna Haraway, Chantal Mouffe, and Peter-Paul Verbeek,
— The online presentation of Spinozalens 2020 to Bruno Latour by Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema,
— Acceptance speech by Bruno Latour from Paris.
The evening was organized by the International Spinoza Prize Foundation, the Embassy of the North Sea and Felix Meritis and could be followed via livestream here.
Welcome to the Parliament of Things
In the context of the awarding of the Spinozalens to Bruno Latour, the educational and public programme Welcome to the Parliament of Things was launched from 19 – 27 November 2020 at various locations. Read more about this manifestation here.
