Säulen der Demokratie

Democracies do not fall from the sky. Like a building, they have to be designed, built and maintained. They must be understood, wanted, lived and protected anew by each generation in order to survive in the long term.

Säulen der Demokratie is a series of interviews organised by the Chair of Political Philosophy, Theory and History of Ideas, which looks at the foundation of ideas and the supporting values of democracy.

Head: Prof. Dr. Eva Helene Odzuck
Project coordination and moderation: Dr Sarah Rebecca Strömel
Technical realisation/editing: Nick Soestwöhner

Instagram: @saeulenderdemokratie (external link, opens in a new window)

YouTube: Säulen der Demokratie (external link, opens in a new window).

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Are human rights threatened by the current crisis diagnoses of democracy? What are the weaknesses of despots compared to democratically legitimised and acting actors?

In an interview with Dr. Sarah Rebecca Strömel, Prof. Bielefeldt answers questions on the relationship between democracy and human rights.

You can find the full interview here (external link, opens in a new window).

What role can, must and should the Federal Constitutional Court play in democracy? Is it even possible to define democracy as an abstract concept in terms of content, also in contrast to other forms of government?

In an interview with Dr. Sarah Rebecca Strömel, Prof. Manow answers questions on the tension between democracy and constitutionalism.

You can find the full interview here (external link, opens in a new window).

How can the relationship between democracy and capitalism be categorised in times of increasing diagnoses of crisis in democracy? According to Prof. Dr. Lisa Herzog, the fundamental values of both systems are crucial to understanding how symptoms of crisis in democracy are caused by capitalism. Is there a need to reorient capitalism along the lines of basic democratic values?

In an interview with Dr. Sarah Rebecca Strömel, Prof Herzog answers questions about the tension between democracy and capitalism.

You can find the full interview here. (external link, opens in a new window)

Is our society more robust than many people realise? The swan song for liberal democracy is countered by Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Otfried Höffe counters this with an optimistic perspective: Numerous stability factors held it together quite reliably even in times of crisis. And academics should not succumb to the temptation to profile themselves as "critical voices" who unjustifiably paint a bleak picture for the sake of their reputation.

With Dr. Sarah Rebecca Strömel, the renowned Tübingen professor of philosophy talks about the importance of traditional customs, interreligious tolerance, a common language and solidarity across the generations with a view to the cohesive forces of our democracy.

Watch the new edition of "Säulen der Demokratie" here (external link, opens in a new window)!

How endangered is our democracy? Are constitutional reforms necessary to tackle the climate crisis? What is behind the concept of "resilient democracy"? And how can we contribute to preserving the political order in our everyday lives? Prof. Dr. Tine Stein (University of Göttingen) and Dr. Sarah Rebecca Strömel (University of Regensburg) look for answers in the new edition of our discussion series.

You can find the interview here (external link, opens in a new window).

How must liberalism evolve in order to survive in a globalised world? And will liberal democracy master this challenge? Prof. Dr. Michael Festl (University of St. Gallen) and Dr. Sarah Rebecca Strömel (University of Regensburg) look for answers in the new issue of "Säulen der Demokratie".

You can find the interview here (external link, opens in a new window).

What is society's perception of freedom of opinion and speech in our democracy? What can we expect from the "cancel culture" phenomenon? And what can, should and must we do as citizens to preserve freedom in a democracy? Dr. Sarah Rebecca Strömel asks these and other questions in an interview with Prof. Dr. Ulrike Ackermann, who founded the John Stuart Mill Institute for Freedom Studies in 2009 and has been involved in political theory and empirical research on freedom for many years.

You can find the interview here (external link, opens in a new window).

What characterises our democracy in the constitutional, liberal sense? How can and must we deal with the external and internal enemies of democracy? And what does identity politics have to do with the internal threats to democracy? Dr. Sarah Rebecca Strömel asks these and other questions in an interview with Prof. Dr. Barbara Zehnpfennig, who held the Chair of Political Theory and History of Ideas at the University of Passau until 2022. She is a recipient of the Federal Cross of Merit with Ribbon and a member of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities.

You can find the interview here. (external link, opens in a new window)

What significance do the culture of remembrance and the politics of remembrance have for our democracy today? What lessons can we learn from the past for our democracy? How can we deal with the anti-Semitic tendencies that are becoming particularly visible again and do we have a special responsibility as political scientists?

Dr Sarah Rebecca Strömel asks these and other questions in an interview with Prof. Dr. Peter Niesen, Professor of Political Theory at the University of Hamburg, spokesperson for the "Political Theory and History of Ideas" section of the German Political Science Association (DVPW) and author of numerous relevant publications.

You can find the full interview here (external link, opens in a new window).

We hear this time and again: Democracy is in crisis. Is that true? What, if anything, can we do about it? And what does "democracy" actually mean, depending on your perspective? Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Julian Nida-Rümelin in an interview.

The conversation marks the start of the new interview series "Säulen der Demokratie", which is produced and broadcast by the Chair of Political Philosophy, Theory and History of Ideas at the University of Regensburg in cooperation with the philosophy blog "praefaktisch".

Prof. Nida-Rümelin is a former Minister of State, head of the interdisciplinary working group "Normative Constituencies of Democracy" and author of numerous publications on the subject (including "The Endangered Rationality of Democracy" and three studies for the Körber Foundation).

In their conversation, Dr. Sarah Rebecca Strömel and Prof Julian Nida-Rümelin shed light on the political and democratic theoretical dimensions of Nida-Rümelin's personal understanding of democracy as well as the general, practical challenges of democracy.

You can find the full interview here (external link, opens in a new window).