Hands off the Hungarian Philosophers!

Hagener PhilosophInnen,

ich bin gestern durch einen Bericht des Wiener Philosophen Herbert Hrachovec nachdrücklich sensibilisiert worden für die aktuellen politischen Zustände in Ungarn und die dortige (antisemitische) Hetzjagd auf ungarische Philosophen, so dass ich hiervon gern etwas weitergebe:

[url=https://pusztaranger.wordpress.com/2011/01/22/1370/]Hetzjagd auf Philosophen in Ungarn: Offener Brief [/url]

Die folgende online-Petition, die u.a. die Philosophen Bernhard Waldenfels, Günter Figal, Iris Därmann, Matthias Flatscher, Pascal Delholm, Jens Kertscher und - aus dem Kreis der Hagener Philosophen Thomas Bedorf - bereits gezeichnet haben, könnt Ihr ebenfalls zeichnen:

[COLOR=darkred][B]“Enlightenment is man's release from his self-incurred tutelage. Tutelage s man's inability to make use of his understanding without direction from another. Self-incurred is this tutelage when its cause lies not in lack of reason but in lack of resolution and courage to use it without direction from another. Sapere aude! "Have courage to use your own reason!"- that is the motto of enlightenment.”
The above words of Immanuel Kant have lost nothing of their relevance and prove that a society that values independent thinking is in acute need of philosophy. Without independent thinking and action no significant scientific or artistic accomplishments can be achieved. But without the responsibility of independent decision-making we cannot be moral beings.
A society that respects itself needs philosophy and needs those people who, either professionally or out of simple interest, are the friends of wisdom. Those who can think even without the tutelage of others.
The hate and smear campaign that is going on now against Hungarian philosophers questions even these values and strives to devaluate them in the eyes of public opinion. The great sums of money received through grants that they allegedly should not have won serve as the basis of the vicious and unfounded attacks. The media connects several otherwise separate research projects and claims that „Heller and Co. have researched away half a billion”. This is a lie and slander.
The anomalies of the grant system, which is not the fault of those competing for these grants, are responsible for this situation, and it is a fatal distortion of the truth to shift responsibility on the researchers. The researchers have produced very valuable accomplishments in exchange for all the grants won.
All Hungarian cultural and scientific grants could be brought into disrepute through such an arbitrary point of view. With this the value of the scientific research is questioned – without any real competence in those questions judged.
The attack on significant figures of Hungarian philosophy is also an attack on Hungarian science and culture, and no one can stand by idly who cherishes these values, regardless of one’s political beliefs.
We ask all Hungarian and international intellectuals, scholars, and artists to express their solidarity with the slandered philosophers by signing this petition.
We also call upon all those who want to live in a society where independent thinking is valued to protest against this shameful course of action against thinkers of integrity with their signatures.
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[url=https://www.petitiononline.com/logosz/]El a kezekkel a magyar filoz[/url]

Hierzu rufe ich Euch auf, liebe Grüße

Michael Ebers

Hierzu