Pop-Up Salon #2 LIBERTY

Three evenings, three fascinating topics, a time horizon of 2035: Jena is looking to the future together. The Pop-up Salons at Wagnergasse 25 invite the academic community and the wider public to engage in genuine conversations about highly relevant topics and scenarios – in an open, informal setting, on equal terms. Short presentations, lively discussion, cold drinks. Come along and join the discussion!

Pop-Up Salon #2: Between Emancipation and Control – The Future of Freedom

Freedom is constantly being negotiated – in parliaments, on the streets, but increasingly also within algorithms. From major social media platforms to artificial intelligence, we are, as individuals and as a society, increasingly navigating digital spaces governed by specific rules and power structures. Our second salon addresses the major questions of freedom in our digital age: 

• How has the concept of freedom changed since the Enlightenment – and what breaks or continuities can be identified to this day?
• What role did freedom play in the political and cultural development of Eastern Europe, particularly during periods of upheaval such as after 1989?
• Is there such a thing as digital self-determination? Could this be an Enlightenment ideal? Can digital spaces realise the Enlightenment’s promise of freedom – or do they undermine it?
• Who controls access to knowledge today – and how does this differ from previous media upheavals?
• What parallels exist between historical forms of censorship and today’s mechanisms of platform regulation?
• How was disinformation dealt with in various historical contexts – and what can we learn from this for digital public spheres?
• Are there specific experiences from Eastern Europe in dealing with propaganda that are relevant again today?
• Which historical concepts of freedom are suitable for envisioning digital societies by 2035 – and which are reaching their limits?

Researchers from the social sciences and law will sit down together with representatives from local government and civil society – for an evening that aims for more than simple answers.

Panellists:

Prof. Dr Christina Brandt | Director of the Ernst Haeckel House
Prof. Dr Tilman Reitz | Professor of Sociology of Knowledge and Social Theory
Jens Kubieziel | Data protection expert (OctoPi.Consulting)

Moderator: Felix Rundel