- Date
- Friday 16 May 2025, 15:30 - 19:00
- Type
- Inaugural lecture
- Spoken Language
- Dutch
- Space
- Aula
- Building
- Erasmus Building
- Location
- Campus Woudestein
On Friday 16 May 2025, Dr. Richard A.J. Steenvoorde OP will deliver his inaugural lecture upon accepting the position of Professor by Special Appointment of Christian Philosophy at the Erasmus School of Philosophy. His lecture, entitled Alter ego: On Friendship as a Worldview, offers a powerful plea for friendship as a foundational principle for society, politics, and truth. The inaugural lecture will be held in Dutch
In an age of polarization, distrust, and social fragmentation, Steenvoorde argues that friendship is more than a personal preference: it is a revolutionary way of life, a gesture of resistance and reconciliation. Drawing on compelling examples – from Nelson Mandela to Thomas Aquinas – he shows how friendship not only restores the human dimension, but also offers a vision of hope, freedom, and shared humanity.
According to Steenvoorde, true friendship is not a fleeting emotion, but a form of performative philosophy: a way of engaging with the world that invites openness and encounter, especially with those who are different. In doing so, he presents a renewed framework for current social and ecclesial challenges.
The ceremony will take place on Friday 16 May 2025 at 16:00 in the Aula of Erasmus University Rotterdam, followed by a reception. All are warmly invited to attend the inaugural lecture.*
Watch the livestream or view the recording via:
https://eur.cloud.panopto.eu/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=22eac636-8728-4113-9d33-b27600a17f3f
Bio
Richard Steenvoorde has served as Professor by Special Appointment of Christian Philosophy at Erasmus University Rotterdam since 1 January 2024. He is a Dominican friar based in Rotterdam. Steenvoorde holds doctorates in both law (2008) and theology (2023). Following a career in politics, academia, and civil society, he joined the Dominican Order in 2013 and studied theology at the Universities of Oxford and Leuven. Since 2024, he also serves as student chaplain for the international student community in Delft.
* The inaugural lecture will be held in Dutch
- More information
The ceremony will take place on Friday 16 May 2025 at 16:00 in the Aula of Erasmus University Rotterdam, followed by a reception. All are warmly invited to attend the inaugural lecture
More information or press requests:
[Eddie Adelmund / Press Officer ESPhil]
[adelmund@esphil.eur.nl]- Related content
