Menu
MapConnectionsTopicsBulgariaThe Night (K-TRIO)Marie Skłodowska-CurieFor studentsFor teachersMethodologySurprise me
H2020Doctoral network2016–2021

HHFDWC · The History of Human Freedom and Dignity in Western Civilization

Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Duration
2016-01-01 → 2021-07-31
EU contribution
€3,651,150
Participants
16
Scheme
MSCA-ITN

Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.

Results in brief

The History of Human Freedom and Dignity in Western Civilization

The research project is an Initial Training Network (ITN) established by 6 universities and 9 non-academic partner organizations and engaging scholars from various disciplines. The ITN will trace the roots and transformations of the human values of dignity and freedom in theological and philosophical traditions, among other things with the aim of understanding modern debates and conflicts about these values. The idea of human freedom and dignity is fundamental to the modern concept of human rights and for the welfare state model on which most European countries build their societies. However, the long history and developments of this conception of humans have never undergone a comprehensive large-scale analysis. This is what the ITN aims to do: to investigate the philosophical and theological traditions behind the modern Western conception of humans as free, valuable, and dignified beings, and how these traditions developed chronologically and geographically. The network will focus on the reception and assimilation of the theological ideas expounded by the church father Origen from the 3rd century. The ITN has 3 scientific objectives. The 1st objective is to clarify the transmission and reception of Origen’s ideas about human freedom and dignity in the Medieval West, focusing on Augustine, John Eriugena, Gregory the Great and Bernhard of Clairvaux. The second objective investigates the early modern and modern periods focusing on the reception of Origen’s ideas in an English, Dutch, Danish and German context. The third objective is to clarify the role that ideas about human freedom and dignity play in contemporary society. By focusing on the reception of Origen’s theological and philosophical arguments for and ideas about human dignity and freedom in later traditions, the ITN will expound the function of the transcendent and philosophical dimension in relation to human dignity and freedom. Such a project is highly relevant today since the modern Western conception of humans as free, valuable, and dignified beings is among the fundamental pillars of Western democracies and human rights – and these pillars are under pressure, both from political and religious movements and from global crises (like economy and environment) that limit the individual’s autonomy. However, when we have a historically informed and comprehensive understanding of these fundamental values and their origins and development, we can argue more authoritatively for their continued existence and value.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union

Project objective

The ETN has two aims: to a) train ESRs; b) investigate the The History of Human Freedom and Dignity in Western Civilization. a) The ETN will establish an innovative training programme which allows the ESRs to obtain specialist knowledge of a specific research topic and to obtain transferable skills enabling the students to apply their knowledge in non-academic institutions, e.g. dealing with social welfare, human resources, or legal /political institutes. The training program includes acquiring transferable skills via courses and via secondments in non-academic partner organisations. b) The thesis of the research is that the concept of the ideal modern Western European human being has its roots far back in the history of philosophy and theology. This ideal human being has the right to think, believe, and express itself freely about all matters without fearing retribution, and to be treated as an autonomous and dignified individual. But such a conception is not shared by all – and never was. Its long history has been formed through a continuous battle between two theological and philosophical traditions going back to Origen from Alexandria and Augustine of Hippo respectively. Origen saw humans as free, valuable and dignified beings, while Augustine saw them as predestined, sinful and bound to servitude. The network will investigate the reception and use of Origen’s ideas in order to provide a comprehensive and historically based understanding of these fundamental values, their origins, development and the fights they have gone through. Only then can we argue for their continued place in modern society.Such a project is highly relevant today, since the modern conception of humans is a fundamental pillar of Western democracies which is under pressure from both political and fundamentalist religious groups that question the societal structures building on ideas of humans’ freedom and dignity, and by global crises and structures that limit the individual’s autonomy.

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

Links

Data: CORDIS, © European Union