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Towards the end of the previous century, social democracy was a powerful force. Within the time span of just one generation, its standing seems to have crumbled. Center-left parties struggle to convince the electorate.

The history of capitalism is the story of its transformations. As Jürgen Kocka writes, capitalism emerged in merchant, finance, and agrarian forms long before it developed into industrial capitalism in the course of the eighteenth century.

Despite the ideological claims of neoclassical economists, the capitalist system is not neutral, but perpetuates systemic bias against women.

The idea that we have been pursuing free market capitalism for the last four decades is a self-serving myth promoted by those who benefitted from the upward redistribution of this period. 

At least as a general rule, a ceasefire must be in place before peace can be concluded. The ceasefire must be accompanied by a preliminary consensus about how the outlines of a peace agreement should look.

Intergenerational solidarity could prove crucial in addressing such challenges.

The traffic light coalition (SPD, Greens and FDP) has a lot on its plate. Its self-proclaimed goal is to put into effect an ambitious policy of progress following the stagnation of the Merkel years.

The faculty of judgment combines the willingness to make judgments with the capacity to do so. Both factors must be present for the power of political judgment to deserve the name. For that reason, we should not take it for granted that the faculty of judgment is actually present in any given citizen body.

Democracy asks a lot of us. It is long-winded, often boring, and tedious. Decisions take a long time; compromises can be reached, but not easily; and often enough they fall short of what actually is necessary. Discontent with democracy runs deep, but is not just a recent phenomenon.

In 1923 an extraordinary institute was founded at the University of Frankfurt, one that eventually attained global eminence as a result of its scholarly activity, known today as »critical theory.« Felix Weil, heir to a large fortune and inspired by Marxism, contributed the funding. To this day, the original theory as well as many works written by scholars associated with the Institute have enriched the social sciences and humanities.

Access to resources and energy are indispensable to any sort of civilized intervention and are of elementary importance for social inclusion as well. If access becomes a matter of affordability, society will soon face a stress test.