Be it the phase-out of nuclear power or the measures taken during the coronavirus pandemic: everything should be decided and implemented with sound judgement. Those who have sound judgement make appropriate policies, according to the claim that makes Helmut Schmidt, Angela Merkel and Robert Habeck appear surprisingly like allies in spirit. Christian Metz traces the practice and aesthetics of sound judgement in a lucid genealogy. Instead of the linguistic formulas of the political extremes that are usually the focus of research, he places the rhetoric of moderation and balance at the centre. This, too, harbours its own dangers, because anyone who takes a measured view of decisions will recognise why some political measures are agreed to, no matter how vague, open-ended or absurd they may seem. Sound judgement creates trust, and not always rightly so.
Essay
Christian Metz, born in 1975, is Professor of Modern German Literature at RWTH Aachen University. His research focuses on narratology, literary and media theory, contemporary literature, cultures of feeling and sensation in the intersection of literature, biology and philosophy. In 2020, he was awarded the Alfred Kerr Prize for Literary Criticism for his literary criticism for the FAZ, Deutschlandfunk and 3sat. He is the author of numerous books, including Poetisch Denken. Die Lyrik der Gegenwart (2018) and Kitzel. Genealogie einer menschlichen Empfindung (2020).
