Enlightenment in the 21st century
Prof. Dr. Martin Brüne, neurologist/psychiatrist
Martin Brüne was born in Dortmund in 1962. After studying medicine at Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, he received his PhD in 1989 and also trained as a specialist in neurology, psychiatry, and psychotherapy. From 1998 Brüne was senior physician at the Center for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the Ruhr-University Bochum Clinic. In 2000 he received his habilitation and the venia legendi for psychiatry.
Prof. Dr. Franz Buggle, psychologist, critic of religion, deceased 2011
Franz Buggle was born in 1933 in Freiburg. After graduating from a classical grammar school in 1953 he studied psychology, philosophy, education, and economics at the universities of Freiburg i. Br. and Munich. In 1958, he completed his diploma examination in psychology. From 1958 to 1963, he worked as a research assistant, afterwards as administrator of a scientific assistant position at the Psychological Institute of the University of Freiburg i. Br.
Dr. Gerhard Czermak, retired administrative judge, writer
Gerhard Czermak was born in Brno in 1942 and grew up in Bavaria after the Germans were expelled from Czechoslovakia at the end of the war. Until recently he worked as an administrative lawyer, mainly as a judge. Privately he has long devoted himself to religious constitutional law (traditionally: "state church law") in order to counteract the one-sidedness that has always prevailed in this area. His main concern is the achievement of legal equality between religious and non-religious worldviews.
Helmut Debelius, marine researcher, underwater photographer, author
Helmut Debelius was born in Frankenberg in 1947. After graduating from high school he first worked as a police inspector; later he worked as a financial investigator, bodyguard, and as an undercover agent in the weapon smuggling and drug scene, before he discovered his "true calling" and achieved world fame as a diver, underwater photographer, and author of numerous articles and non-fiction books about the marine habitat.
Karen Duve, writer
Karen Duve was born in Hamburg in 1961. She graduated from high school in 1981. From 1983 to 1996 she worked as a taxi driver in Hamburg. In 1995 she published her first book: "Im tiefen Schnee ein stilles Heim". Her first international bestseller, "Regenroman", was published in 1999; more were to follow over the years. In 2009 Duve emerged as a religious critic with the Spiegel article "Welt ohne Gott - Ein Plädoyer gegen den Glauben" ("World without God - A plea against faith").
Prof. Dr. Theodor Ebert, philosopher/ historian of philosophy
Theodor Ebert was born in 1939 in Telgte/Westphalia. He studied philosophy and German philology in Münster, Paris (Sorbonne), and Heidelberg. There he received his PhD in 1967 from Hans-Georg Gadamer. He then studied ancient and analytical philosophy at Oxford University for a year (1967/68). After working at the Hegel Archive in Bonn and Bochum he became an assistant at the University of Erlangen in 1972, where he habilitated in 1976. In 1977/78 he accepted an invitation to become a visiting fellow at University College London.
Dr. Carsten Frerk, political scientist empirical social researcher
Carsten Frerk was born in 1945 south of Hamburg. He studied German language and literature, art history, and political sciences. In 1979 he received his PhD (summa cum laude) in political science (Dr. rer. pol.) with a thesis on the possibilities and limits of the practical orientation of political science studies. From 1975 to 1980 he worked as a research assistant/lecturer at the Free University of Berlin in the political science department.
Dr. Colin Goldner, psychologist, non-fiction author
Colin Goldner was born in Munich in 1953. After an apprenticeship as an educator he studied social pedagogy/adult education in Munich (M.Sc. in 1980) and psychology/cultural anthropology in Munich and Los Angeles (PhD 1988). Subsequently he studied journalism in Hohenheim (1990). Goldner was head of a state-approved technical school for nursing professions in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. He also worked as a development aid worker in Nepal.
Dittmar Graf, evolutionary biologist, biology didactician
Dittmar Graf was born in 1955 in Melbach. After graduating from high school in Friedberg/Hessen he studied biology and geography at Justus Liebig University in Giessen. In 1989 he received his PhD with a thesis on biology didactics. He was research assistant at the universities of Giessen and Braunschweig. From 1989 to 1994 Graf served as deputy state chairman for Hesse of the "Verband Biologie, Biowissenschaften und Biomedizin" (VBIO - German Life Sciences Association), and until 2001 as state chairman. Since 1992 he has been co-editor of the education journal "Der mathematische und naturwissenschaftlich Unterricht" ("The teaching of mathematics and science").
Dr. med. Natalie Grams, physician and author
Natalie Grams (born 1978) is a medical doctor and former homeopath. In her book "Homöopathie neu gedacht" ("Homeopathy Reconsidered") she describes her way out of homoeopathy, but also takes a stand for more empathy and attention in normal medicine. As communications manager of the Gesellschaft zur wissenschaftlichen Untersuchung von Parawissenschaften (GWUP - Society for the Scientific Investigation of Parasciences) and as director of the Informationsnetzwerk Homöopathie (Homeopathy Information Network) she is committed to ensuring that patients and non-professionals are increasingly well informed about homeopathy and other pseudomedical procedures. She is now an active and public advocate for rational thought in medicine.