Warum Krieg?
Cathrin Pichler
Art mediator; Curator 2005
“Is there a way to free people from the spectre of war?” This question which Einstein posed to Freud in 1932, is to be called back to memory on the occasion of the Einstein Year /Year of Physics 2005. The thoughts expressed in their letters on the problem of war by two of the 20th century’s great personalities, are taken as the point of departure for a contemporary survey.
A look at the past will be combined with a look at ongoing developments and a look to the future.
By recalling the memories of Albert Einstein and Sigmund Freud, the European tradition of intellectuals and scientists taking a public stand on political events and in particular on conflicts and armed hostilities is to be revived and transposed to the present through critical analysis and reflection.
In memory of Albert Einstein, the Bruno Kreisky Forum for International Dialogue based its program in 2005 on the historical correspondence “Why War” between Albert Einstein and Sigmund Freud from 1933. The reflections that the two great personalities of the 20th century expressed in their letters on the question of war formed the starting point for a new and contemporary questioning – in perspective as a retrospective and at the same time as a current observation and a look into the future.