In Istanbul's Atatürk Stadium, an imposing figure steps onto the sacred turf of the Champions League final. Erling Haaland, an undeniable beacon of football, one of the sporting giants of our time. At the same time on the ochre dust of Roland Garros, Casper Ruud prepares for another final, after his convincing 3-0 victory over Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals of the French Open.

In times when the boundaries between perceived reality and virtuality continue to blur, a pressing question emerges: Where has humanity gone? The threat lies not in the polarization of supposed opposites between analog and digital, but in the way we perceive the world. For in a virtual world, the perception of our own perception is just as real as in the supposed physical world.

The question “What is real?” can be traced back to the shadows in Plato’s cave. Two thousand years later, René Descartes lacked knowledge about arguing against an evil deceiver feeding us the illusion of sensation. Descartes’ epistemological concept later led to various theories of what our sensory experiences actually are.

A Plea for a New Performance Culture – Greta Thunberg and Luisa Neubauer won’t save the world. Yet, the outcry of the youth shows the urgency involved, and science points to the need for action. This is a model that has, indeed, led to some sensitization with respect to the climate crisis. But it also shows that fifty-two years after the first Earth Day, we’re rolling out our own changes far too slowly.

From the heaven of knowledge, a new creature of God has descended into the medial world. And his promise of salvation is quaero ergo tuum sit. Instead of cogito ergo sum—I think, therefore I am—it is now said, I search, therefore you are. So, praise the being. Praise ChatGPT, You.com, Google, and the Artificial Intelligences . . .

— Reflecting on Powerful Prescience and Reshaping Posterity‘s Future — Bonn, December 17, 1770: the first artist is born. To be more precise, this is likely the date of his baptism; the actual birthdate remains unknown. With him—Ludwig van Beethoven—art is poised to take on a creative role. Beethoven, already gifted from birth, will ultimately commit himself to art without compromise.

A Plea for a New Performance Culture – Greta Thunberg and Luisa Neubauer won’t save the world. Yet, the outcry of the youth shows the urgency involved, and science points to the need for action. This is a model that has, indeed, led to some sensitization with respect to the climate crisis. But it also shows that fifty-two years after the first Earth Day, we’re rolling out our own changes far too slowly.

“Subdue the earth!” With this instruction, the Old Testament God […]

The world and how I see it