Societal Trust Chair

Leah Henderson, Associate Professor in Philosophy of Science, is appointed as Endowed Professor of Societal Trust at the University of Groningen (UG) as of 1 July. The chair is a special appointment sponsored by the Koninklijke Hollandsche Maatschappij der Wetenschappen (KHMW) in collaboration with the Rudolf Agricola School for Sustainable Development of the UG.

Societal trust is the fundamental cement or glue that holds society together, connecting people both at the individual and at the institutional level. This chair will be concerned with understanding processes that undermine societal trust, such as the proliferation of disinformation, deep controversies and increasing polarization of society.

Henderson: ‘I want to develop our understanding of societal trust. This includes understanding what is currently undermining societal trust and creating positive visions for how to improve it. My plans are to develop an interdisciplinary platform for research, teaching and outreach on this topic.’