In May 1996, president Vaclav Havel invited to Prague Elie Wiesel, an American writer, professor, political activist, Nobel laureate, and Holocaust survivor. He delivered a lecture entitled “The Seduction of Fanaticism” in the Ballroom of the Prague Castle. In his lecture, he strived to name the roots of fanaticism in society, and at the same time, to show that even an individual can succeed in defying the brutal machinery of destructive ideology. Based on the revived recording of Wiesel’s lecture, the following panelists will discuss these and other questions: Josef Jařab, Professor, Palacký University Jolyon Naegele, journalist, political analyst Bonita Rhoads, historian, activist Neela Winkelmann-Heyrovská, academic, activist The panel talk will be moderated by Jiří Pehe, Director of New York University Prague. During the twenty-five years since Elie Wiesel’s lecture, the impacts of fanaticism have changed our lives substantially. Unlike Havel’s time – the Cold War and its aftermath – during which the world seemed to have a binary choice between democracy and totalitarianism that automatically tilted educated and fair-minded folks towards democracy, today’s world seems fed up and disappointed with majority rule. Or is it simply that “minoritarian” rulers have become more clever? The balance has tipped, and more and more countries show degrees of autocratic leanings or outright dictatorship. Have we learnt any lessons as individuals and as a society to be able to face fanaticism? Are we capable of learning this lesson at all? What has changed to make democracy appear unsuccessful? What is democracy’s true track record in delivering change? Is democracy up to the challenge of addressing our planet’s existential crises such as fossil fuel replacement, climate-forced migration, and balancing a sustainable environment with the needs of the largest human population in history?