In her essay “Gegen den Hass” (Engl. Against Hate), one of the most important intellectuals of our time, Carolin Emcke, comments on contemporary issues such as racism, fanaticism and hostility to democracy. Our increasingly polarised and fragmented public sphere is dominated by the kind of thinking that only doubts others’ views, but never one’s own. Carolin Emcke counters this dogmatic, inflexible thinking with praise for the polyphonic and the “impure” – because it protects the freedom of the individual as well as the deviant. Democracy can only be protected by the courage to contradict hatred and the desire to endure and negotiate plurality. In this way, we can successfully counter religious and nationalist fanatics, because differentiation and accuracy are what they reject most.
Recommended reading for anyone looking for convincing arguments and insights in defence of a humanistic worldview and open society.
“Gegen den Hass” was translated into Chinese by Rye Field Publications in 2019.
