Dissertation on sustainability conflicts

Based on the ethics of Aristotle, Armin Bangert wants to confront relativistic positions in the debate on the German energy transition. His dissertation is part of the Kopernikus project ENavi – navigation system for the energy transition.
Themenfoto des Kopernikus-Projekts ENavi
Theme picture of the Kopernikus project ENavi (Source: FONA/photothek)

ENavi develops a tool to support us in reliably navigating through the upcoming transition of the German energy supply system. The focus is here not only on coping with technical challenges, but also on finding a promising way to deal with sustainability conflicts. The further development of renewable energies at a local level, for example, is frequently confronted with considerable opposition even though it is widely accepted in national surveys. The same applies for the reduction of urban motorized private transport. Armin Bangert wants to contribute to overcoming such conflicts with his dissertation project in ITAS.

The common strategy to solve sustainability conflicts relies on scientifically supported decisions analyses with a subsequent or – in the case of ENavi – immediate participation of those who are concerned (citizens, companies, NGOs, etc.). One option for action should stand out from this mixture of expert opinions and societal preferences as the most reasonable one in a fair process. However, epistemic and normative uncertainties are virulently carried forward in such solution strategies so that the decisions evolving from the process are often not widely accepted.

By retracing core elements of the Aristotle-based ethics of wisdom, Armin Bangert wants to point out the implied problem and direct it towards a promising solution. He aims at nbroadening the stakeholder dialogs held in the context of ENavi by offering a higher tier and generally accepted orientation and thus also encountering relativistic positions in the sustainability debate. (13.12.2017)

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