Narrating the “Facts”: Regimes of Truth in Law, Science, and the Medi...

In our society there are at least three dominant concepts of “facts” originating from scientific, legal, and media discourses. Linked to three different regimes of truth and to different narratives, these three conflicting concepts of “facts” are in large part mutually irreconcilable. However, merged together they are shaping public debates and political decision-making in today’s democracies.  

In my talk I will show: First, the qualities assigned to the “facts” derive to a great extend from different truth regimes (in law, the sciences, and the media); and therefore, the different institutional settings of the narratives are vital for an understanding of the often contradictory and inconsistent use of “facts” in public and political debates.