Theme table Back to Basics

At the "Back to Basics" theme table, the participants, moderated by Simon Derpmann (ARRTI) and Alexa M. Kunz (HoC), addressed the question of why (digital) democracy is desirable at all and what skills and framework conditions we need, especially at KIT, to constructively engage in discourse.

Procedure

Introduced by questions such as "What is democracy anyway?" and "What is it for and what makes it special?", the participants spent the morning exploring the nature of democracy. Guided by Simon Derpmann, they worked out that democracy is a binding process that serves both the formation of will and decision-making for and by a collective. In addition to the shared position that democracy is an ideal that is worth striving for, even if it cannot be implemented 100% (e.g. as there are different understandings of equality), different forms of democracy were named (parliamentary, direct, representative). In the discussion, it became clear which norms are inscribed in democracy - e.g. equality and self-determination - and that the protection of fundamental and human rights is a prerequisite for democracy. In this way, a look "behind the façade" of the concept of democracy was ventured, so to speak, which also served to develop a sense of when democracy is used merely as an empty phrase and the values associated with it are violated.

The group identified two fields of action for digital democracy: Firstly, democratic values should be realized in digital settings. Secondly, democracy and the process of democratization should be supported by digital tools.

In the afternoon, Alexa M. Kunz began by explaining the extent to which universities have a legal mandate to promote democracy. Against this background, the group worked out premises and hypotheses/demands regarding the development of democratic competencies within the framework of a KIT degree program. With recourse to a brief explanation of competence theory, it was also taken into account that serious competence development must always take into account the interplay of knowledge, skills and attitudes. Therefore, the teaching of basic democratic concepts and contexts is necessary, but not sufficient to be truly "democratically competent". For this reason, the group formulated the hypothesis that (digital) opportunities must also be created at KIT in which democratic practice can actually be lived.

Conclusion

Even though - or perhaps precisely because - the very fundamental discussions and the formulation of demands with the highest possible level of precision made our heads spin at times, the work in the "Back to Basics" group was very productive. In addition to exciting insights such as the fields of action that were identified for digital democracy and demands that achieved high approval ratings in the final vote, the group also practiced debating and weighing up arguments, which is essential for any form of democracy - whether analogue or digital.

Contact

Dr. Alexa Maria Kunz: alexa kunz∂kit edu

Dr. phil. Simon Derpmann: simon derpmann∂kit edu