Multiple crises are threatening the future of the planet. Global society is becoming increasingly fragmented, and communicative exchange has often been replaced by icy silence based on entrenched conflicts. All these processes run counter to the urgent ecological transformation.
The concept of a “spiritual ecology” aims to provide reflexive impulses that raise awareness of the interdependencies between all forms of life and the discovery of spiritual-mental forces for an ecological transformation. The central question is: Why do we not do what we should do, even though we know what should be done? To answer this question, findings from the neurosciences and social sciences are particularly illuminating.
Art is the discipline that reflexively observes the ecological crisis, puts it up for discussion and develops utopias for future ways of life. Only those who have the power of decision and motivation at an individual level are capable of ecological transformation. The prerequisite at a collective level is specific ecological knowledge that relates to both physical and mental environments and has geographical, social, cultural and religious components.
The symposium aims to get to the bottom of these diverse interrelationships from the perspective of various disciplines. As a real laboratory for sustainability, the University of Passau campus offers the ideal place for this.
The symposium «Spiritual Ecology» will take place from 4 to 5 June 2025 at the Atelier of the Professorship for Art Education and Visual Literacy, Innstraße 35 in Passau.
