Professor Sorgner Presents at "Otiose Leisure and the Body” Conference

Stefan Lorenz Sorgner (right) with Sven Helbig (left)

“To do nothing at all is the most difficult thing in the world” – Oscar Wilde

JCU Philosophy Professor Stefan Lorenz Sorgner was invited to give the opening presentation at a leading conference “Otiose Leisure and the Body” in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany, on October 13. The title of the conference comes from the German word Muße, which can be translated to Latin otium, meaning time spent fruitfully, but without having to focus on productivity. Professor Sorgner talked about leisure, mindfulness and the posthuman music of German contemporary composer Sven Helbig, who gave a concert as part of the event. Sven Helbig is a contemporary composer known for his musical creations which lie outside of traditional musical boundaries. He has successfully cooperated with such musicians as the Pet Shop Boys and Rammstein.

Professor Sorgner has also been invited to participate in a public discussion on the “Transhuman” that will take place on October 20, 2019 at the Art Biennale in Venice. The discussion is part of the Thinking Head project by Italian artist Lara Favaretto. The conversation will be live streamed on the official Art Biennale website.

Professor Sorgner, who is one of the world’s leading posthumanist and transhumanist philosophers, teaches philosophy and posthuman studies at John Cabot University. He is director and co-founder of the Beyond Humanism Network, Fellow at the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies (IEET) and Research Fellow at the Ewha Institute for the Humanities at Ewha Womans University in Seoul.