The Federation of German Scientists - VDW (Vereinigung Deutscher Wissenschaftler e. V.) is a German non-governmental organization.

History

Since its founding 1959 by Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker, Otto Hahn,

Max Born Max Born (; 11 December 1882 – 5 January 1970) was a German physicist and mathematician who was instrumental in the development of quantum mechanics. He also made contributions to solid-state physics and optics and supervised the work of a n ...

and further prominent

nuclear Nuclear may refer to: Physics Relating to the nucleus of the atom: * Nuclear engineering *Nuclear physics *Nuclear power *Nuclear reactor *Nuclear weapon *Nuclear medicine *Radiation therapy *Nuclear warfare Mathematics *Nuclear space *Nuclear ...

scientists, known as Göttinger 18, who had previously publicly declared their position against the nuclear armament of the German Bundeswehr, the Federation has been committed to the ideal of ''responsible Wissenschaft''. The founders were almost identical to the " Göttinger 18" (compare the historical Göttingen Seven). Both the "

Göttingen Manifesto The Göttingen Manifesto was a declaration of 18 leading nuclear scientists of West Germany (among them the Nobel laureates Otto Hahn, Max Born, Werner Heisenberg and Max von Laue) against arming the West German army with tactical nuclear weapons in ...

" and the formation of the VDW were an expression of the new sense of responsibility felt by Otto Hahn and some scientists after the dropping of atomic bombs on

Hiroshima is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 1,199,391. The gross domestic product (GDP) in Greater Hiroshima, Hiroshima Urban Employment Area, was US$61.3 billion as of 2010. Kazumi Matsui h ...

and Nagasaki. The VDW tried to mirror the American Federation of Atomic Scientists. VDW has been identified as Western Germany's Pugwash group. Members of VDW feel committed to taking into consideration the possible military, political and economical implications and possibilities of atomic misuse when carrying out their scientific research and teaching. The Federation of German Scientists comprises around 400 scholars of different fields. The Federation of German Scientists addresses both interested members of the public and decision-makers on all levels of politics and society with its work. The politician

Egon Bahr Egon Karl-Heinz Bahr (; 18 March 1922 – 19 August 2015) was a German SPD politician. The former journalist was the creator of the ''Ostpolitik'' promoted by West German Chancellor Willy Brandt, for whom he served as Secretary of State in ...

was a longstanding member.

Georg Picht Georg may refer to: * ''Georg'' (film), 1997 * Georg (musical), Estonian musical * Georg (given name) * Georg (surname) * , a Kriegsmarine coastal tanker See also * George (disambiguation) George may refer to: People * George (given name) * ...

presented a radio series about the Limits of growth on behalf of the VDW in the 1970s. In 2005/2006, the VDW was the patron and main contributor to the

Potsdam Manifesto {{Short description, Political manifesto The Potsdam Denkschrift is a declaration of Hans-Peter Dürr, J. Daniel Dahm and Rudolf zur Lippe under the patronage of the Federation of German Scientists-VDW. It is the base – the “mother” of the ...

‚ 'We have to learn to think in a new way’ and the Potsdam Denkschrift under co-authorship of Hans Peter Duerr and

Daniel Dahm Johannes Daniel Dahm (*born 1969 at Cologne) is a German geographer, ecologist, activist, consultant and entrepreneur. Daniel Dahm is pioneering a just and sustainable development within science, as entrepreneur as well as an activist. For many ...

, together with Rudolf zur Lippe. Since 2022 Ulrike Beisiegel and

Götz Neuneck Götz or Goetz () is a German name, in origin a hypocorism of ''Gottfried''. It remains in use as a short form of ''Gottfried'', but it has also become a surname. Surnames ;Goetz * Alphonse Goetz (1865-1934), French chess master * Arturo Goetz, Ar ...

are co-chairs of the VDW. VDW was closely connected with the German Friedensbewegung (peace movement) in the 1980s. After 1999 VDW tried to regain public interest with the establishment of the Whistleblower Prize, awarded together with the German branch of the International Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms (IALANA).

Whistleblower Prize

The Whistleblower Prize worth 3,000 euro, is given biannually and was established in 1999. In 2015, the selection of

Gilles-Éric Séralini Gilles-Éric Séralini (born 23 August 1960) is a French molecular biologist, political advisor and activist on genetically modified organisms and foods. He is of Algerian-French origin. Séralini has been a professor of molecular biology at t ...

generated some controversy. Ulrich Bahnsen in ''Die Zeit'' described VDW and IALANA as consisting of '' busybodies with best wills - and worst possible outcome in the case of this award''. The opinion piece, featured in Zeit Online, described the awarding of Séralini as a failure, and viewed his status as a "whistleblower" as questionable, in light of his use of "junk science" to support anti-GMO activism.

Recipients

*1999 Alexander Nikitin *2001 Margrit Herbst *2003

Daniel Ellsberg Daniel Ellsberg (born April 7, 1931) is an American political activist, and former United States military analyst. While employed by the RAND Corporation, Ellsberg precipitated a national political controversy in 1971 when he released the ''Pent ...

*2005 Theodore A. Postol and Arpad Puztai *2007 Brigitte Heinisch and Liv Bode, in relation with the alleged Bornavirus *2009 Rudolf Schmenger and Frank Wehrheim, taxation experts in the state of Hessen *2011 Chelsea Manning and

Rainer Moormann Rainer Moormann (born 1950) is a German chemist and nuclear whistleblower. He grew up in Osnabrück. After finishing highschool he studied physical chemistry in Braunschweig and received a doctor's degree with Raman spectroscopic and theoretic ...

*2013

Edward Snowden Edward Joseph Snowden (born June 21, 1983) is an American and naturalized Russian former computer intelligence consultant who leaked highly classified information from the National Security Agency (NSA) in 2013, when he was an employee and su ...

*2015

and Brandon Bryant

References

External links

Website of the Federation of German Scientists - VDW

{{Authority control Anti–nuclear weapons movement Organizations established in 1959 1959 establishments in West Germany Pacifism in Germany Science advocacy organizations Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs Ethics of science and technology