💭 One of the mottos of the Enlightenment was “sapere aude,” dare to know. With this motto, Enlightenment thinkers like Diderot, Voltaire, and Rousseau rejected fanaticism, conventional thinking, and, in many cases, the authority of the Church, submission to religious principles and belief in the afterlife. As they faced death, therefore, it seemed natural that these thinkers would turn to their legacy. If there was no prospect of Paradise, at least they would survive in the minds of future generations through their writing. But a new book, entitled “The Rest Is Silence: Enlightenment Philosophers Facing Death” by Dr. Joanna Stalnaker, published this year by Yale University Press, argues otherwise. It shows that, as they faced their ultimate hour, Enlightenment thinkers did not think about their legacy and glory after death. On the contrary, their last works seemed to embrace nothingness and oblivion.
🎧 Listen to the full interview with Dr. Joanna Stalnaker about her new book, The Rest Is Silence: Enlightenment Philosophers Facing Death (Yale University Press: 2025), on Spotify at the link in our bio.
Alliance Program
Share
An innovative academic joint venture between Columbia, École Polytechnique, Sciences Po, & Paris 1.
Columbia University, the Ecole Polytechnique, Sciences Po, and Paris Panthéon-Sorbonne University share a common vision and in 2002 created the Alliance Program to be a pioneering model for Franco-American collaboration for the new millennium.
06/01/2026
🤔💭 How did Enlightenment thinkers understand their own passing? What can their perspectives tell us about the nature of life and death in the post-Enlightenment era? And what does boredom and nothingness have to do with it all?
📚🔗Hear Dr. Joanna Stalnaker’s perspective on these questions and more at the link in our bio.
05/29/2026
🎉 Congratulations and Félicitations to the Selected Alliance Program Doctoral Mobility Grantees for 2026-2027!
The Alliance Program is delighted to welcome this year’s recipients of the 2025-2026 Doctoral Mobility Grant. We congratulate all grantees and warmly invite them to join our vibrant academic communities in New York City and Paris as they embark on their research exchanges this upcoming academic year.
🔗 Read more about the selected Grantees and the Doctoral Mobility Program at the link in our bio.
05/29/2026
💭🏛️ We are thrilled to share our latest episode of the Vis À Vis podcast!
This episode celebrates the new book release of The Rest is Silence: Enlightenment Philosophers Facing Death (Yale University Press: 2025) by author Dr. Joanna Stalnaker, in conversation with Alliance Director Emmanuel Kattan.
Listen to the new episode at the link in our bio.
05/07/2026
📌 Check out this article from Sciences Po Research covering our recent Vis À Vis podcast episode, “Research at Sciences Po,” with Sciences Po Dean of the School of Research, Dina Waked, at the link in our bio!
🧠 “Whether in sociology, where scholars examine inequalities of class, gender, race, or social mobility; in political science, where they analyze how power struggles, institutions, and wars shape unequal outcomes; or in history, where we look back at colonialism, slavery, conquest, and empire to understand the realities we live in today—these issues do not exist in silos. The answers often intersect and overlap, informing one another. What is remarkable about the Sciences Po ecosystem is how it encourages interdisciplinary collaboration and cross-fertilization across disciplines.” — Dina Waked, Dean of Sciences Po School of Research
📍 Check out the link in our bio to read more!
04/27/2026
"Europe is now taking responsibility for its own security"
Jean-Noël Barrot’s talk at SIPA, happening now!
04/24/2026
Europe will shape the 21st century 🌍
Join us on April 27 for a timely conversation with Jean-Noël Barrot, French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, as we explore the major global challenges defining our moment—from the war in Ukraine and tensions in the Strait of Hormuz to the future of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the shifting rules-based international order.
Following his remarks, Minister Barrot will engage in a moderated discussion and Q&A with students on the role of younger generations in shaping diplomacy and navigating an increasingly complex world.
🗣️ Speakers:
Jean-Noël Barrot
Jean-Marie Guéhenno (Moderator), Columbia | SIPA
📅 Monday, April 27
⏰ 2:00–3:30 PM
📍 IAB 1512
Register Now: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/europe-will-shape-the-21st-century-tickets-1988008432738?aff=oddtdtcreator
Hosted by the Institute of Global Politics at Columbia | SIPA, Co-sponsored by the Alliance Program, Columbia European Institute, and Arnold A. Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies
04/22/2026
🌎 Celebrate Earth Day with the Alliance Program!
🌸 We have compiled our favorite environmental, climate, and planetary conversations from Vis à Vis into this special Earth Day 2025 Playlist.
🐛 Listen to these expert conversations at the link in our bio!
04/20/2026
💬 We can’t wait for this timely and important event at Reid Hall tomorrow in Paris! Learn more at the link in our bio and register before tickets sell out!
04/14/2026
Dina Waked, Dean of the Sciences Po School of Research, joining Alliance Director Emmanuel Kattan reflects on the value of research in a diverse and changing world:
“One of the most valuable things research can do is to help us see things differently. It gives us the distance, the methods, but also the imagination to question a lot of the things we take for granted, and it allows us, in a way, to approach complex issues from multiple perspectives, to understand not just what is visible, but often what is hidden and what remains unseen. So in a sense, at least, the way I approach research is that it helps bring to light the voices of those that are not heard to speak about those who cannot easily speak for themselves and to narrate these alternatives.”
Listen to the rest of the episode on Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5aLw5CEMaPMXhGPYWqkAni?go=1&sp_cid=44fd624933f6c2561c17478f851ba344&utm_source=embed_player_p&utm_medium=desktop&nd=1&dlsi=d951a31e8a284ab6
Research at Sciences Po Vis a Vis · Episode
Click here to claim your Sponsored Listing.
Location
Category
Website
Address
475 Riverside Drive, 308H
New York, NY
10115