Wiebke Loosen talks about Kant’s philosophical question “What can I know?” as well as about fake news, journalistic conventions and what is worth arguing about in the science TV magazine “scobel” on 3sat.
Wiebke Loosen‘s lively discussion with Maren Urner and Marcus Willaschek, as well as host Gerd Scobel, can be viewed in the media library until 29 August 2029 at https://www.3sat.de/wissen/scobel/scobel—was-kann-ich-wissen-100.html.
Information about the Program
Human knowledge is constantly increasing. But the more we know, the more we also realize what we do not know. And ignorance often leads to social upheaval. Conversely, knowledge – and thus an enlightened society – is the basis for a stable democracy. “What can I know?” is one of Kant’s philosophical questions. And it is more relevant than ever.
There is no absolute truth that applies equally to everyone. There are only approximations of reality. This applies to science as much as it does to journalism. Approximations of reality can be more or less successful. Part of scientific work is to identify uncertainties or limitations. Ideally, journalists reveal their perspective on reality.
Broadcasters are no longer dependent on broadcasting companies or publishers. They are seeking out their own channels to spread their truths. Social media channels such as TikTok and Telegram are easy to use without effort. A selection of news that has been checked according to universally valid rules is becoming increasingly insignificant. The way is clear for countless truths on countless channels.
Science is facing a similar problem: scientific work is becoming less and less dependent on publications in scientific journals. Their authors are also seeking their own paths to recipients and thus evading the usual review processes of the scientific apparatus.
Are we facing a world without journalism? Is science losing its credibility – and thus its value to society? Gert Scobel talks about these issues with his guests.
Guests
Wiebke Loosen is a senior researcher in journalism studies at the Leibniz Institute for Media Research | Hans-Bredow-Institut and a professor at Universität Hamburg. She is head of the research program “Transformation of Public Communication,” which examines how the public is created and opinion-forming is made possible under the conditions of digitalization.
Maren Urner‘s research focuses on mental and neuronal information processing and the consequences of reporting that predominantly addresses negative knowledge. The neuroscientist is a professor of sustainable transformation at the Münster University of Applied Sciences and a co-founder of “Perspective Daily”.
Marcus Willaschek is an internationally renowned Kant expert and teaches as a professor of modern philosophy at the Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main. At the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences, he is jointly responsible for the scientific standard edition of Kant’s writings.