'The university is a kind of mini-society'

Text: Marjolein de Jong | 29 October 2025

You don't want to avoid topical issues in your contribution to the Dies Natalis on 20 November 2025. Why exactly do you think it is important to discuss them within the university?
'Because it is alive and that is our reality. There are fierce demonstrations on campus including issues around Israel and Palestine, climate change and abortion. Some students feel unsafe and others dare not speak out. A university in particular is supposed to be a place where you can disagree and still keep talking to each other. We don't have to agree, but we have to keep listening and talking.'

What is the responsibility of universities in the broader debate on peace and truth?
'At its core, the university is meant for knowledge acquisition and transfer, unlike politics or business. That means there should be room for different viewpoints and research. At the same time, there are moral boundaries. We should not want to contribute to knowledge that is used for inhumane purposes, such as genocide. VU Amsterdam now has collaborations tested. If a university partner institution systematically violates human rights, we don't cooperate with it.'

As a philosopher, you write a lot about truth and see it as something that needs to be practised. How exactly do you mean this?
'Truth is not one thing. Some truths are fixed - like the shape of the sun - and others we determine together, like the agreement that we drive on the right. In addition, there are truths in between that have to do with interpretation. These I call 'in-between truths'. For example, what we perceive as a 'crisis' depends partly on the facts, but also on our view of the world. So you can't just shout that there is an asylum crisis, even if some people perceive it as a threat.'

'We have to learn to deal with that in-between, that grey area. That's where practice comes in when it comes to our attitude. The classic virtues help with that: courage, justice, temperance, wisdom, faith, hope and love. These are not old-fashioned concepts, but concrete and up-to-date skills that enable you to deal with that in-between space responsibly.'

Can you give an example?
'One of the most important virtues is moderation. That means not acting on your first impulse. Today's politics and media often run on emotion: anger, indignation. Moderation means stepping back for a moment, asking yourself: why does this affect me so much, what do I want to achieve in the long term and what does the other person actually want to say? If we did that more often, we could listen to each other better.'

You distinguish between cognitive polarisation and affective polarisation in which the other is seen as an enemy. What do you mean by that?
'Polarisation in the sense of firm disagreements is fine, even healthy. It sharpens your arguments and forces you to think. Affective polarisation is something else: then you start seeing the other as an enemy or morally unworthy. That's dangerous."

"You can train people to avoid that. In a good debate, you play on the ball, not on the person. That takes practice: listening, rephrasing what the other person means, or understanding something properly before speaking out. '

But how do you translate from the academic community to the rest of society?
'The university is a kind of mini-society, so what happens here at VU Amsterdam  reflects broader patterns. But I hope the change also happens in politics. When politicians show during debates that they can radically disagree and still treat each other with respect, it makes an impression.'

'Take the 2008 US presidential election. During a campaign rally, a woman from the audience was given the floor. She said of Barack Obama: "He is an Arab after all. You can't trust him, can you?" To which John McCain, his opponent, immediately took back the microphone and replied, "No ma'am, that's not true. Obama is a decent man, I just have a difference of opinion with him and that's what this election is about." That moment shows what leadership is: choosing, even in the midst of a polarised battle, not to demonise the other person.'

What do you hope to instil in the audience with your contribution to the Dies Natalis?
'I think peace can only come about when you discover that the other person's perspective matters as much as your own. That doesn't mean you have to prove the other person right, but do make that double move: looking through your own glasses and the other person's glasses. We don't have to agree, but we do have to learn to live together.'

Want to hear more from Rik Peels? Visit VU Amsterdam's Dies Natalis on Thursday 20 November. The Dies speech will be delivered by Séverine Autesserre, international expert on conflict resolution. She advocates local forms of peacebuilding, through community-based initiatives. Rik Peels will then discuss the responsibility to shape peace and justice and what that means within a university like VU Amsterdam.
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