Unterschätzte Gegenwart – Das Bedingungslose Grundeinkommen als Antwort auf den strukturellen Widerspruch zwischen Staatsbürgergemeinschaft und Erwerbstätigengesellschaft

The discussion about an unconditional basic income (UBI) in Germany raises fundamental questions. Arguments for and against have been made more precise and yet the elementary prerequisites for living together that affect the relationship between UBI and democracy are rarely considered. The article follows this relationship based on three exemplary analyses and elaborates to what extent established interpretive patterns of existing democracy lag behind their real constitution. According to the conclusions, a UBI does not require a “change of system” or a “transformation”. Rather, there is a contradiction between a democracy that relies on the autonomy of citizens and that has to be trusted, on the one hand, and an interpretive pattern that overvalues employment, on the other.