For democratic optimism!

Julian Nida-Rümelin, former Minister of State for Culture and Chair of Philosophy and Political Theory, promotes democratic optimism - despite all the crises.

In a keynote speech, the former Minister of State for Culture and Chair of Philosophy and Political Theory will present key theses from his newly published book "Was Demokratie ausmacht und wie sie aus der Krise kommt" (Piper, 2025) and then enter into a direct exchange with the audience.

For Nida-Rümelin, the possibility of democratic opinion-forming, the exchange of arguments in the public sphere, the ability to engage in discourse and the willingness to cooperate are just as much a prerequisite for a functioning democracy as the protection of minorities and processes of collective self-determination.

However, this evening will also focus on the "exhaustion" of democratic society and its power of integration. How did we get into the situation we are in today? Can democratic society, or can we as individuals, change this state of exhaustion? And what role do culture and the arts play in this?