Marko Vučetić
Episode · #482
EKUMENA I ETIKA U POSLOVANJU Marko Vučetić
Guest Marko VučetićHosted by Augustin BašićMay 3, 2026
Marko Vučetić
About this episode
What you'll hear in this conversation
A society cannot exist without values, says Marko Vučetić, and a human without values is not truly human. He observes a Croatia where politics is devoid of rational content, intellectual institutions are subservient, and religious communities appear more interested in property than in people’s suffering. Vučetić, a professor of philosophy at the University of Zadar, argues that the intense identification of the religious with the national has created a "pathogenic mix" that harms both faith and nation, leading to profound moral decadence. This conversation offers an unflinching look at the ethical state of a society struggling with corruption, nepotism, and a democracy that, by his account, is not truly free.
Insights from the conversation
What to take from this episode
01
Vučetić states directly: "There is no human without values, and society cannot exist." Reducing humanity to its economic or political segments without a moral foundation diminishes the whole person, making both economy and governance less humane.
02
The identification of the religious with the national in Croatia has created a "pathogenic mix," as Vučetić puts it. When faith becomes a tool for nationalistic ends and earthly power struggles, it corrupts the essence of religion and distorts national identity, turning spiritual purpose into a weapon.
03
Vučetić finds it "scandalous that the church in Croatia is more interested in real estate and para-institutional power than in listening to the needs of citizens." When religious institutions prioritize material wealth and institutional influence over the suffering of their congregants, they betray their core mission and, as he puts it, "crucify" the very people they claim to serve.
04
He describes the language of intellectuals in Croatia, particularly at an institutional level, as "largely one of obedience to pathogenic politics." When academic leadership prioritizes political subservience over independent critical thought, it undermines the autonomy of the academic community and the rational foundations of the state.
05
Vučetić notes that Croatian politics is "devoid of rational content and moral values, but abounds in religious concepts." When political discourse replaces reasoned argument with religious symbolism, it leads to a reduction of humanity, making both economy and governance less humane.
06
The post-census scramble to maintain high Catholic percentages was not a fight for religious freedom, but for "statistical freedom and statistical mockery of religious freedoms." True religious freedom embraces diversity and protects all faiths; a society that seeks to impose the dominance of one religious pattern over others is, by definition, not free.
07
Sixty percent of first-year students at the University of Zadar had not heard of Vlado Gotovac, a key figure in Croatian democratic thought. A society that allows its intellectual and historical figures to be forgotten risks a collective "historical forgetting," leading to intellectual subservience and the erosion of independent thought.