Civility gUG
Think tank for civility-theoretical research and analysis
State-level elections to the German Bundestag
A Reform Proposal
Together!
Open Letter to Political Parties and the Media
How can the catastrophe paradox be solved?
A Theoretical and Analytical Journey into Practical Politics
The raison d'état of civil modernity
Superintelligence or Social Intelligence?
From its first presentation in 2018, civility theory developed with an awareness of the governance challenge posed by artificial intelligence (see the text highlighted in yellow). One thing was and remains clear: if a functionally autonomous superintelligence emerges, humanity will face an existential threat. This leads to two conclusions: 1) Do everything possible to prevent the emergence of autonomous superintelligence; 2) frame both human and artificial intelligence as social intelligence. This makes it possible to rigorously analyze unilateralist thinking and action, while keeping welfare-oriented goals and possibilities firmly in view—as guiding principles extending all the way to humanity as an inalienable part of sociality (see the texts highlighted in light blue). This creates a fundamental alternative, right down to the details of programming, to visions of a socially unbound superintelligence. This alternative, in turn, destabilizes narrow unilateralist thinking more broadly (see the texts highlighted in black and red).
AI: Uncivil or socially intelligent?
The firewall, cooperation and civility politics
Theoretical potential of current policy advice in the field of civility
Civility policy
What follows the end of the firewall?
Friedrich Merz:
Legitimate Demand for Removal?
Civility policy
... aims to preserve and promote civility as much as possible. It is based on analysis, orientation and self-regulation in a complex environment (civility navigation), but can also deliberately influence other actors and conditions.
What is ethnic-nationalist thinking,
What is populism?
Learn!
Political journalism - civic education - social science
A Controversial Dialogue
Gates–Xi Initiative for Dialogue
Microsoft founder Bill Gates has made public his initiative to meet with Chinese President Xi. What is it about, and how should this initiative be understood?
In what ways is China’s economy superior? And why?
An Analysis Based on Complexity and Civility Theory
Railway problems caused by migration?
Leisurely Cycling—UN Policy
New aspects of civility navigation
The catastrophe paradox and civility theory
What does the catastrophe paradox say? How are capacity theory (the catastrophe paradox) and civility theory connected?
Attached is a substantive AI dialogue (Gemini)
Citizenship based on functional criteria?
A person still becomes a citizen by being born in a country; however, other criteria may also be decisive, including functional criteria and even a person’s potential contribution to a country. This creates competition between nation-states...
Do we live under capitalism?
Sure, you may think. But we think it’s worth giving it some thought. See the attached texts (buttons in the middle): an AI dialogue on the topic, a critique by Peter Behnen/Die Linke Freiburg and a response by Volker von Prittwitz, followed by a dialogue on "Capitalism in the Civility-Theoretical Variable Space".
Vague Concepts Fuel Populism and Extremism
Anyone who describes our society as "capitalist," "socialist" or "democratic" is using vague concepts, because they do not allow society to be understood with sufficient precision or comprehensiveness. Instead, they give way to more or less crude catchphrases that, often charged with friend-versus-enemy logic, block analytical thinking and thereby fuel populism and extremism.
Popper - Luhmann - Huizinga - Watzlawick - Scharpf
How civility theory came about and what it offers in comparison with other theories
New: The General Theory of Civility (AZT) in Twelve Key Terms
Gender and intergenerational equity
Civil Disobedience
Tensions between established and developed civility
Civility theory continues to develop, including an approach to a precarious form of action: civil disobedience
Germany and Poland
Theory-building!
The spectacular rise of algorithmic AI stands in contrast to a decades-long aversion to theory in the social sciences, political education and science administration. This deprives the social sciences of their most important opportunity for learning and innovation: knowledge-driven theory building. By contrast, research follows a logic oriented toward knowledge and innovation—a logic from which we can learn a great deal from the philosopher of science Karl Popper.
Further current analyses and discussions
- What is populism? A dialogue ...
- Can sound policies reduce support for the AfD?
- What does a civility-based campaign strategy involve?
- Mamdani: A Political Classification
- Are the concepts of intergenerational justice and ageing with dignity connected?
- State Neutrality as a Follow-on Concept
- How can conversations be analyzed using civility criteria?
Civil foreign policy ...
... includes military security requirements, but strives for respectful coexistence.
Other AI Dialogues
AZT analysis:
From a basic model to a global raw materials order
Realism - Liberalism - Civility Theory
How does Civility Theory differ from realism and neo-institutionalism (liberalism)? How does it go beyond them?
Pretendians
Pretendians falsely claim Indigenous identity in Canada and the United States. How can this phenomenon be understood through the lens of civility theory?
Legal Concept
A dialogue that was arduous at first, then creative, about the civility-theoretical concept of law....
Global diversity
Diversity traditionally refers to regional/national openness to migrants. But it can also be understood globally, with a view to the diversity of people and cultures across the world’s regions. Both understandings have civil elements, since diversity always calls for mutual respect and shared responsibility.
Secure borders -
a global value
The existence of every state depends on secure borders—a reason to work to strengthen and reform the United Nations.
Transition to the logic of power
When fields such as business or science can organize themselves according to their own logics, it is worth making every effort to support them, and general welfare increases. This configuration, also known as complex interdependence (Keohane/Nye 1977), fundamentally undermines and challenges the populist power-based thinking and actions of Trump, Putin & Co. — resulting in global losses in welfare...
USA:
From democracy to kleptocracy
Donald Trump thinks and acts one-sidedly (unilaterally), guided by the motto “Trump’s America First.” Tariff increases, however, hinder global economic exchange and reduce overall productivity. Moreover, economic unilateralism generally fuels political and military unilateralism, increasing the potential for violence. Finally, Trump and his clique enrich themselves without restraint at the public’s expense: thieves in power (kleptocracy).
Trump’s kleptocracy should be openly addressed not only in the United States, but also at the United Nations.
Equality
through quotas?
The idea that equality can only be achieved through fixed shares (quotas) of power or positions is not confined to the women’s movement—it is an approach that can be justified as a countervailing force against a calcified power structure. However, quotas privilege the group for whom they are set, particularly those who represent that group.
Equality exists when all parties have equal rights and can effectively exercise them—for example, when the right to vote is equally guaranteed, both as an active and passive right, with equal voting power and a guaranteed opportunity to participate freely. For more, see a discussion from 2018 in the book Theory of Civil Modernity (button below).