Nature does not obey the rule of law. The separation of powers is alien to it and it is scarcely bothered about the protection of minorities. Freedom and solidarity are human virtues. A democracy is not determined by the survival of the fittest. In a democracy, human dignity is inviolate. But what rights do animals and plants have in a democracy? Which law should prevail: the rule of law or the laws of nature?

What are we talking about when we use the word »nature«? What shapes our image and our understanding of this so-called nature? We can find answers in that great store of human knowledge and experience: literature. Three evenings and three literary journeys through languages, through the centuries, through the continents. Read by the actors Angela Winkler, Sandra Hüller and Sarah Sandeh, accompanied by musicians and put into historical and literary context beforehand by Lukas Bärfuss in conversation with a range of experts, the evenings will approach three pairs of concepts that have shaped our past, concern our present and will determine our future.