Amrei Bahr, an expert in the philosophy of technology and a dedicated science communicator, is a junior professor at the Institute of Philosophy at the University of Stuttgart. She actively engages in public discussions on the opportunities and risks posed by emerging technologies. Her expertise in the field of philosophy is also in demand from the media. Her scientific expertise and socio-political engagement have also impressed the editorial team at Table.Briefings, who recognized her as one of the 100 influential figures in the German-speaking scientific community in the "Society" category.
In this interview, she discusses the importance of science communication and explains why experiencing failure can be a valuable part of the learning process.
What would research be without science communication?
Without science communication, research would be deprived of one important thing: Dialog with other areas of society. Dialog benefits not only these areas, but also science itself - by providing valuable impetus and broadening perspectives. Science communication is a serious profession, not an eccentric hobby, and it deserves to be recognized and valued as such. Currently, science communication is often expected of academics on top of their already demanding responsibilities, such as research, teaching, securing funding, committee work, and more. But if you're giving a radio interview, you can't write a proposal or hold a seminar at the same time. If science communication is to be prioritized, there must be adequate time and resources allocated for it.
Why is it important to fail sometimes?
Failure is inevitable. The question is how we deal with it: Whether we cover it up and hide it because it is frowned upon - or whether we talk about it openly so that we and others can learn from it. Science all too often only looks at successes. It rewards those who win in the constant competition for third-party funding without taking any interest in how many brilliant research ideas were contained in the numerous unsuccessful applications - ideas, most of which will probably never be realized. And anyone who fails with a research project will have great difficulty publishing anything about it, because there is only room for success stories in the publishing industry. Science urgently needs a new culture of failure!
How would you describe the academic world in three words?
Precarious, due to insecure working conditions and funding; hierarchical, with a small group of powerful professors and many dependent employees; and moldable, as it is within our collective power as a scientific community to improve the academic system. Many people find it difficult to imagine academia in any other way than it is now. But its framework conditions are not set in stone. As part of my science policy work, I consistently highlight these issues, offering constructive proposals for improving the framework conditions. Reliability in working conditions and funding is crucial in this regard.
About Amrei Bahr
Amrei Bahr was appointed as Junior Professor for the Philosophy of Technology & Information at the University of Stuttgart in April 2022. She completed her doctorate in 2017 at the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster and most recently worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf. Bahr's research interests include applied ethics, philosophy of technology and philosophy of art. She is currently researching the ethics of academic publishing and the question of how the academic publishing system needs to be changed in order to enable fair participation for all researchers.
Furthermore, Bahr is involved in science communication and campaigns for fair working conditions in science. In this context, she initiated the Twitter campaign #IchBinHanna together with Kristin Eichhorn and Sebastian Kubon in June 2021.
About Table.Briefings
Table.Briefings regularly publishes a wide range of information on topics from politics, administration, science, education and society. The Research.Table editorial team selects the most important personalities from the German-speaking science scene for “Top of the Table” - a ranking in ten categories, from science and society to associations and NGOs.