Portrait

Origin

The foundation was set up on the 200th anniversary of Immanuel Kant's death in February 2002. It comprises the founder as executive and a council of seven honorary members who meet about seven times a year. The foundation's work is financed by the profits of the founding capital of 390 000 Euro and donations.

Conceptional Background

Sapere aude! ("Dare to know. Have courage to use your own understanding to act wisely!")
This courage of everyone - demanded by the philosophy of enlightenment to make use of one's own reason - according to Kant needs encouragement by a public which is inclined towards emancipation ("What is enlightenment?"), i.e. democratically organized, independent, critically - enlightening publicity and media work. Kant's "Critique of Pure Reason" taught us the possibilities and limits of human knowledge. Therefore there are logical necessary consequences for individual freedom and for the organization of constitutional and peaceful co-existence of all people as individuals and social communities i.e. states ("Perpetual Peace") In regard to the common European heritage the works of Kant can be assessed as an important point of crystallization which also represents a legacy of European enlightenment imperative for world citizenship. Already at the end of the sixties Kant's epitemological and political works offered the founder convincing orientation amid contemporary ideological controvery. On the other hand Europe's integration was the politcal hope of the future. The establishment of the foundation was initiated by the changing conditions of US home and foreign policy and a thereby beginning erosion of the western values community and a new European consciousness which had also become necessary because of the re-unification of East and West Europe.

Objective of the foundation and Current Implementation

The main purpose of the foundation is the promotion of courageous and independent, critically enlightening publicity work and education to protect peace, democracy and the environment and the promotion of keeping to democratic- constitutional principles in national and international politics.

This objective is met in the two to three- yearly award of the Kant-World-Citizen prize to persons who have rendered outstanding services to universal political and ethical principles according to Kant. Thereby the future ability of our European heritage is implied as well as the values community and political culture derived from positive but also painful experiences.

This year's Kant-World-Citizen prize worth 15 000 Euro will go to the former British Minister for Environment, Michael Meacher and to the renowned German environmentalist, Christine von Weizsäcker. Both are awarded this prize for "courageous publicity work and for practical political efforts towards bio-diversity, bio-security and choice for consumers".
The prize will be awarded in Freiburg's Konzerthaus on 7 May, 2006 at 10.30 hours. The eulogist at the prize-giving ceremony will be UNEP- Director Prof.Dr. Klaus Töpfer.

Besides the award of the Kant-World-Citizen prize and all the organization involved, the foundation co-operates with the "Studium generale" of Freiburg University and organizes lectures in the thematic context of "enlightenment through controversy". The foundation also sponsors independent, objective journalistic work ("Netzwerk-Recherche").