Helga Nowotny recently published her new book, “Zukunft braucht Weisheit” (Future Needs Wisdom), which she presented at the Complexity Science Hub last week. The book is a personal reflection on a life spent crossing disciplinary, institutional, and political boundaries and on what it takes to navigate uncertainty without losing direction.
In this interview, she speaks about wisdom as a scientific and societal virtue, the risks and responsibilities of boundary-crossing, and why the future of science depends on more than knowledge alone.
What does wisdom mean to you?
Nowotny: It means not only to be open to experience and to approach knowledge from different perspectives, but also to be prepared that things can change unexpectedly – and how to cope with it.
The book is autobiographical, and you describe yourself as a “border crosser.” Could you elaborate on that?
Nowotny: This refers to my crossing disciplinary boundaries within academia; crossing boundaries between academic knowledge and the practice of research policy at national and EU level; and crossing boundaries between different institutions, cultures and countries.
On the one hand, you describe the necessity of crossing boundaries, but on the other hand you also emphasize the crucial importance of the right timing – and the risk of failure. Were you a fearless tightrope walker from the very beginning, or is that something you had to learn over time?
Nowotny: I speak about my experience when still a teenager I got my glider license. Gliding teaches you to overcome fear. You have to release the steel cable at exactly the right moment. Then, one is filled with a wonderful feeling of freedom, listening only to the wind that moves along the surface of the plane. The risk is there, but you learn how to prepare – and to enjoy once you have overcome fear.
Helga Nowotny, who chairs the CSH Advisory Board, is one of Europe’s most influential researchers in science and technology studies. She is Emeritus Professor at ETH Zürich and was a founding member and President of the European Research Council (ERC). She continues to be actively engaged in research policy at national, European, and international levels.
Do you have the impression that Western society – and science in particular – is currently at a turning point? Or have such phases occurred throughout history, only appearing especially turbulent to us now?
Nowotny: There have been many turning points in history and, alas, many dark and brutal episodes. What makes our ‘turning point’ unique is that humanity never had so much knowledge, technology and possibilities to shape a better world as now – yet we are incapable of using all the resources we have for this aim.
Why do we need science?
Nowotny: Science is the driving force behind the cultural evolution that has since long overtaken biological evolution. Humanity has made immense strides in the past 400 years, generating an unprecedented scientific-technical civilization with high standards for health, longevity and well-being. Now we are almost 9 billion on this planet, exploring the universe and dreaming of life beyond earth. But we also face human-induced climate change, global inequalities and many other challenges. Science cannot ‘solve’ them all, but without science we would rapidly regress.
Given the current situation, especially the way science is being treated in the United States, do you see this as a (somewhat macabre) opportunity for Europe? Or do you see a greater danger of these developments spilling over?
Nowotny: I fear that the current developments in the US mark the self-inflicted beginning of a decline of science from its unchallenged position as No. 1. My hope is that Europe will not follow the same route of diminished funding of research, cutting off the career of an entire generation of young researchers, contempt for science as ‘mere opinion’ and scientists as part of a despised ‘elite’. In contrast to the Anglo-Saxon usage of the term ‘Science’ which means only the natural sciences, in Europe the term ‘Wissenschaft’ has always included the social sciences and humanities. I believe that this has anchored Wissenschaft in a more robust way within society. In Europe we also have mostly publicly funded universities and in many countries a constitutionally enshrined ‘freedom of science’ clause which may help to ward off the threats in case an anti-science government takes over.
You were involved in founding the European Research Council – what was particularly important to you in that process? And how has it evolved since then?
Nowotny: The ERC is the undisputed success story of EU funding of fundamental research and continues to be seen as the highest mark of scientific excellence. What mattered to me most was to help European scientists speak with one voice and thus persuade governments and the EU to fund bottom-up, curiosity-driven research as one of the highest priorities. It gives me great satisfaction that this has worked as intended.
In your book, you call on young people to become “competent rebels.” What do you mean by that? And how do you see this as an opportunity to bring about change in times like these?
Nowotny: Young people everywhere, and especially in science, tend to be ‘rebels’ in the sense of questioning the world they find themselves in or received scientific dogma. This is how it should be, but it will never succeed unless it is accompanied by ‘competence’: knowing what you are talking about, having solid evidence and arguments on your side, knowing the rules of the game and playing it, but without cynicism. We need more competent rebels and to encourage young people to see that they have more agency than they believe.
Your academic career began at the age of 22 as an assistant professor at the University of Vienna in criminal law and criminology, under a professor who initially did not want to hire a woman. When did you know that you wanted to pursue a career in academia?
Nowotny: I was always curious and attracted to learn about the world I encountered. As a child and teenager, I did not think about what I would do later, but I knew I would go to university. Then, it became clear that this was the kind of environment in which I could pursue what interested me and satisfy my curiosity better than elsewhere. But it was tough going!
What motivated you to fight against so much resistance?
Nowotny: If I am convinced of something, I am ready to stand – and fight – for it.
Has that source of motivation changed over the years?
Nowotny: Not really. But I have learned when and with whom to pick a fight.
If you could change one thing about today’s academic system, what would it be?
Nowotny: More freedom to follow one’s curiosity and scientific interests, opening more spaces for the younger generation to try out things, encourage them to experiment – and to learn from the mistakes they make.
Title:
Zukunft braucht Weisheit (in German)
Author:
Helga Nowotny
Publisher:
Matthes & Seitz Berlin
Publication Date:
January 2026
Format:
Hardcover / eBook
ISBN:
978-3-7518-2077-6