Otium cum dignitate — leisure with dignity

OTIUM Travel is a continuation of the educational project OTIUM Academy, founded in 2018 in Kyiv. OTIUM Academy specialized in organizing lectures and workshops, creating online courses on history, philosophy and literature with the participation of leading Ukrainian specialists. The main focus of OTIUM Travel is philosophical travel.

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In antiquity, the Romans used the word otium both to mean “just peace,” “quietude,” “absence of war,” and to mean “leisure time devoted to reading, philosophy, and other academic pursuits.”

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For participants in OTIUM Travel project, both meanings of this Latin word are important. We believe that for sustainable peace and prosperity, every country needs citizens with strong critical thinking skills.

 

This project is a contribution to increasing the number of critically thinking citizens, people with a broad outlook, developed skills in thoughtful reading, information analysis and the ability to conduct constructive discussions.

 

To help develop these skills, a route of philosophical travel was laid out through cities associated with the most important events in history and the main works of European culture.​ In 2024 we will visit Florence, Berlin, Amsterdam and Bamberg.

Over the course of several days, a group of seekers of meaning will follow the paths of the geniuses of the past, reflect on the causes and consequences of turning points in the development of European civilization and test the strength of the foundations of their worldview.
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We learn ourselves and invite you to learn with us.