Security or justice? Nida-Rümelin discusses at Leuphana!

Security or justice? Nida-Rümelin discusses at Leuphana!

Today, March 10, 2025, an important conference week will take place in the central building of Leuphana University under the motto “Security or Justice?” stands. Julian Nida-Rümelin opened the event as the keynote speaker and addressed the complex issues surrounding the conflict between security and justice. In particular, he highlighted the challenges in countries with poor administration and underpaid police forces. “Rich people buy security, while poorer people rely on a functioning police force,” he explained, exposing the injustices that exist in this dilemma. Nida-Rümelin, who was professor of philosophy and political theory at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich until 2020, is familiar with the Lüneburg academic landscape and was impressed by the high number of participants, which totals 1,500.

This year, prospective students were also invited to the conference for the first time. The President of Leuphana, Sascha Spoun, welcomed the first-semester students and in his speech discussed the challenges of the current federal election and the strengthening of the AfD. He stressed the need to look at security issues on a fact-based and scientific basis in order to positively impact society.

The role of the students

The conference week not only represents an academic framework, but is also clearly socially oriented. Students play a central role in the discussions and activities. Particularly noteworthy is a performance that was staged by 20 students and dealt with the conflict between security and justice. In addition, a group of first-year students worked on real-world problems in 44 seminars and 255 project groups, underlining the transdisciplinary nature of the conference.

One notable project presented was about sustainable consumption. In collaboration with “foodsharing Lüneburg” and the “Commons Center”, five students developed a fair share table for food donations that is designed to be inclusive. This fair divider is not only accessible for wheelchair users, but is also illuminated to provide greater safety, especially for women.

Link to the UN Sustainable Development Goals

The platform for presenting the results was the Gallery Walk in the foyer of the central building, where the students assigned their work to the UN Goals for Sustainable Development. This shows how deeply rooted Leuphana University's commitment to social issues is and how the university tries to contribute to a sustainable and fair society.

Over the last 20 years, the importance of participation in science has steadily increased. This includes a variety of approaches from co-creation to citizen science to transdisciplinary research. These breaks and connections in the scientific landscape raise exciting questions: What forms of participation are necessary and what implications arise from these new concepts for society? Volkswagen Foundation describes the dynamics between scientific approaches and social engagement as heterogeneous and often full of conflict.

The conference week at Leuphana University not only reflects the current state of science, but is also a venue for social participation and innovation. The actors, including students and scientists, play an essential role in shaping a solidarity-based and just future.