Tuesday 26 May | The Dilemmas that Will Shape the World After Corona

Predicting what the world will look like over the coming years is never an easy task. But looking at the different dilemmas we face because of the coronavirus, we at least get to see what’s at stake. It seems likely that this tiny virus will reshape our entire civilization.

In this short read in the Hindustan Times, former Indian ambassador dr. Mohan Kumar lists seven ways the world may change. In one example, he sees public health security becoming equally if not more important than national security. Will pathogens be seen as a greater threat than terrorists? How will this affect air travel, xenophobia, and politics?

In this longer read on New Statesman, former UK foreign secretary David Milliband argues that there are four ‘contests’ or dilemmas that have to be fought out. First, between more globalization or putting up more walls; between democracy and autocracy, to see who is better at dealing with crises; between privacy and liberty, as countries mine their citizens’ data; and between continuing society’s harsh inequalities or expanding the welfare state, introducing universal basic income, and making education more accessible.

Do you see any other dilemmas taking shape? How do you make the right decisions going forward? Let us know your thoughts below.

Studium Generale created a Corona Care Package to make #StayingIn as pleasant as possible. In the following weeks we will share videos, blogs, articles and podcasts within four focus areas: Mental Health, The World After Corona, Arts & Culture and other online events.

Monday 25 May | Save the date: Climate Depression on June 9

How do you cope with climate change and ecocide?

Despite the current pandemic, we still find ourselves in an ongoing climate crisis. New terms like climate depression and eco-anxiety seem to indicate that society suffers from significant mental health issues as a result. Jaap van der Stel, lector at Leiden University of Applied Sciences, will share his views in an online YouTube lecture followed by a live Q&A on Zoom on Tuesday June 9 (in Dutch).

Studium Generale created a Corona Care Package to make #StayingIn as pleasant as possible. In the following weeks we will share videos, blogs, articles and podcasts within four focus areas: Mental Health, The World After Corona, Arts & Culture and other online events.

Friday 22 May | The best technology podcasts to listen to in 2020

“As interest in the technology industry continues to grow, a sizeable cottage industry of tech podcasts has risen alongside it, from games and gadgets related geekery, to practical advice on getting sh*t done.”

Podcasts are an increasingly popular way to stay up to date on the topics you love, with no shortage of great options, from deep industry insights to news roundups and deeper dives on the science and tech side of things. Especially in these times podcasts can provide education, inspiration and relaxation. Check out this link for the best technology podcasts!

Studium Generale created a Corona Care Package to make #StayingIn as pleasant as possible. In the following weeks we will share videos, blogs, articles and podcasts within four focus areas: Mental Health, The World After Corona, Arts & Culture and other online events.

Thursday 21 May | The corona app: solution to our problems or a big mistake?

Several weeks ago the government organised an ‘appathon’ with the aim of launching a corona tracing app in record time. Experts complimented the government for the transparency of the process, but were sceptical: the app had to be developed in a rush, and essential privacy concerns were not thought through. It turned out that there was no company participating in the ‘appathon’ that could live up to the safety standards. It has been quiet ever since…

But what are the main issues when developing such an app? Is it possible to reconcile the functionality of a tracing app with our right to privacy? Will there be an app in the end? We asked dr. Seda Gürses, Associate Professor in the Department of Multi-Actor Systems at the Faculty of Technology Policy and Management. What do you think, should we use an app to trace people infected by the virus?

Are you still full of questions or ideas after watching this video? Join the discussion on corona apps on May 26th, hosted by Matthew Dennis (TBM), and organised by our colleagues at X TU Delft.

Studium Generale created a Corona Care Package to make #StayingIn as pleasant as possible. In the following weeks we will share videos, blogs, articles and podcasts within four focus areas: Mental Health, The World After Corona, Arts & Culture and other online events.

Wednesday 20 May | Wunderbaum: Stop Acting Now

Now that we’ve recovered from the first corona shock, we can tentatively have a first glance at a possible world after corona. The theatre company Wunderbaum seems to have the gift of foresight, as the film ‘Stop Acting Now!’ seemlessly fits the current situation. The film shows the attempts of the collective’s actors in changing the world on their own micro level. For example: one of the actors opens a ‘tear bar’ to fight society’s stressful omnipresent positivity culture. With a big fat wink to the pre-corona society and a lot of irony, from which we might even learn going into a post-corona era.

The film is in Dutch with English subtitles.

Studium Generale created a Corona Care Package to make #StayingIn as pleasant as possible. In the following weeks we will share videos, blogs, articles and podcasts within four focus areas: Mental Health, The World After Corona, Arts & Culture and other online events.

Just over two hundred years ago the young daughter of two philosophers and feminists wrote the first scifi novel, and it’s one that is etched into our cultural imagination of the horrors of science forevermore. That novel is Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. But how many of us have actually read this classic?

If you’re not planning on reading it anytime soon, you can at least get a sneak peek through dr. Kathryn Harkup’s podcast. The author of “Making the Monster: The Science Behind Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein,” dr. Harkup takes you through the bizarre historical context of Shelley’s time. The curious invention of the battery, weird experiments with electricity, and grave robbing are some of the highlights. Ethical standards, anyone?

