Think Tank for Humanism and Enlightenment

The Giordano Bruno Stiftung (gbs) is a think tank for humanism and enlightenment that has been joined by many renowned scientists, philosophers and artists. The foundation is currently backed by more than 10,000 supporting members and 50 regional and university groups.

The foundation's goal is to develop a viable humanistic, rational and evidence-based alternative to the traditional religions and to help it become established in society. This objective is based on the insight that we cannot face the complex challenges of the 21st century using the religious paradigms of the past.

Instead, we need a contemporary view of the world that is in harmony with the results of scientific research and which is ethically and politically consistently oriented towards the individual's right to self-determination (as expressed in the "Universal Declaration of Human Rights") as well as towards the principles of an "open society".

The Giordano Bruno Stiftung adheres to the guiding principle of evolutionary humanism. A clear and concise summary of the central positions of the gbs can be found in the brochure "Enlightenment in the 21st Century" and in the "Manifesto of Evolutionary Humanism", which was written in 2005 by Michael Schmidt-Salomon on behalf of the foundation.

The history of the Giordano Bruno Stiftung is summarized in the Chronology of Main Events. See also the documentary "In Humanity We Trust", produced by Ricarda Hinz for the 10th anniversary of the gbs.

» Anyone capable of splitting the atom and communicating via satellites must have the necessary intellectual and emotional maturity to do so. One of the ways this maturity manifests is through the ability to let false ideas die, before people die for false ideas. «

(Manifesto of Evolutionary Humanism)

Latest news

On the Corona Pandemic

Why the Giordano Bruno Foundation refrains from making statements on COVID-19

2020/03/23

The Giordano Bruno Foundation had already cancelled all events until May 2020 two weeks ago, i.e. before the corresponding administrative instructions had been given. While the foundation is working intensively on the pandemic internally, it is refraining from making any further statements due to the currently still very unclear data availability. "What is needed now is serious transdisciplinary research of the virus, its spread and its consequences," says gbs board spokesman Michael Schmidt-Salomon, "no further fueling of the rumour mill".

"Ensure transparency and justice at last!"

Criminologist Pfeiffer demands the retrieval of the abuse files from the Vatican and comprehensive compensation

2020/03/13

Criminologist Professor Christian Pfeiffer has demanded that the federal government retrieve the abuse files from the Vatican, that the Bishops' Conference pay compensation also for life-long loss of earnings of abuse victims, and that independent research involving 5,000 active priests be permitted. Pfeiffer said this on March 8, 2020, at an event on the topic of "Religion and Violence" organized by the Institut für Weltanschauungsrecht (ifw - Institute for Worldview Law) and the Giordano Bruno Foundation (gbs) in Haus Weitblick in Oberwesel.

Catholic Church Gives In

Non-religious Frenchman does not have to pay church tax in Germany

2020/03/02

Following the two groundbreaking rulings of the Federal Constitutional Court last week on self-determination at the end of life and on strengthening ideological neutrality in the courtroom ("headscarf ban for legal trainees"), the Institut für Weltanschauungsrecht (ifw - Institute for Worldview Law) founded by the gbs can report a third success within a few days: In the ifw case of the Frenchman Thomas Bores, the Archdiocese of Berlin revoked the church tax assessment at the end of February 2020 after five years of legal wrangling and several waves of negative media coverage. A commentary by ifw director Jacqueline Neumann.

The Right to Last Aid

Commemoration for Uwe-Christian Arnold on March 21 in Oberwesel

2020/02/28

There is probably no other German doctor who has so courageously worked for self-determined dying and has taken as many personal risks as Uwe-Christian Arnold. On March 21, the Giordano Bruno Foundation will honour its advisory board member, who died last year, with a commemorative event and at the same time celebrate the latest landmark decision of the Federal Constitutional Court, about which presumably no one would have been more pleased than Uwe-Christian Arnold himself.

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