History of the Project

The project was not conceived as a theory, but emerged as a movement of thought. It grew out of a personal, political, and philosophical engagement with the world we live in. Its origin lies in a simple yet profound observation: that many social problems do not arise from a lack of rules, but from the loss of a shared measure — an ethical frame of reference.

A key starting point was the reflection on the oath of office — particularly in the German constitution, but also in many others. “I swear to dedicate my strength to the well-being of the people, to increase their benefit, to prevent harm…” — this oath is not a bureaucratic act, but a moral promise. It points to a fundamental idea that goes beyond power and function: the human being as the reference point of the political. This insight became the philosophical impulse for the project.

At the same time, the project draws from an intensive engagement with classical and modern philosophical traditions: with Kant and Rousseau, with Ihering and Jellinek, with Rawls, Arendt, Nussbaum, and Maslow. Yet it does not adopt any doctrine uncritically. It deliberately distances itself from any ideology that presents itself as a closed system. The project does not seek a formula for the world, but a space for thought.

It emerged in conversations, in writing, in confrontation with injustice, political disillusionment, and systemic coldness. It grew out of the need to find a language for what many lack: orientation without dogma. Ethics without moralism. Freedom without cynicism. Participation without the pressure to conform.

The term “Project iovialis” was chosen deliberately. The word “iovialis” comes from Latin and means “belonging to Jupiter.” The German word “jovial” derives from it and commonly means friendly, generous, affable. In everyday usage, it often sounds superficial or patronizing. But the project takes the original meaning seriously — and reclaims its ethical essence: benevolence, respect, mutual regard.

Thus, the project is not a theoretical construct, but an attempt to make philosophy livable. It is open, fragmentary, process-oriented. It does not seek to persuade, but to invite. It does not seek to govern, but to remind: of the human being. As the beginning of everything.

Its beginnings go back to the late 1990s, when the domain was first registered.