You can find a lot of this context dramatized in some of the many films and series based on Frankenstein. The recent The Frankenstein Chronicles, for instance, stars Sean Bean as a sort of Sherlock Holmes who gets in way over his head with grave robbers and pseudo-scientists. Robert De Niro starred as the monster in 1994’s Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. And of course there’s the classic flick from 1931 with Boris Karloff as the archetypal portrayal of the monster.

Finally, there’s an interesting little factoid that connects Mary Shelley’s novel to our current pandemic. She was bored and stuck indoors with some friends in the summer of 1816. Do you know why? Kathryn Harkup can tell you 😀

Read the book for free online through Project Gutenberg, on a computer screen or on an e-reader. And join us in discussing it on June 3rd with the Online Book Club organized by SG, VOX Delft, and Hesiodos!

Zondag 24 mei van 11.00 – 12.00 uur livestream vanuit Theater de Veste
Met Hoogleraar Transportbeleid Bert van Wee, introductie door Vice Rector Magnificus Rob Mudde.

Net voor het uitbreken van de coronacrisis ging de maatregel van maximaal 100km/u op de snelweg van kracht. In de eerste weken heeft dat weinig oproer veroorzaakt, omdat het betrekkelijk rustig was op de wegen. Nu we langzaam steeds vaker de weg opgaan worden we opeens weer geconfronteerd met deze maatregel. Hoe zat het ook alweer? Wat was de aanleiding? Wat zijn de voor- en nadelen van deze snelheidsverlaging? Denk aan reistijden, verkeersveiligheid, milieueffecten en natuurlijk ook de positie van stikstof. En hoe weeg je die voor- en nadelen onderling af? En wat komt er uit die afweging, is het wel of niet een goed idee om de snelheid te verlagen?

Bert van Wee, Hoogleraar Transportbeleid aan de TU Delft, geeft in deze eerste online editie van de van Leeuwenhoeklezing antwoord op bovenstaande vragen.

Tuesday 19 May | A Future Filled With Pathogens

From increased contact with wildlife populations to ancient bacteria being thawed out of the ice, author and journalist Dahr Jamail details some of the reasons why COVID-19 will not be the last pandemic in our lifetime. It’s a stern warning and difficult to hear right now: that COVID-19 is only the beginning, and that essentially it’s our own fault.

Scientists in The Guardian take it a step further and urge the world to curb climate change and the destruction of nature. Nature’s health translates to human health, they argue, so protecting nature is the rational thing to do. Otherwise we’ll have to keep hoping for a cure or vaccine for each new disease that hits us.

What do you think? Can you imagine a future filled with pathogens? (If so, what would that world look like?) Or do you doubt these scientists’ conclusions and predictions? If protecting nature is the rational thing to do, does that mean we’ll actually do it? And if we do respond proactively, who are the “we” that need to take action? So many if’s!

Studium Generale created a Corona Care Package to make #StayingIn as pleasant as possible. In the following weeks we will share videos, blogs, articles and podcasts within four focus areas: Mental Health, The World After Corona, Arts & Culture and other online events.

Monday 18 May | It’s OK to Feel NOT OK Right Now – Alain de Botton

Be nice to yourself! “The School of Life” co-founder Alain de Botton talks about our collective emotional state during a global pandemic. He touches on the traps of expectations to constantly feel great and put on a brave face, and how there is freedom in acknowledging our vulnerabilities. And Alain shares some thoughts on treating ourselves better.

Studium Generale created a Corona Care Package to make #StayingIn as pleasant as possible. In the following weeks we will share videos, blogs, articles and podcasts within four focus areas: Mental Health, The World After Corona, Arts & Culture and other online events.

Every year, S4S (Students4Sustainability) hosts a big sustainability event in the Aula. Despite the physical restrictions placed on them by the pandemic this year, the students at S4S are determined to bring it again and so we’ll have our first fully online symposium Powered By SG on May 19th!

The theme this year is biomimicry. Biomimicry is the imitation of models, systems, and processes in nature to solve human problems. There are great examples out there already, like the famous kingfisher-nosed bullet train, but also less famous ones like sharkskin swimwear and termite mound-inspired architecture. Such designs help to increase efficiency, health, speed, and the like.

But just because you’re learning from nature to improve your design, that doesn’t mean that your design is automatically more sustainable, does it? We’re curious to see what the speakers at this symposium will say about using biomimicry to advance climate and eco-friendly designs. And to see what sort of questions you will field during the online discussion. Keep an eye out on social media (Facebook or Instagram) for the link to the live stream.

Unrelated side note: did you know that the word symposium comes from the ancient Greek sympósion, which literally meant “drinking together;” an intellectual party where everyone got utterly wasted on wine. Since people won’t actually be coming together physically for this symposium, I think it’s time to coin a new word that means “drinking apart together.” If you’re an ancient Greek language buff do let us know what this word should be.

Note: this event was recorded. Watch it here or click on the link at the top of the video to go to YouTube.