Lecture
Wednesday, Jun 15, 2011, 7 PM

Krzysztof Pomian

Professor emer. of History, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Toruń; Director, Museum of Europe, Brussels; z.Zt. Fellow am Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin

On Time

Gesprächsleitung: Priv.-Doz. Dr. Daniel Schönpflug, Berlin

There are four types of human behavior that deal with what we use to call “time” and about which, at this point, we do not assume anything: with the measure of “time”, with the location in “time”, with descriptions of what happens in “time”, and with attempts at mentally grasping “time”. In other words, with chronometry, chronology, chronography, and chronosophy. These four practices that have to do with “time” – as it seems, there are no other – will be characterized and confronted one with another in order to answer following questions: Is what they deal with and what we use to call “time” different for each of them? If so, why is there only one name? Is it the same in all cases? Then, why are there four different approaches to it instead of one?
The answer to these questions could lead to a description of what we use to call “time” and to an understanding of time (without inverted commas) which makes intelligible some paradoxes inseparables from it and divergences of opinions about it.

Der Philosoph und Kulturhistoriker Krzysztof Pomian ist Forschungsdirektor em. am Centre National de la Recherché Scientifique (CNRS), Paris, und Prof. em. für Kulturgeschichte an der Nicolaus-Copernicus-Universität, Thorn. Er veröffentlichte u.a.: L’Ordre du Temps (1984); L’Europe et ses nations (1990); Des saintes reliques à l’art moderne. Venise-Chicago, XIIe-XXème siècle (2003); Ibn Khaldûn au prisme de l’Occident (2006). Auf deutsch erschien: Europa und seine Nationen (1990); Der Ursprung des Museums. Vom Sammeln (2001).

Der Historiker Daniel Schönpflug ist Privatdozent am Friedrich-Meinecke-Institut der FU Berlin und Stellvertretender Direktor des Centre Marc Bloch, Berlin.

The event will be held in English