The congress "Time Orders of Life" of the Integrated Accompanying Studies in Anthroposophic Medicine (IBAM) will take place from April 30 to May 2, 2026 under the leadership of Prof. Friedrich Edelhäuser, Georg Soldner and Thomas Fuchs.
The natural temporality of life is primarily characterized by cyclical processes and rhythms, which are also expressed in subjective bodily experience. This applies, for example, to the heartbeat, breathing, the sleep-wake rhythm or the daily periodicity of hormone secretion. Drive and satisfaction, movement and rest, exertion and recovery also repeat themselves cyclically.
This cyclical structure of lived time contrasts with the order of linear (clock) time, which has become increasingly established in the natural sciences and the living environment of Western societies since modern times. This is characterized by increasing acceleration, the abolition of rhythms and the consumption of the natural resources on which life processes are based. The monetary-driven growth dynamics of the global market economy are a key driving force behind this acceleration. The fundamental tension between the two orders of time is now leading to global conflicts and ecological crises as well as to individual overloads, of which burn-out syndromes and depression are examples.
The cyclical as well as the linear principle of time is contrasted with present time, the time of the present and presence. It results from a suspension of one-sided causal or final processes in which the past or future dominate experience. This occurs particularly in situations of encounter, leisure, arrival and lingering, but also of "flow", i.e. skillfully executed activity, in which the sense of time is lost in fluid execution. In such situations, the individual experiences a reciprocal resonance with others, with their environment, opening themselves up to the encounter so that something new or creative can emerge.
On the one hand, the tension and dialectic of the three principles of time is a central cause of various crises that we are confronted with in the present. On the other hand, if understood correctly, it opens up the possibility of a balance and a synthesis that allows for a more appropriate order of time for the individual, for communities and institutions as well as for society as a whole.
The aim of the congress is to first examine the dialectic of the three principles of time in principle, in order to then focus on their concrete form, particularly in medicine, education, studies and biographical development. The focus will be on conflicts and crises as well as the potential and possibilities for change of the time orders.
Participants can also look forward to contributions from various guests. These include Prof. Dr. Emil Angehrn, Dr. med. Marion Debus, Prof. Dr. med. Friedrich Edelhäuser, Prof. Dr. med. Eckhard Frick, Prof. Dr. Dr. Thomas Fuchs, Dr. David Hornemann, M.Sc. Natalie Hurst, Prof. Dr. Stephan Lessenich, Prof. Dr. med. Giovanni Maio, PD Dr. med. Rosa Michaelis, Prof. Dr. Hartmut Rosa, Georg Soldner, and Prof. Dr. Christian Tewes.
Participation fee:
Regular: 160 euros
UW/H employees: 80 euros
Students: 40 euros
Registration is requested.
Further information can be found in the program.