Zukünftige Freiheiten: Reportagen aus der postkarbonen Gesellschaft

Students, researchers, Stuttgart citizens and experts from various disciplines are investigating and discussing together in the collaborative project “Future Freedoms: Reportages from the post-carbon society of the year 2049” by IZKT at the University of Stuttgart, the Ludwigsburg University of Education and the Merz Akademie what freedom means for future generations. They are exploring a new format of science communication: the speculative documentary film.

“Hardly any other term is currently as polarizing as the concept of freedom. That’s why we want to counter collective pessimism with sustainable experiences of freedom,” explains Elke Uhl, Managing Director of the International Center for Cultural and Technological Studies (IZKT).

What will our freedom look like in 2049, when the Basic Law celebrates its 100th birthday? The debate often follows an all too familiar pattern: A concept of freedom that emphasizes independence, individual self-realization, and a radical skepticism toward the state has migrated from the left to the right political fringe. Forms of diffuse hostility toward the state show that “freedom” can become a buzzword that threatens democracy.

The debate is usually correspondingly unproductive: While some call for consideration for future generations, others point to the danger of a nanny state. With the project “Future freedoms: Reports from the post-carbon society of 2049,” scientists, Stuttgart citizens, and social actors are trying to counteract these standardized arguments by “grounding” the debate and starting with everyday experiences of freedom such as flying, building, eating, and driving.

“In our project, we want to invoke political imagination,” says Prof. Felix Heidenreich, scientific coordinator at the IZKT.

In a transdisciplinary and cross-university seminar, students address the concept of freedom from a theoretical-historical and an artistic perspective and are in a continuous exchange. Students from the Merz Akademie are working in a temporary freedom workshop in Stuttgart’s Hospitalviertel district, where they are gathering ideas for “speculative documentaries” in an exchange with citizens and experts from various disciplines. The “speculative documentary” is a new format in science communication that is based on the everyday knowledge and experiences of those involved. It makes possible futures tangible and is intended to create confidence:

“We imagine that what Europe set out to do has actually been done. It’s not that easy. Imagining the apocalypse is much easier,” explains Prof. Peter Ott from the Merz Akademie.

The theme of the Science Year 2024 is freedom. This is because freedom is of fundamental value and is under threat in a way that has long been unimaginable. Two upcoming anniversaries underline its importance for Germany: 75 years of the Basic Law and 35 years of the fall of the Berlin Wall. The Science Year 2024 is therefore focusing on various dimensions of freedom. What exactly is freedom? Are freedom and democracy connected? Where does freedom begin? With plenty of opportunities to get involved, the Year of Science provides a framework for intergenerational discussions about freedom, its value, and its meaning – in dialogs among citizens and with scientists. About freedom today, tomorrow, and worldwide.

The Science Year is an initiative of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) together with Wissenschaft im Dialog (“science in dialog”, WiD).