{"id":9359,"date":"2025-08-06T14:14:58","date_gmt":"2025-08-06T12:14:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swud.org\/?post_type=events&p=9359"},"modified":"2026-01-13T09:03:47","modified_gmt":"2026-01-13T08:03:47","slug":"170-jahre-ferdinand-tonnies","status":"publish","type":"events","link":"https:\/\/www.swud.org\/en\/events\/170-jahre-ferdinand-tonnies\/","title":{"rendered":"170 years of Ferdinand T\u00f6nnies"},"content":{"rendered":"

Report on the lecture by Alexander Wierzock<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
How up-to-date can a thinker from yesterday be?<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

What does a North Frisian scholar from the 19th century have to say to today's society - a society that is confronted with fake news, political polarisation and dwindling trust in science? Quite a lot, as the event \"170 years of Ferdinand T\u00f6nnies\"<\/strong> on 22 July 2025 at the Science and Democracy Foundation. The event was moderated by Julia Jamila Werner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Between historical insights and current debates, it became clear that T\u00f6nnies was not only a pioneer of sociology, but also a political visionary. His thoughts on the role of science in politics, empirical social research and the reform of political science seem astonishingly modern - and that is precisely why it is worth taking a second look at his work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Between scholarship and social criticism<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ferdinand T\u00f6nnies was many things: philosopher, sociologist, politically committed citizen - and a thinker who was reluctant to be categorised. In his lecture, the historian Alexander Wierzock<\/strong> from the Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities in Essen (KWI) presents a multifaceted portrait of a man who, even during the German Empire, was convinced that science was more than just theory: it was a tool for understanding society - and shaping it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With his famous distinction between \"Community\" and \"Society\"<\/strong> T\u00f6nnies not only created a classic of sociology, but also an interpretative framework that continues to provoke debate to this day. But it didn't stop at theory: T\u00f6nnies was involved in several democratic parties of his time - from the Free People's Party to the Social Democratic Party - and consistently thought about how politics could be scientifically founded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One thing was particularly important to him: the Independence of political science<\/strong>. At a time when this was still firmly anchored in the canon of political science, T\u00f6nnies boldly called for its differentiation - embedded in a new understanding of cultural and social science. He argued for a science that not only analyses, but also provides orientation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sociography - the underestimated sister of sociology<\/strong><\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A special focus of the event was on a lesser-known, but no less exciting part of his work: the Sociography<\/strong>. For T\u00f6nnies, sociography was not a by-product of sociology, but its \"equal sister\" - an empirical discipline that visualises concrete social realities. While sociology formulates theories, sociography should provide data, describe conditions and record developments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This approach raises questions that also preoccupy today's social sciences: How much proximity does science need to reality? How objectively can we observe societies - and how much do we need to engage with what people actually experience?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Science as a political project<\/strong><\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps most impressive was T\u00f6nnies' idea of a \"scientific policy\"<\/strong>: an idea that seems almost utopian today - and yet is highly topical. Politics, he believes, should not be guided by opinions, but by knowledge. Laws should not emerge from a gut feeling, but from a rational analysis of social needs. In his words: the statesman should \"recognise with the same certainty and certainty as the doctor what is necessary, what is right and what is beneficial\".<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This vision provided material for a lively discussion. Can a democratic society really be governed on a scientific basis? Where are the opportunities and risks of such an idea - especially in times of political fragmentation and growing scientific scepticism?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A look back - with a future<\/strong><\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

The event \"170 Years of Ferdinand T\u00f6nnies\" was more than just an academic tribute. It was living proof of how fruitful a dialogue with a seemingly historical thinker can be today. T\u00f6nnies' work was not presented as a museum, but as an intellectual tool for thinking through the present.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The participants discussed controversially and with palpable curiosity: about the role of empirical research in political decision-making processes, about the responsibility of science in a changing society, about the question of what it actually means to act \"reasonably\" today and about the areas of tension that also characterised T\u00f6nnies' thinking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the end, the impression remains that Ferdinand T\u00f6nnies is still an elementary component in debates about democracy, social research and the power of knowledge. His call for science-based politics is perhaps more urgent today than ever before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Impressions from the lecture<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Photos: Eckhard Schmelter \/ SW&D<\/p>","protected":false},"featured_media":9362,"parent":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":true},"themenbereich-vortragsreihe":[35],"teilnahmeform":[29],"veranstaltungsformat":[33],"class_list":["post-9359","events","type-events","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","themenbereich-vortragsreihe-demokratie","teilnahmeform-praesenz","veranstaltungsformat-vortrag"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n170 Jahre Ferdinand T\u00f6nnies - Stiftung Wissenschaft und Demokratie<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.swud.org\/en\/events\/170-jahre-ferdinand-tonnies\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"170 Jahre Ferdinand T\u00f6nnies - Stiftung Wissenschaft und Demokratie\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Bericht zum Vortrag von Alexander Wierzock Wie aktuell kann ein Denker von gestern sein? 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