Do professional occupations have a special responsibility to promote democratic values?
In a democratic society, experts and professionals occupy a somewhat paradoxical position. As citizens, they are subject to constitutional rights and ideals of equality, but by virtue of their knowledge and skills, they wield significant power and authority over others.
Professor Lisa Herzog believes that these tensions must be taken seriously if we wish to protect the authority and legitimacy of experts and professionals, while also defending a democratic system based on equality.
This is why in this lecture; she will argue that democratic values must be integrated with professional ethics – the ethical guidelines and principles that govern the behavior of professional occupational groups.
About the speaker
Professor Lisa Herzog (rug.nl) is Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Groningen.
She received her PhD from the University of Oxford in 2011. Her thesis was published as "Inventing the Market. Smith, Hegel, and Political Theory" (global.oup.com).
She completed her habilitation at Goethe University Frankfurt, which was published as "Reclaiming the System. Moral Responsibility, Divided Labour, and the Role of Organizations in Society" (global.oup.com).
Research interests
Herzog's research interests lie within the field of political and economic philosophy, with arguments based on social science research and history.
She regularly participates in public debates surrounding questions of justice and has reached a wide German audience with books such as "Freiheit gehört nicht nur den Reichen. Plädoyer für einen zeitgemäßen Liberalismus" (In German only - chbeck.de) and "Die Rettung der Arbeit. Ein Politischer Aufruf" (In German only - hanser-literaturverlage.de).
The latter, which explores how work as a meaningful activity can be "saved" in the digital age, has won several prestigious academic awards.
Together with Axel Honneth, she has also edited a comprehensive historical anthology on the market as an institution, "Der Wert des Marktes" (suhrkamp.de).
Political epistemology
Herzog's latest book is "Citizen Knowledge: Markets, Experts, and the Infrastructure of Democracy" (academic.oup.com).
The book is a contribution to the research field of "political epistemology", which examines the interaction between knowledge and political institutions and practices.
Against the current backdrop of fake news and lack of trust in expertise, she analyses three mechanisms for the dissemination and use of knowledge - markets, expert communities and democratic deliberation - and the epistemological prerequisites for well-functioning democratic governance.
