Solidarity and the Crisis of Trust

The present volume is an aftermath of an international convention of philosophers and specialists in social theory, who sought answers to the question of how the idea of solidarity, as it is explored today, might point towards new hopes. Authors of the essays are Shlomo Avineri, John Gray, Ivan Krastev, Scott Lash, Pierre Manent, Peter Sloterdijk, Jadwiga Staniszkis, Gianni Vattimo, Marcin Krol and Jacek Koltan. By organising the meeting and by publishing this collection of essays we want to support the claim that without a broad discussion about the future there is no understanding of the present crisis of culture. To gain a profound insight into new forms of solidarity and trust, we would like to confront the current situation with a variety of historical and global contexts. The conference, organized in 2010 by the European Solidarity Centre and the Erasmus of Rotterdam Department of the University of Warsaw, followed the 30th anniversary of Solidarity trade union movement.