Citizens' University: What Makes for Good Politics? An Intergenerational Perspective

Environmental crises, advancing digitalisation and the rise of authoritarian tendencies worldwide pose major challenges to democracy. To what extent are our political institutions capable of learning under this pressure? And how can we succeed in shaping politics in a way that is sustainable and serves the common good? Prof. Dr Reinhard Loske, Honorary Professor at theWittenLab. Zukunftslabor Studium fundamentale at the University of Witten/Herdecke, and his son Alexander Loske explore these questions in their joint book. In doing so, they bring together the perspectives of two generations.

The two authors approach the question of what constitutes good politics today from different angles: Reinhard Loske, an economist and political scientist, offers the perspective of the baby boomer generation. His son Alexander Loske, who works as a politics teacher, represents the perspective of the millennials.

In their lecture, they will offer insights into the book and address, amongst other things, the role that knowledge and values play in sustainable politics. In doing so, they will also examine populism, hate speech and the increasing superficiality of political debates. For the two authors, good politics means, above all, keeping an eye on the bigger picture, building bridges and following a clear set of values. They advocate respectful cooperation and a shared commitment to the common good.

The event will take place on Thursday, 12 November 2026, from 8 pm at Haus Witten, Ruhrstraße 86. Admission at the door costs 7 euros (5 euros reduced rate, e.g. for students). The Citizens’ University is a joint initiative of vhs Witten | Wetter | Herdecke and the WittenLab. Zukunftslabor Studium fundamentale at the University of Witten/Herdecke.