The new essay by #1 podcaster Richard David Precht: How can it be that freedom of expression in liberal societies like Germany is reaching its limits, even though we have no restricted fundamental rights and countless opportunities for expressing our opinions? In the course of the development of individuality since the beginning of the bourgeois era, a new vulnerability has emerged in the 21st century, putting our society to a severe test. The more we expand our individuality and take things "personally," the more easily we feel offended, insulted, or disrespected. Accelerated by social media and its potential for online outrage and cancellation, German society is increasingly entering a state of fearful paralysis. How can courageous and decisive politics, provocative art and culture, still be possible if someone is always and everywhere getting hurt? The key can only lie in a new resilience and composure that allows equal space for one's own sensitivity as well as that of others. Biography: Professor Dr. Richard David Precht, philosopher, publicist, and author, was born in Solingen in 1964. He received his doctorate from the University of Cologne in 1994 and has since worked for nearly all major German newspapers and broadcasters. He has received several awards for his journalistic work. Precht was a Fellow at the Chicago Tribune. In 2000, he was awarded the Journalism Prize for Biomedicine. Richard David Precht lives in Cologne and Luxembourg. New product