 Welcome to the course on great ideas that have shaped the world. This is a course dedicated to ethical, political and scientific ideas that are shaping our contemporary world, from Socrates, Plato, Confucius, Buddha, to the contemporary digital revolution. Now, this is a course that is global in nature, in a sense that it deals with ideas from different parts of the world, from China, from Africa, from Latin America, from the West. Furthermore, this is a course that is focused on the contemporary. So to give an example, if you are going to read Darwin or Confucius, you are going to read these authors from the perspective of our contemporary world. The question is not what was the relevance and what are the debates on Darwin, for instance, in the 19th century, but the question is how has Darwin impacted our world? You don't need a background for this course. This is going to be a course that is interdisciplinary and introductory to a certain extent. I'm looking forward to developing debates with you, to discussing with you, and to listen to your intuitions.