Semaine de la Pop Philosophie 2026

The Pop Philosophie festival in Marseille brings together philosophy, sociology, economics, neuroscience, geography, anthropology, biology, art and music. This edition is sponsored by Edgar Morin.

La Semaine de la Pop Philosophie, conceived in 2009 by Jacques Serrano, returns for its seventeenth edition with an invitation to think against the reductive currents of oversimplification and the easy allure of populism. More than a theme, it is a moral imperative calling on us to collectively celebrate complexity, alongside figures from the intellectual, scientific, artistic and political worlds.

It is widely accepted that we live in an increasingly complex world. Yet, perhaps in response, a taste for simplification seems to prevail today in every field. The “simple” is championed as synonymous with clarity. More than that: simplification is presented as a prerequisite for action. It is true that complexity calls for caution, patience and even doubt, while others rely on emotion, urgency and certainty. Under these conditions, oversimplification almost inevitably leads to populism.

He had borrowed the notion of “pop philosophy” from Gilles Deleuze, who saw the movement of scholarly practices beyond their fields as a way to reinvigorate creative thought.

Sadly, Jacques Serrano passed away at the very end of last year, leaving us not only with the responsibility of continuing his work, but also with the title he had chosen for 2026: Seduction and Fantasies.

Seduction has often had a bad reputation because of its Latin etymology. Se-ducere means to lead away from the straight path and, by extension, to deceive, abuse or manipulate. To seduce is to foster in another person a relationship with illusion, Plato says in the Gorgias.

The myth of Don Juan does not help its cause! Yet seduction, which is too often reduced to the realm of sexuality alone, is a biological, moral and political bond, and is therefore at the heart of all social relationships.

For better or worse, it wields power through its mastery of desire in politics and economics, and even in our relationship with images, fiction and algorithmic creatures.

It is a complex phenomenon which, through the diversity of its fields and forms of practice, raises questions for philosophy and the human sciences as a whole.

This new gathering, together with its speakers and audience, will set out to think about, articulate, represent and question it.

Saturday the 17th, from 6 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.: opening evening at Les Rotatives (17-19 cours d'Estienne d'Orves).

Venues: Les Rotatives, home of the newspaper La Marseillaise Bibliothèque de l’Alcazar Bibliothèque et Archives Départementales Gaston-Defferre Centre de la Vieille Charité Cinéma L’Alhambra Cité de la musique Le Makeda Muséum d’Histoire

Reservations are recommended for all events by email or phone.