Federation of German Scientists

Last updated

The Federation of German Scientists - VDW (Vereinigung Deutscher Wissenschaftler e. V.) is a German non-governmental organization.

Contents

History

Since its founding 1959 by Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker, Otto Hahn, Max Born and further prominent nuclear scientists, known as Göttinger 18, who had previously publicly declared their position against the nuclear armament of the German Bundeswehr, the Federation has been committed to the ideal of responsible Wissenschaft . [1] The founders were almost identical to the "Göttinger 18" (compare the historical Göttingen Seven). Both the "Göttingen Manifesto" and the formation of the VDW were an expression of the new sense of responsibility felt by Otto Hahn and some scientists after the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The VDW tried to mirror the American Federation of Atomic Scientists. [2] VDW has been identified as Western Germany's Pugwash group. [3]

Members of VDW feel committed to taking into consideration the possible military, political and economical implications and possibilities of atomic misuse when carrying out their scientific research and teaching. [4] The Federation of German Scientists comprises around 400 scholars of different fields. The Federation of German Scientists addresses both interested members of the public and decision-makers on all levels of politics and society with its work. The politician Egon Bahr was a longstanding member. Georg Picht presented a radio series about the Limits of growth on behalf of the VDW in the 1970s. [5] In 2005/2006, the VDW was the patron and main contributor to the Potsdam Manifesto‚ 'We have to learn to think in a new way’ and the Potsdam Denkschrift under co-authorship of Hans Peter Duerr and Daniel Dahm, together with Rudolf zur Lippe. Since 2022 Ulrike Beisiegel and Götz Neuneck are co-chairs of the VDW.

VDW was closely connected with the German Friedensbewegung (peace movement) in the 1980s. After 1999 VDW tried to regain public interest with the establishment of the Whistleblower Prize, awarded together with the German branch of the International Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms (IALANA).

Whistleblower Prize

The Whistleblower Prize worth 3,000 euro, is given biannually and was established in 1999. [6] In 2015, the selection of Gilles-Éric Séralini generated some controversy. Ulrich Bahnsen in Die Zeit described VDW and IALANA as consisting of busybodies with best wills - and worst possible outcome in the case of this award. [7] The opinion piece, featured in Zeit Online, described the awarding of Séralini as a failure, and viewed his status as a "whistleblower" as questionable, in light of his use of "junk science" to support anti-GMO activism. [8]

Recipients

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hans-Peter Dürr</span> German physicist

Hans-Peter Dürr was a German physicist. He worked on nuclear and quantum physics, elementary particles and gravitation, epistemology, and philosophy, and he advocated responsible scientific and energy policies. In 1987, he was awarded the Right Livelihood Award for "his profound critique of the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) and his work to convert high technology to peaceful uses."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker</span> German physicist (1912–2007)

Carl Friedrich Freiherr von Weizsäcker was a German physicist and philosopher. He was the longest-living member of the team which performed nuclear research in Germany during the Second World War, under Werner Heisenberg's leadership. There is ongoing debate as to whether or not he and the other members of the team actively and willingly pursued the development of a nuclear bomb for Germany during this time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schule Birklehof</span> Private boarding school and gymnasium school in Germany

Birklehof School is a progressive educational boarding school and grammar school with a holistic approach located in Hinterzarten in the High Black Forest in Germany, approximately 25 km from Freiburg. It is a private coeducational secondary school. Currently, the school has approximately 230 students, 170 of whom are boarders who live on campus. The school was established by educator Kurt Hahn in 1932 and from the beginning accepted girls and boys. Under the Nazi regime, Hahn was forced to emigrate to Scotland where he founded Gordonstoun School as well as later Outward Bound, Round Square and the United World Colleges.

VDW can refer to one of the following:

Rudolf Steinberg is professor emeritus for public law and from 2000 to 2008 was president of the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt.

Wolf Lepenies is a German sociologist, political scientist, and author.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karl-Heinz Höcker</span> German physicist (1915–1998)

Karl-Heinz Höcker was a German theoretical nuclear physicist who worked in the German Uranverein. After World War II, he worked at the university of Stuttgart and was the founder of the Institut für Kernenergetik und Energiesysteme.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hans-Thorald Michaelis</span>

Hans-Thorald Michaelis was a German historian, germanist and genealogist.

Edith Picht-Axenfeld was a German pianist and harpsichordist.

