Limits of trust? – Areas of tension between science, politics and society

Second ConTrust Practice Forum

Forum for exchange between science and practice, with Vera King, Andreas Schindel, Tobias Singelnstein, Tobias Wille, Nicole Deitelhoff, Florian Meesmann (Editorial Director MDR Aktuell), Ayse Asar, LL.M. (State Secretary in the Hessian Ministry of Science and Art) – requested and Rebecca C. Schmidt, among others

Democracy is currently facing a question of trust like it hasn’t for a long time: Do citizens still have sufficient trust that democratically elected politicians will represent their interests and do so in such a way that the many challenges of our time will be solved? If this fundamental trust is increasingly crumbling, then not only governments will falter, but ultimately also the democratic order as such. This kind of development is reflected, for example, in the rise of right-wing populist parties, some of which are openly anti-democratic, whose simple proposals for solutions are becoming increasingly unsuccessful. So how can democratic politics gain trust? And what role does the exchange with science play in this? After all, it is science that is supposed to provide reliable information and guidance. Can politics benefit from scientific findings in order to generate trust? Or is this hope in vain in the age of so-called alternative facts and discourse fragmented by social media?

The second practical forum of the research initiative “ConTrust: Trust in Conflict. Political coexistence under conditions of uncertainty”. As researchers with different disciplinary backgrounds, we want to enter into a constructive exchange with representatives from the media, politics and other areas of practice. Different formats offer the opportunity to discuss thematic approaches, formulate expectations, but also to engage in informal discussions.