Stefan Hertmans: “In Search of the Present”: What are we doing here? – Culture

Getting a grip on the present, perhaps even summing it up in one or another concept in order to be able to better understand what kind of world you are currently living in – that is the business of time diagnostics. Answers to the question: “Where are we now?” The more crisis-ridden the times, the more sought-after the answers are – and the busier the diagnosticians. Philosophers and sociologists dominate the discipline, but also tend to use jargon and excessive length. The lively book “In Search of the Present. Essays for a Time of Transitions” by the Belgian essayist and writer Stefan Hertmans cannot be accused of either.