TRUTH, TRUST, AND DEMOCRACY | Lecture Series 

Organizer: Christoph Jäger

In recent years populism, propaganda, manipulation, and authoritarian thinking have started to jeopardize liberal democracy and the open societies. Rational, enlightened thinking appears to be in decline.

Major drivers of these processes include cultures of systematic lying, disinformation, sowing distrust, and widespread susceptibilities to such mechanisms, as many people adopt worldviews heavily influenced by fake news and conspiracy theories. This reflects an erosion of the commitment to truth and the ability to discern and respect it. Social media provide a fertile environment for these phenomena.

The lecture series analyzes these developments and explores explanations and strategies for addressing them. Leading scholars from various philosophical disciplines—including social epistemology, political philosophy, philosophy of science, ethics, media and communication theory, and the philosophy of social institutions—along with experts from related fields in the humanities and social sciences, will offer in-depth discussions and analyses, as well as novel perspectives. The series will feature several talks each semester, often accompanied by workshops on specific topics.

Begin: summer semester 2025. Lectures are held on Wednesdays, 4:45 p.m. (CET), Karl-Rahner-Platz 3, SR VI.

Speakers summer 2025:

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