Enlightenment in the 21st century
Udo Pollmer, food chemist, science journalist
Udo Pollmer was born in Himmelpforten in 1954. In 1981 he passed his State examination for food chemists at the University of Munich. From 1991 to 1999 he was an assistant lecturer at the Fulda University of Applied Sciences at the department of home economics and nutrition sciences, from 1994 to 1996 he was an assistant lecturer at the University of Oldenburg, also at the department of home economics and nutrition sciences.
Prof. Dr. Holm Putzke, lawyer
Holm Putzke was born in 1973 in Dohna (Saxony). He began studying law at the Ruhr University Bochum in 1992. During this period he was a scholarship holder of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. In 1997 he completed his studies with the First State Examination in Law. He subsequently worked as a research assistant, e.g. at the chair of criminal law, criminal procedural law, and general legal philosophy (Rolf Dietrich Herzberg). He completed his legal internship at the regional courts of Bochum and Dortmund. He passed his Second State Examintion in Law at the beginning of 2002.
Gerhard Rampp, ethics teacher, first chairman of bfg Augsburg
Gerhard Rampp was born in 1950. In 1977, directly after leaving the church, he participated in the founding of the Bund für Geistesfreiheit (bfg - Association for the Freedom of Thought) in Regensburg. Since 1982 he has been chairman of bfg Augsburg, which has since grown from 54 to over 2000 members. He organized several regional church exit campaigns. In 1980/81 he was also involved in the establishment of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Humanes Sterben (DGHS - German Society for Humane Dying), where he was a member of the executive committee for a total of 19 years, including from 2006 to 2012 as vice president.
Prof. Dr. Peter Riedesser, child and youth psychiatrist, deceased 2008
Peter Riedesser was born in 1945 and died in 2008. After studying medicine he worked as an assistant in the psychiatric clinic of the University of Freiburg (adult psychiatry, child and youth psychiatry). From 1979 he worked as a child and youth psychiatrist at the University Children's Hospital Freiburg and completed a psychoanalytical training at the Psychoanalytical Seminar Freiburg.
Prof. Helke Sander, film director, author
Helke Sander, born 1937 in Berlin, attended the acting school of Ida Ehre in Hamburg and worked as a director at the Finnish Student Theatre beginning in 1962. She also worked as a traveling director for Finnish workers' theatres and Finnish television stations. In 1965 she returned to Germany and completed her studies at the German Film and Television Academy in Berlin from 1966 to 1969. In 1968, together with other women, she founded the Aktionsrat zur Befreiung der Frauen (Action Council for the Liberation of Women). As co-founder of the first "Kinderläden" ("children's shops") she made a significant contribution to the liberalization of society in Germany.
Prof. Dr. Hermann Josef Schmidt, philosopher
Hermann Josef Schmidt was born in 1939. In 1962 he became a member of the Humanistische Union (Humanistic Union); later he initiated the Bundesverband der Humanistischen Studenten-Union (HSU - Federal Association of the Humanistic Student Union) with friends, of which he was first chairman from 1964 to 1966. In 1968 he completed his PhD at the University of Freiburg in Breisgau with a study on Nietzsche and Socrates. From 1969 he taught philosophy at the PH Ruhr, Dortmund; and from 1980 at the University of Dortmund. Special areas of interest: enlightenment through criticism of philosophy, ideology, and religion; Antiquity; Nietzsche research. Schmidt has gained a reputation as one of the most profound Nietzsche interpreters of our time, but sees his publications on Nietzsche as 'dissenting opinions'.
Rolf Schwanitz, lawyer, engineer economist, former Minister of State, former parliamentary secretary of state
Rolf Schwanitz (born 1959 in Gera, GDR) grew up in Thuringia and completed his apprenticeship with a high school diploma as a construction worker in Erfurt. He then studied business administration in Jena and law in Berlin. He completed his studies as a graduate engineer economist and graduate lawyer. He did not join any political parties until 1989. From October 1989 to January 1990 he was a member of Neues Forum. In November 1989 he joined the SPD (it was called the SDP in the then GDR). During this time he worked in the commission against corruption and abuse of office of the city of Plauen. From 1993 to 2011 he was deputy state chairman of the Saxony branch of the SPD. In 1990 he became a member of the first freely elected People's Chamber of the GDR, legal policy spokesman for the SPD People's Chamber faction and parliamentary secretary of state in the Ministry of Justice (GDR).
Prof. Dr. Volker Sommer, anthropologist/primatologist
Volker Sommer was born in 1954 in Holzhausen, northern Hesse. He has held a chair in evolutionary anthropology at University College London (UCL) since 1996 and has been UCL provost for international strategy since 2009. His research focuses on social and sexual behaviour of primates as well as cognition and rituals.
Prof. Dr. Beda M. Stadler, immunologist/molecular biologist
Beda Stadler was born in 1950. He studied biology and received his PhD and habilitation in the field of molecular biology in Bern. He is professor of immunology (since 1991) and director of the Institute of Virology and Immunology (since 2001) at the University of Bern. His main areas of scientific interest are: basic research in immunology in the fields of allergology and autoimmunity; production of recombinant human or artificial antibodies and vaccines for therapy.
Wolf Steinberger, economist (M.Ec.), former entrepeneur
Wolf Steinberger, born in Munich in 1954, studied economic psychology in Augsburg. He graduated in 1978 (M.Ec.) with his diploma thesis "Motivationale Ursachen zur Entstehung von Bürgerinitiativen" ("Motivational Causes for the Emergence of Citizens' Initiatives").