Annual-Report-2024 - Flipbook - Page 7
Countess Bettina Bernadotte and Jürgen Kluge welcoming HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand
The serenity with which the Meeting was imbued did
not merely arise because of the island, the sun, and the
lake, it was also brought about by participants’ lived experience of two ideas that remain at the core of the Lindau Meetings to the present day: One was the conviction
that Science provides a common ground, a pure terrain
where people from different backgrounds can meet. Following this logic, Lindau was a means to take a step back
from the world with its seemingly insoluble conflicts and
to unite the participants in their discussions of science,
i.e. of something that is in itself valuable and moves in
accordance with generally accepted, perhaps even timeless rules.
The other idea transcended science and revolved
around the concept of “humanitas” or Humanity. It highlighted the fundamental interconnectedness that goes
beyond the myriad divisions created by culture, nationality, and conflict. In nurturing these bonds, we can work
toward a world where mutual respect and understanding
prevail. These are also some of the core beliefs of our outgoing Vice President Wolfgang Lubitz, whose term ended
in October 2024 and to whom we would like to express our
profound thanks for his 20 years of service (see p. 114).
In looking forward to the coming Meetings – in 2025, we
will have chemistry as well as the economic sciences on
our agenda – we hope that these magnificent surroundings and the privilege of scientific exchange with Nobel
Laureates and among the generations, continents, and
subdisciplines can yield the same serenity as experienced
by participants in times past. Surely, the more we focus
on science, the more common ground we will find. At the
same time, we firmly believe in the salutary effects of benevolence and goodwill. As renowned twentieth-century
German philosopher, Hans-Georg Gadamer, himself an
expert on the requirements and mechanisms of mutual
understanding, once put it:“A proper conversation presupposes that the other person could be right.” We hope you
join us in seeing the great wisdom in these words.
Countess Bettina Bernadotte af Wisborg
President
Council for the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings
Jürgen Kluge
Chairman of the Board of Directors
Foundation Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings
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