Are We Experiecing The Second Renaissance? with Sylvie Barbier
This video is part of a series of discussions carried out within the Life Itself community. To get involved please join the Life Itself Whatsapp Chat
- Who: Sylvie Barbier is a French-Taiwanese artist and co-founder of Life Itself. Her multicultural background and artistic sensibility bring a broad and unique outlook. She is currently working on her first book "Second Renaissance".
- What: Sylvie will share about her upcoming book "Second Renaissance" and its connection to Life Itself's vision for a radically, wiser, weller world.
The Presentation
https://youtu.be/dg_cG4AqIHI In this conversation, we speak with Sylvie Barbier. Sylvie is a performance artist and the co-founder of Life Itself. With a unique blend of Taiwanese and French heritage, Sylvie embarked on a deeply introspective journey, sharing her personal quest for self-discovery and understanding. This conversation is an introduction to her book which is in the works under the theme “Second Renaissance.”
About the book
"Second renaissance" talks to our hearts as well as our minds. It interweaves personal stories with a wider analysis of our current societies. The book combines the political, artistic, social and spiritual. It is a call for hope in life itself and our collective humanity. It is a hope grounded in reality, discerning enough to avoid the mirages of false promises and to see the true signs of the second renaissance.
The book unfolds in three parts:
- A child of modernity: where I came from, what brought me to this enquiry.
- In a secular world the ego is God: a diagnosis to what has lead us to the current crisis.
- The song of spring for a second renaissance: the existing signs of a second renaissance and a picture of the elements and principals of this renewal.
Sign Up for early access and updates about the book here: Second Renaissance
The dialogue that follows breaks down the motivation for the book and the ideas that are leading us towards a “Second Renaissance.” What follows is a contemplation about the intricacies of the world and the diverse reactions it evokes from different groups. ‘People have the tendency to oversimplify the complexities of our surroundings, prompting a deeper exploration of these intricacies.’
Society often falls prey to the allure of oversimplification, as some choose to turn a blind eye to the complexity and continue with their daily lives, while others attempt to offer simplified explanations for the multifaceted problems that plague our world. Moreover, Barbier expressed hope in the potential of technology to solve these issues but cautioned against the mere replication of existing solutions under the guise of innovation.
Sylvie acknowledges the blind spots and illusions both she and society had adopted as a result of modern values. Growing up, our perspectives about the world are driven by myths surrounding happiness through material possessions, the unrealistic notion of equality, and the emphasis on individuality. Recognizing the importance of understanding the collective views inherited from modernity, Sylvie stressed the necessity of comprehending these constructs to pave the way for a truly new and transformative future.
Drawing a parallel between the present moment and the first Renaissance, Sylvie identified the current era as one of crisis and transition. She underscored the significance of accurately diagnosing the decline of modernity and advocated for a combination of rational analysis and emotional processing to mourn the end of an era while embracing the birth of something new.
Sylvie envisions the arrival of the Second Renaissance, a time she described as fraught with both crisis and life. She emphasises the imperative of relinquishing the influences of the old world to forge a path toward a new future. Speculating on the shape of this nascent world, she emphasises the need to embrace complexity, integrate individual and collective perspectives, and foster a sense of interbeingness—a deep interconnection between all aspects of existence.
In her work, Sylvie engages in empirical observations of the world, searching for signs of the Second Renaissance. In closing, she extended an invitation to others to share their own experiences and perspectives, particularly about oversimplified narratives and explanations encountered within their own circles.
The conversation as a whole revolves around Sylvie’s personal journey, her contemplation of the complexities inherent in the world, the illusions and blind spots passed on by modernity, and her eager anticipation of the Second Renaissance and the need for a renewed vision of humanity.
As we reflect on this conversation, we are compelled to ponder the intricacies of our existence and the world we inhabit. The narratives we often encounter tend to oversimplify, obscuring the nuanced realities that demand our attention. Sylvie’s insights serve as a reminder that understanding the complexities of our world requires a willingness to delve deep, question assumptions, and embrace the multiplicity of perspectives that shape our shared reality. Only then can we hope to transcend the limitations of oversimplification and embark on a truly transformative journey toward a new renaissance of human potential.
