“I was given every opportunity and freedom to become an atheist”

On 20 September, the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) will gather at Brussels’ Koninklijk Circus for the Feest van de Vrije Geest, or Celebration of the Free Spirit. This event marks the opening of the new academic year and celebrates the values that the university steadfastly upholds: critical thinking, freedom of speech, the right to self-determination, solidarity and connectedness. As part of the programme, six renowned guest speakers will share what the concept of freedom means to them, through a short speech or performance. Among them is Christophe Busch, director of the Hannah Arendt Institute, which focuses on citizenship, urbanity and diversity. 

What does a free spirit mean to you?

“Independent thinking! Not just parroting what your group says, but thinking and acting critically and autonomously. Consider what Hannah Arendt wrote about Eichmann: the root of evil wasn’t in his abnormality, but in his thoughtlessness.”

Who do you consider a role model in terms of free speech?

“Hannah Arendt. She presented analyses – on the banality of evil, on colonial thinking – that wouldn’t be academically accepted until decades later. That’s the power of free speech: society may not always be ready for a new idea, but the seed is planted nonetheless.”

Did your background hinder or encourage you to think critically and express yourself freely?

“The latter. I attended Catholic schools, but no one ever forced anything on me. I had every opportunity and freedom to become an atheist. I do notice that older generations sometimes carry traumas. Their secularism or atheism can sometimes feel like an anti-identity. I never experienced that.”

Should we be able to say anything, or are there limits to freedom?

“You should be able to say anything, except when it incites hate, discrimination or violence. We must preserve the freedom to engage in public dialogue to the fullest extent. Otherwise, we erode democracy. That doesn’t mean we should amplify every opinion indiscriminately. Someone can claim that the world is run by extraterrestrial reptiles or that the climate crisis doesn’t exist. But the media shouldn’t place that person alongside a political scientist or a climate scientist as if their claims hold equal weight. Science has its rights.”

“New communication technologies always bring about a period of truth erosion and polarisation”

Is freedom of speech under threat?

“It comes and goes in cycles. Right now, the truth is under pressure. This is due to the pandemic and wars, as well as social media and AI. New communication technologies always bring about a period of truth erosion and polarisation. It was the same in the 1920s with the rise of graphic novels, which had a strong emotive persuasive power. The situation is precarious, but there is also reason for hope: in times of crisis, people often rise above themselves.”