The Einstein Forum
Potsdam, the capital of Brandenburg, was often a center of critical thinking. When Frederick the Great invited Voltaire to Sans Souci, or Albert Einstein made Caputh his summer home, local and international intellectual forces combined to reflect on the central issues of their times. In establishing the Einstein Forum in 1993, the State of Brandenburg affirmed its commitment to renewing Potsdam's traditional role as a center of the Enlightenment, in the very broadest sense.
The extraordinary success of the Einstein Forum's first years showed that it fills a need met nowhere else. By offering an institutional context for intellectual innovation outside the university, the Einstein Forum promotes the exchange of ideas across disciplinary as well as national borders.
Through lectures, workshops and conferences which are open to everyone, the Einstein Forum serves a double function: to give the general public the opportunity to engage with major thinkers at work, and to encourage those thinkers to overcome traditional academic boundaries. At their best, such exchanges not only make available opportunities traditionally confined to elite audiences, but also lead to a democratization of the intellectual process itself.
The insight that intellectual development must become more multidisciplinary, international, and responsive to social questions is not new. Einstein was among those who called for such values in the beginning of the last century. Yet few frameworks exist to promote them. Academic achievement tends rather to reward mastery of specialized areas. This is understandable, for progress in both the sciences and the humanities depends on rigor, concentration, and divisions of labor. As a consequence, however, experimental thinking about questions of general interest is often left without institutional space and support.
The Einstein Forum is a catalyst for the kind of wide-ranging, cross-disciplinary projects which are often demanded but seldom rewarded. Here new and provocative work can be tried out in an open, informal atmosphere. Some of the ideas presented here took further shape in one of the Einstein Forum's book series. Others served as the basis for working research groups. Conceived as a laboratory of the mind, the Einstein Forum is prepared to try many approaches to see what will bear fruit.
The Einstein Forum is located at the crossroads of discussion in eastern and western Europe. Guests enjoy the quiet beauty of the loveliest 18th century square in Potsdam and the cultural riches of downtown Berlin. Operating expenses are provided by the State of Brandenburg, while individual programs and projects are supported by grants from public institutions and private sponsors. All contributions are tax-deductible.
- Exhibition with book objects in the auditory
As an institution whose mission is to develop work on and between the borders of different fields, the Einstein Forum is not limited to particular research topics. It's program is divided into four general areas: ethics and society, the past as present, understanding nature, art and knowledge. The following pages present examples of lectures and workshops offered in the recent past.
The Einstein Forum bears responsibility for the Einstein summer house at Caputh, a small secluded retreat near Potsdam where Albert Einstein received guests as varied as Max Planck and Rabindranath Tagore. The house is currently used on ceremonial occasions such as receptions for the Einstein Forum's annual Nobel Laureate lectures, and will be available for other purposes following complete restoration.