National Library of Public Information | Will Truth and Love Prevail? The Context and Legacy of Václav Havel’s Thoughts (9/26)
【Dates】 September 26, 2026
【Location】 Multi-Learning Classroom, 3rd Floor, National Library of Public Information
【Features】
This lecture begins with the famous words of Václav Havel, former president of the Czech Republic, writer, and thinker: “Truth and love must prevail over lies and hatred.” Starting from this statement, we will reconsider whether the idea of “living in truth” that he put forward still has meaning today.
The lecture will first return to Czech history and introduce three important thinkers: Jan Hus, Tomáš G. Masaryk, and Jan Patočka. We will explore how “truth” came to occupy an important place as a value in Czech culture and history, and further examine how these ideas influenced Havel. Through Havel's own well-known works, as well as other works that had a profound influence on his thought, we will introduce the intellectual context in which his ideas developed. We will see that “living in truth” is not simply a matter of distinguishing truth from falsehood or a technique for arguing and debating. Rather, it requires the courage to be willing to make one's own life a guarantee of one's ideas—to live in such a way that one's life itself bears witness to what one believes.
The lecture will then turn to Havel's understanding of “lies,” “hatred,” and “love.” For Havel, a lie is not merely the opposite of a fact; it can also become a tool through which power exercises control over people. Hatred, in turn, may arise from a person's inability to truly confront their own frustrations and their own inauthenticity. And the “love” Havel speaks of does not necessarily refer only to love in a religious sense. It is closer to an attitude of goodwill and respect toward others.
Finally, we will bring these questions back to the present day and look for answers together: In a world filled with vast amounts of information, countless individual opinions, and an ever-accelerating pace of life, can we still distinguish what is true and maintain our conscience and our capacity for thought? And what exactly is “Truth and love must prevail over lies and hatred”—is it a prophecy, or is it a task that each and every one of us must undertake to fulfill?
