#14/25 Concerns for Democracy
Dear readers,
Democracy is in danger, almost everyone can agree on that. But is that true? And why exactly? Or is the feeling that it is so already enough? I was impressed by an essay by Princeton professor Robert P. George, according to which we live in the "Age of Feelings" and are giving up the search for truth that, as the "Age of Reason," separates modern times from the medieval "Age of Faith." Is the diagnosis then enough to become a self-fulfilling prophecy?
Recently, I invited some smart people to a private dinner and asked a simple question: "What is really different today than at any other point in our lives?" After all, there has been no shortage of crises in recent decades. The most common answer was, of course, AI, but that seems to me to be (still) too early. For sociologist Andreas Reckwitz, in his essay "The West is Lost," the explanation lies in the end of optimism for the future and the experience of loss on all fronts.
The end of the promise of "prosperity for all" is an existential problem for democracies, and it makes society's relationship with its assets and its wealthy the central line of confrontation.
New Giving could make an important contribution. After all, philanthropy is the third way to distribute resources, alongside the market and the state. And that is why, for me, bcause has unexpectedly also become a project for democracy (as I was able to argue in two keynotes in October before female supervisory board members and the German Business Angels).
I also recognize this by how many users are currently supporting political causes such as "Hamburg testet Grundeinkommen" (after the referendum, the work continues!). Many also finance new political organizations on the platform, and the field of independent journalism is also more successful than in the traditional foundation landscape. In my FO Foundation, I have listed some of them in the current focus area "Democracy."
We also dedicate ourselves to this topic in the podcast Das Neue Geben. First with the democracy founder Hans Schöpflin (see below), then with a special episode on bcause, and in November with a conversation partner who is launching a unique experiment in wealth redistribution.
Warm greetings from the "Autumn of Reforms,"
Felix
A number that sticks in your mind: 1/3
Another explanation to my question above keeps running through my mind: The central promise of the internet age has turned out to be an illusion.
When I first opened a browser thirty years ago, suddenly anyone with a computer and an idea could conquer a global market. According to Karl Marx, the revolution of the proletariat was supposed to tear the means of production from the hands of the capitalists and make them available to everyone. The internet has indeed placed the tools for entrepreneurial success in the hands of billions of people.
But this has not overcome capitalism; ultimately, we produce monopolists who now buy up all startups (and thus our data) that scratch at their markets. One-third of the world's billion-dollar fortunes are held by tech monopolists.
The highly profitable media platforms damage democracy in two ways: They fragment social communication, and they create a "winner takes all" market, the exact opposite of the promise of democratization through the internet.
By the way: Most of this wealth does not benefit society through taxation either. In the US, 56% of billionaire wealth is not taxed, and in Germany, too, a large part of private wealth has escaped taxation in recent years through the tax loophole - no, the tax barn door of family foundations (see "Der Deal mit der Erbschaftssteuer" in my Handelsblatt column from Sept. 11).
A person who inspires me: Hans Schöpflin
From foodwatch to Finanzwende, from Algorithmwatch to HateAid, from JoinPolitics to Correctiv, and of course supporting independent journalism - wherever activist ideas have turned into successful organizations and constructive debates in recent years, founder Hans Schöpflin and his board member Tim Göbel have often provided support in the background. No, invested, as both of them put it. In an unusually open conversation, they explain this story first from the loss and rebuilding of a fortune, then from the death of a son and the creation of a foundation for drug prevention. And we ask what will happen to the Schöpflin Foundation when it one day loses its founder.
An idea for further thought: My Democracy List
Why democracy and independent journalism are so closely linked is now clear to almost everyone (worth listening to is Episode 43 "How does journalism work independently?" of our podcast).
I currently consider the following organizations to be particularly important when it comes to opening up new career paths into politics, creating new public spaces, connecting spaces for dialogue, or promoting new models of journalism.
United for Democracy - The fund for small and large projects, currently focused on legal certainty and resilience, organized by Project Together and partners, doubled by the Postcode Lottery.
Brand New Bundestag - The shooting star among grassroots organizations, brings new talent into parliaments on a non-partisan basis. The founder and Ashoka Fellow Maximilian Oehl was in my social entrepreneurship class at the Studienstiftung 15 years ago - now he inspires (among other things with his book "Brand New Bundestag") the next changemakers.
JoinPolitics - Training and networking for politically engaged individuals, founded by Ashoka Fellow Caroline Weimann. Her book "Die Politik von Morgen" is worth reading.
Ehrentag - The Federal President's initiative to make May 23 (the anniversary of the Basic Law) a new federal republic tradition with a participation day for everyone. Donations go to the implementing German Foundation for Engagement and Volunteering. (If interested, contact me directly)
University for Social Design (Siljas Räume) - The impressive vision of an impressive founder (guest on Das Neue Geben #48): A space of opportunity for change. I would have loved to study there.
CORRECTIV - The investigative journalists behind the Potsdam research on the "Secret Plan against Germany" of the AfD, and many topics from tax fraud to party funding (guest on Das Neue Geben #43).
Reporter:innen-Preis - The forum for the best journalism is also a celebration for democracy. We at bcause support the prize as our own commitment - and we welcome co-donations!
Pluralis - Journalism as an investment on bcause. The fund strategically acquires stakes in media houses across Europe, protecting them from takeover and political influence. And pays returns into the participating bcause accounts.
Foundations by bcause users:
Axum Berhe "Zukunft Demokratie in Deutschland", Luis Hanemann and Christian Vollmann "Gemeinsam für Demokratie", Mo Ausumang Foundation and many more.
Which organizations are impressing you right now? Write to me - or support them directly via bcause, so that your commitment inspires others too.
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