CNE Monatsmagazin Digest
May 2007

English Summary

Social, just, healthy: They belong to the liberal highlights in Germany: the Hayek Days of the Friedrich A. von Hayek-Gesellschaft and the Friedrich A. von Hayek-Foundation. This year they take place in Potsdam, 7-8 June 2005. The Hayek-Medal goes to Professor Hans-Olaf Henkel and, very much to our pleasure, to Professor Antonio Martino, a member of CNE's Academic Advisory Council. One of the main topics will be the roundtable talk on health care reform.

Brain Work I: Horst Wolfgang Boger, Naumann Foundation, Potsdam, writes about Brack's Dictionary of Liberal Thought: "The authors are mainly British, no wonder. England is the birthplace of liberalism. Fortunately four authors are from Germany, namely Horst Wolfgang Boger, Hardy Bouillon, Detmar Doering und Karen Horn. Were Lord (Ralf) Dahrendorf not a British citizen for many years, one could name him no. 5." Curiously, the book is already sold out at www.amazon.de. Fortunately, you still can get it at www.amazon.co.uk for £23.10.

Brain Work II: Paul Kirchhof, who formerly was Merkel's designated finance minister, wrote a book on the Law of Hydra. It is a well-written book, says Horst Wolfgang Boger. "Kirchhof's Hydra has 12 rather than 9 heads, and the author recommends not to wait for Hercules. The citizens have to chop off the hydra's heads and cauterise the wounds. After some time the monster will languish and die of hunger", says Boger.

Turning green: "2 degrees - German enterprisers for climate protection" - the new initiative by Michael Otto, CEO of Otto, and some of his colleagues from other leading industries - shows a new trend among German top business people, says Edgar Gärtner. However, his main concern are hypercritical politicians who urge for pollution certificates, because they are in a business that profits from these. One of them is Al Gore, who owns, together with David Blood, Generation Investment Fund, remembers Gärtner.

Freedom - what a drama, writes Hardy Bouillon, with respect to the constitutional element in the tragedy of Schiller's dramas. Usually tragedy is seen in man's weaknesses, in the mishaps as a consequence of his unwillingness to use his talents properly and in his uproar to his fate. Schiller realized that individual freedom gives rise to a deeper tragedy if understood as combined with the Kantian insight that man cannot but act according to the laws of morality. William Tell is a perfect example of this and to assume, as was done from the premiere on, that Tell should better have shot Gessler right away and die as a hero, killed by Gessler's myrmidons, is a misunderstanding of Schiller's philosophical approach to tragedy, says Bouillon.

Friedwart Bruckhaus Förderpreis 2007/8: As Germany discusses amnesty for former RAF-terrorists, it is time to remember of the journalism prize of the Hanns Martin Schleyer-Foundation, named after one of the prominent victims of RAF-terrorism. This year's topics is: The media in a free polity - its tasks and responsibility vis-à-vis politics, societal change and technical development.

Goodbye to Rostropovich: in a personal reminiscence Stephen Pollard, who once was lucky enough to have met Rostropovich and spoken for a while, reminds us of "the famous live recording from the Prom of 21st August 1968 when Rostropovich played the Dvorak Cello Concerto with the USSRSO on the night when the Soviet tanks rolled into Prague. It's far from being his most technically accomplished performance but you can almost hear his cry of pain for the people of Czechoslovakia", writes Pollard.

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Dr. Hardy Bouillon is Head of Academic Affairs at the Centre for the New Europe.