In the preparation to my Social Policy lecture in our study program Social Pedagogy and Management which dealt with the fundamentals and principles of the welfare state, I read with great interest the book titled “Solidarity – The Future of a Great Idea” and written by the German Sociologist Heinz Bude, who currently teaches as a Professor of Macrosociology at the University of Kassel. And in doing that, I remembered a song from my favourite band Tocotronics, which I am going to start within this episode. In Heinz Bude’s book, the author shows quite plainly that there is no moral obligation to solidary behaviour, although solidarity has always been beneficial for peaceful coexistence in all societies. And there is no innate trait in human nature, although most human beings have some skills which we would call empathy or competence to change perspectives. I follow the footsteps of some of the book’s arguments and reflect on the pandemic-induced developments that are currently happening in our societies.

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Reference: Bude, Heinz (2019). Solidarität: Die Zukunft einer großen Idee. München: Carl Hanser.