Is resignation really a defeat, or can it be a prerequisite for freedom and personal growth? Czech philosopher Tereza Matějčková and German philosopher Barbara Schmitz discuss self-acceptance, detachment and a life free from the pressure to perform. The conversation marks the publication of Matějčková’s book Who Spoke of Victory?, in which she revisits traditions of spiritual and philosophical “exercises” and rethinks resignation as the ability to create distance from oneself and from external pressure. Resigned will is not weakness, but a form of inner strength and a defence of freedom. Special guest Barbara Schmitz, a German philosopher based in Switzerland, brings her work on the good life, vulnerability and openness into dialogue with Matějčková’s thought. The discussion explores spiritual discipline, self-acceptance and freedom in a time when “victory” is often treated as the only measure of success.

Tereza Matějčková, Barbara Schmitz