PURPOSE AND GOALS OF THE FOUNDATION
The Foundation for Science and Democracy has set itself the goal to support scientific projects which are suited to promote democracy and democratic values as enshrined in the Basic Law of the Federal Republic of Germany. This applies primarily to political science and its related fields of research, but also to the so-called policy sciences. (Preamble)
Was bedeutet eigentlich „praxisorientiert“?
It is the task of the Foundation for Science and Democracy to address and resolve controversial pertinent questions by scientific means and to make the results of the investigations accessible to the general public.
Practical problems of political relevance
Practical recommendations
What must be done?
Task oriented work
In an article published in 1990, Professor Schütt-Wetschky criticized the importance of basic research in public and privately funded scientific research. This focus would lead to a loss of practical relevance in research and teaching, which for a long time had set political science apart from other sciences. According to Schütt-Wetschky, political science should not become a "pure science" that is merely concerned with the determination of causalities in the context of abstract theories. Rather, it is important to understand political science as a valuable partner for democracy in resolving practical and normative problems. Political science must be as objective as possible, in the sense of Max Weber, who had attributed great importance to science in advising politics on matters of fact and in providing transparency to value-based decision-making processes.