Johann Christian Dieterich (1722–1800) was the founder of the Dieterich’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung publishing house and a close friend of Georg Christoph Lichtenberg. He published the first Musen-Almanach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaldenkirchen Sequoia Farm</span> Arboretum in Lower Rhine region of Germany

The Kaldenkirchen Sequoia Farm is a German arboretum that has been used as a biological institute for many years. Part of the protected area in the city of Nettetal, it is situated in the "Kaldenkirchen Grenzwald". Nettetal lies in the Lower Rhine region of Germany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Horst Möller</span> German contemporary historian (born 1943)

Horst Möller is a German contemporary historian. He is Professor of Modern History at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU) and, from 1992 to 2011, Director of the Institut für Zeitgeschichte.

The Memorandum of Tübingen was a memorandum dealing with West German foreign policy, written by eight prominent German Protestant academics and scientists. It was sent to the German Bundestag in 1961. The memorandum was a manifesto in protest of the planned nuclear armament of West Germany and in favour of the recognition of the Oder-Neiße line as the official border between Germany and Poland by the West German government. Both issues were highly controversial and hotly debated issues in West German politics at the time.

Vereinigung für Ökologische Ökonomie (VÖÖ) is a German scientific society promoting ecological principles in the global economy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brandon Bryant (whistleblower)</span> American whistleblower

Brandon Wayne Bryant is an American whistleblower. From 2006 to 2011 he was a camera operator of unmanned drones of the United States Air Force. His job was targeted killing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Horst Kessler</span> German chemist

Horst Kessler is a German chemist and emeritus Professor of Excellence at the Institute for Advanced Study at the Technical University of Munich (TUM). Kessler works in the area of bioorganic chemistry, in particular peptide synthesis, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. He also made contributions to magnetic resonance imaging.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moritz Epple</span> German mathematician and historian of science

Moritz Epple is a German mathematician and historian of science.

Hans-Christof Kraus is a German historian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Klaus von See</span> German philologist

Klaus von See was a German philologist who specialized in Germanic studies.

Helga Weippert was a German scholar of the Old Testament.

References

  1. ↑ "FGS Brochure" (PDF). Convention on Biological Diversity. Federation of German Scientists. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
  2. ↑ Seefried, Elke (2015-07-01). Zukünfte: Aufstieg und Krise der Zukunftsforschung 1945-1980 (in German). Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. ISBN   9783110349122.
  3. ↑ Klaus Gottstein: Erinnerungen an Pugwash und an die Rolle der VDW als deutsche Pugwash-Gruppe. In: Götz Neuneck und Michael Schaaf (Hrsg.): Zur Geschichte der Pugwash-Bewegung in Deutschland. Max-Planck-Institut für Wissenschaftsgeschichte, 2007, p. 39–62.
  4. ↑ Stephan Albrecht, Hans-Joachim Bieber, Reiner Braun, Peter Croll, Henner Ehringhaus, Maria Finckh, Hartmut Graßl, Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker (Hrsg.): Wissenschaft – Verantwortung – Frieden: 50 Jahre VDW, Berlin 2009, ISBN   978-3-8305-1704-7.
  5. ↑ Picht, Georg (1992-01-01). Zukunft und Utopie (in German). Klett-Cotta. ISBN   9783608916218.
  6. ↑ Snowden Gets Whistleblower Award in Germany | News. The Moscow Times.
  7. ↑ Bahnsen, Von Ulrich (8 October 2015). "Gentechnik: Ausgezeichnete Pfeife". ZEIT ONLINE. Retrieved 2015-12-16. Nun sind VDW und Ialana von sicherlich guten Menschen mit besten Absichten bevölkert, was stets befürchten lässt, dass die Sache den schlechtesten Ausgang nimmt.
  8. ↑ Ulrich Bahnsen (8 October 2015). "Ausgezeichnete Pfeife". Zeit Online (in German). Séralini ist in der Wissenschaft zu Recht und zur Gänze diskreditiert
  9. ↑ "Vor fünfzig Jahren wurde in Berlin die Vereinigung Deutscher Wissenschaftler gegründet. Ihre Friedensmission ist heute so aktuell wie damals: Im Interesse der Menschheit". www.berliner-zeitung.de. Retrieved 2015-12-16.
  10. ↑ "Was Margrit Herbst mit Edward Snowden gemein hat". www.abendblatt.de (in German). Retrieved 2015-12-16.
  11. ↑ Deiseroth, Dieter; Falter, Annegret (2011-07-22). Whistleblower in Altenpflege und Infektionsforschung: Preisverleihung 2007 (in German). BWV Verlag. ISBN   9783830521471.
  12. ↑ "Vereinigung Deutscher Wissenschaftler VDW e.V." www.vdw-ev.de. Retrieved 2015-12-16.
  13. ↑ "Transparency International Germany: Whistleblower Prize 2013 for Edward Snowden". Transparency International. 2013.
  14. ↑ "Former US Drone Operator to Get German Whistleblower Award". 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.