Where the Light Falls: Interview with Jürgen Renn

"We need research that throws a larger beam of light on real problems and opens up a broader perspective. This includes encouraging new forms of interdisciplinary cooperation ... where everyone has the chance to understand the whole."

Director Jürgen Renn interviewed by Märkische Onlinezeitung on Covid-19, the Anthropocene, and why science needs to develop a new understanding of its role in society in the context of the current pandemic.

“To live in a knowledge society means that everyone should engage with the complex nature of science and research,” says Renn. This includes uncertainties, controversy, and different perspectives. The dissemination of scientific knowledge into society is critical to our ability to deal with current and future crises, he argues, concluding that “in a democratic society, drawing the appropriate conclusions from this knowledge in order to make political decisions is a task for all of us.”