Political philosopher Gijs van Oenen on growing institutional distrust
On 17 April, political philosopher Gijs van Oenen (Erasmus School of Philosophy) was invited to the NOS radio programme 'Met het oog op morgen' (With a view on tomorrow) to talk about growing institutional distrust and its impact on the democratic rule of law.
According to a recently released report by the AIVD, there are currently 100,000 people in the Netherlands who lean towards conspiracy theories in which the government is seen as a malevolent elite, but also other institutions such as the judiciary, the police, and the justice system are met by these people with "deep hostility, fanaticism, and violent fantasies". Erik Akkerboom, Director General of the AIVD talks about a threat to national security and a possible undermining of the democratic rule of law.
Distrust and expectations
Political philosopher Gijs van Oenen argues that we should distinguish between conspiracy thinkers. Those who think a malicious government is pulling the strings are, in his view, optimists. Apparently, there are 'strings', that a government can pull and they are therefore highly capable of steering things. On the contrary, another group is characterised by fatalism; they no longer believe that the government can do anything for them.
This is a fundamental question, according to van Oenen: What can institutions do for us? In recent decades, a great belief has developed in the omnipotence of institutions, which can latch onto the needs and necessities of individual citizens. We are individuals and unique and institutions should reflect that. On the one hand, from the 60s' and 70s' onwards, the government itself made the promise that the individual should be able to flourish. On the other hand, the outcome of emancipation weighs heavily on the shoulders of institutions. We thus find ourselves in a kind of self-reinforcing circular movement, in which the disappointment of emancipated citizens is parried with promises made by the government, which eventually sets off a spiral of disappointment, says van Oenen.
Breaking the circle
A solution is not easy to give, but, according to van Oenen, must be sought in a new representation of authority. At the same time, this is very difficult in an advanced emancipated society. We need to move towards a more tolerant conception of the rule of law and liberalism. In which the latter has the task of reinventing itself. We need a new framework where conflict, which itself will never be resolved, can be experienced and mediated. Faith and quality of the rule of law should show that we as human beings are capable of resolving conflict in a rational manner.
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