What virtues do democratic societies need to address current and future challenges, including those arising in the context of the climate crisis? And how can virtues be theoretically defined, practically cultivated, and empirically studied today? These and other questions were at the heart of the interdisciplinary conference focussing on  the significance of virtues for democratic societies, organized by ZIN and Akademie Franz Hitze Haus. On 18 and 19 June 2026, the conference brought together researchers from a range of disciplines for an intensive and open exchange.

The conference opened with a introductory lecture by Dr. Carolin Bohn (ZIN, University of Münster), which examined the current challenges facing democratic societies. Referring to polarization, declining trust, international conflicts, and other challenges to sustainable democracies, she highlighted why virtues are receiving renewed attention: They can be understood as central components of democratic practice and can help foster autonomous and intrinsically motivated action oriented towards the common good. At the same time, the lecture also addressed the limitations and ambiguities of the concept of virtue: Which virtues do democratic societies need today? Who gets to decide? And how can we prevent virtues from becoming exclusionary or reinforcing a problematic status quo?

The following panel laid important conceptual and philosophical foundations. Contributions by Dr. Richard Runge (University of Kiel), Dr. Felix Timmermann (University of Mainz), and Ricarda Wünsch, M.A. (University of Regensburg) highlighted the complexity and long history of the concepts of virtues and vices. At the same time, the discussions demonstrated how relevant the discourse on virtue is to the analysis of contemporary democratic challenges. Ricarda Wünsch illustrated this particularly clearly by drawing on John Rawls’ concept of civic friendship to explore the dangers that digitalized communication poses to democracies.

The following panel on virtue ethics in times of climate crisis, moderated by ZIN spokesperson Prof. Dr. Tillman Buttschardt, focused on challenges at the intersection of democracy and sustainability. Philipp Kurowski (Humboldt University of Berlin) discussed hope as a political virtue in the context of the climate crisis, while Dr. Carolin Bohn advocated the development of a theory of ecological civic virtues that brings together environmental ethics and republican perspectives.

The subsequent public evening event on religious virtues and sustainability provided an opportunity for an engaging exchange among ZIN members Jun.-Prof. Dr. Asmaa El Maaroufi, Senior Prof. Dr. Marianne Heimbach-Steins, Prof. Dr. Anne Käfer, and Prof. Markus Rüsch on virtues in different religious and philosophical traditions. The discussion highlighted not only the significance of these virtues, their expression in concrete practices such as prayer or fasting, and their potential contribution to sustainability. It also critically examined how virtue is approached in different religious and philosophical communities and what secular democracies might learn from these traditions.

On the second day, the focus shifted to questions of how virtue can be cultivated and promoted. Prof. Dr. Jens Dreßler (Chair of Gymnasium Education, University of Würzburg), Prof. Dr. Jörg Mußmann (Institute for Inclusive Education, University College of Teacher Education Upper Austria, Linz), and Agnes Scharnetzky (John Dewey Research Center for the Didactics of Democracy, TU Dresden) offered diverse perspectives on the role of virtues in formal and informal educational processes. The discussion addressed not only classical virtues such as phronesis and temperantia, but also concrete didactic methods and the challenges of teaching virtues—not only to learners, but also recognizing the need for teachers themselves to embody virtuous conduct.

The closing panel focused on empirical research into political virtues. Contributions by Prof. Dr. Veronika Zimmer (Professor of Social Work, IU International University, Münster), Alexandra Schramm (Educational Science, AuGe project, University of Vechta), and Dr. Tobias Leßner (Faculty III, Department of Educational Science, Working Group on Primary Education, University of Siegen) explored, among other topics, humor as a virtue relevant to democracy, the transmission of virtues within families, and connections between socialization and democratic attitudes. At the same time, the speakers highlighted methodological challenges in researching virtues and opened an intensive discussion about how virtues can be distinguished from concepts such as attitudes, values, or dispositions—thus connecting back to the conceptual debates of the first day. Are virtues ultimately distinct from attitudes, dispositions, or values—or are these simply different terms for similar phenomena? The discussion suggested that, although virtues can be defined in different ways, they may share a common core: “Virtue” refers to personal and enduring character dispositions oriented towards the realization of certain values and expressed through repeated action. At the same time, it became clear that precisely this complexity poses considerable challenges for the empirical study of virtues.

Beyond the substantive contributions, it was above all the atmosphere of the conference that many participants found particularly enriching. The discussions were characterized by openness, curiosity, and a willingness to make both the strengths and limitations of individual disciplinary perspectives transparent. Again and again, the participants discovered a surprisingly high degree of compatibility between the different approaches to the conference theme, which was one of the factors that enabled such a productive dialogue. Many participants left the conference with new ideas and a desire to strengthen their networks and continue the interdisciplinary dialogue on virtue.