We live in the age of digital transformation. Almost everything in human life is affected by it. The dynamics of development are breathtaking. By creating a digital world, we have created a new world which is hard to resist. However, there are reasons for considering the digital transformation one of the biggest challenges of our time. We need to shape it, remaining critical observers of developments by asking what it means to live a life in the digital age.

Modern telescopes allow us to have stunning impressions of the universe in which billions of galaxies, even more suns and numerous planets exist. Planet Earth has become quite ordinary. Do we need to feel small and irrelevant, though, in the face of such grandeur? And is it not a misunderstanding of the progress made in cosmology, if this progress makes us lose respect for nature without which life is inconceivable? It cannot be wrong to view our planet in the context of cosmic dimensions, even less so if our new understanding of the universe motivates us to understand more of Planet Earth itself. 

Globalization is a promise that poses major challenges to keep. Moreover, not everyone wants to hear such a promise today. Critics of globalization are opposed to supporters. And as soon as life in a globalized world affects not only economic but also cultural and identity-related issues, heated debates arise about homeland, language, nation, and migration. Our third topic area is mainly concerned with questions in the context of culture and identity.