Cissie Fu (Assistant Professor of Political Theory, Leiden University) reflected on the ‘Founding Statements of the Parliament of Things,’ and suggested to leave the notion of statements behind. ‘The Parliament must be build around promising qualities. There are no statements. All propositions of any Parliament of Things must remain dynamic and contestable.’

This notion challenged us to think about the objectives of The Parliament. Does this ‘new public space’ facilitates ‘meetings’ between Things, Animals and Humans, or does it also want to be an instrument to solve conflicts?

And: what are promising qualities? Is the Parliament founded on trust instead of a set of rules? Is it more about research then political activism? Is the Parliament an instrument to satisfy our curiosity, or a tool for environmental action?