Exploring identity with philosopher Julia de Funès

In March, we were honoured to welcome French philosopher and writer Julia de Funès as part of our annual conference series “Cycle des Grandes Conférences”.

Julia de Funès gave a fascinating talk addressing one of the major questions of our time: identity. Under the title “How to be yourself without falling into an identity impasse?”, she led us on a profound journey of reflection regarding authenticity and our true nature.

Who are we? To what extent are we the product of culture, lineage, skin colour or gender? Do our choices come from our own will, or are they the result of social and family conventions? All too often, modern notions of identity leave us wondering who we really are. During her funny, interesting and insightful talk, Julia de Funès made us question our very essence, without falling into the traps of identity.

Through provocative questions and enriching observations, the philosopher highlighted how the contemporary obsession with identity can lead us astray, whether from a philosophical, political or individual point of view.

She explores many of these complex topics further in her recently published book Le siècle des égarés.

Many thanks to Julia de Funès for the inspiring conference, and to our 400 participants for making it a memorable evening of sharing, humanism and intense reflection.