Robert Jungk
Encyclopedia
Robert Jungk also known as Robert Baum and Robert Baum-Jungk, was an Austria
n writer
and journalist
who wrote mostly on issues relating to nuclear weapons.
Jungk was born into a Jewish family in Berlin
. His father was David Baum (Pseudonym: Max Jungk, 1872, Miskovice
- 1937, Prague). When Adolf Hitler
came to power, Jungk was arrested, released, moved to Paris
, then back to Nazi Germany
to work in a subversive press service. These activities forced him to move through various cities, such as Prague
, Paris, Zürich
, during World War II
. He continued journalism after the war.
He is also well known as the inventor of future workshop
which are a method for social innovation, participation by the concerned and visionary future planning "from below". There is an international library in Salzburg
called Robert Jungk Bibliothek fur Zukunftsfragen [Robert Jungk Library for Questions about the Future].
His book Brighter than a Thousand Suns: A Personal History of the Atomic Scientists
was the first published account of the Manhattan Project
and the German atomic bomb project
, and its first Danish edition included a passage which implied that the project had been purposely dissuaded from developing a weapon by Werner Heisenberg
and his associates (a claim strongly contested by Niels Bohr
), and lead to a series of questions over a 1941 meeting between Bohr and Heisenberg in Copenhagen
, Denmark
, which was later the basis for Michael Frayn
's 1998 play, Copenhagen
.
In 1986, he received the Right Livelihood Award
.
In 1992 he made an unsuccessful bid for the Austrian presidency
on behalf of the Green Party
.
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
and journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
who wrote mostly on issues relating to nuclear weapons.
Jungk was born into a Jewish family in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. His father was David Baum (Pseudonym: Max Jungk, 1872, Miskovice
Miskovice
Miskovice is a village in Kutná Hora District, Central Bohemia, Czech Republic, located 4.5 km west of Kutná Hora. On the date August 8, 2006 it has 873 inhabitants. First written notice about village is from year 1131....
- 1937, Prague). When Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
came to power, Jungk was arrested, released, moved to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, then back to Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
to work in a subversive press service. These activities forced him to move through various cities, such as Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, Paris, Zürich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
, during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He continued journalism after the war.
He is also well known as the inventor of future workshop
Future workshop
The future workshop is a futures technique developed byRobert Jungk, Ruediger Lutz and Norbert R. Muellert in the 1970s.It enables a group of people todevelop new ideas or solutions of social problems....
which are a method for social innovation, participation by the concerned and visionary future planning "from below". There is an international library in Salzburg
Salzburg
-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...
called Robert Jungk Bibliothek fur Zukunftsfragen [Robert Jungk Library for Questions about the Future].
His book Brighter than a Thousand Suns: A Personal History of the Atomic Scientists
Brighter than a Thousand Suns: A Personal History of the Atomic Scientists
Brighter than a Thousand Suns: A Personal History of the Atomic Scientists , by Austrian Robert Jungk, is the first published account of the Manhattan Project and the German atomic bomb project. It studied the making and dropping of the atomic bomb from the view of the atomic scientists...
was the first published account of the Manhattan Project
Manhattan Project
The Manhattan Project was a research and development program, led by the United States with participation from the United Kingdom and Canada, that produced the first atomic bomb during World War II. From 1942 to 1946, the project was under the direction of Major General Leslie Groves of the US Army...
and the German atomic bomb project
German nuclear energy project
The German nuclear energy project, , was an attempted clandestine scientific effort led by Germany to develop and produce the atomic weapons during the events involving the World War II...
, and its first Danish edition included a passage which implied that the project had been purposely dissuaded from developing a weapon by Werner Heisenberg
Werner Heisenberg
Werner Karl Heisenberg was a German theoretical physicist who made foundational contributions to quantum mechanics and is best known for asserting the uncertainty principle of quantum theory...
and his associates (a claim strongly contested by Niels Bohr
Niels Bohr
Niels Henrik David Bohr was a Danish physicist who made foundational contributions to understanding atomic structure and quantum mechanics, for which he received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1922. Bohr mentored and collaborated with many of the top physicists of the century at his institute in...
), and lead to a series of questions over a 1941 meeting between Bohr and Heisenberg in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, which was later the basis for Michael Frayn
Michael Frayn
Michael J. Frayn is an English playwright and novelist. He is best known as the author of the farce Noises Off and the dramas Copenhagen and Democracy...
's 1998 play, Copenhagen
Copenhagen (play)
Copenhagen is a play by Michael Frayn, based around an event that occurred in Copenhagen in 1941, a meeting between the physicists Niels Bohr and Werner Heisenberg. It debuted in London in 1998...
.
In 1986, he received the Right Livelihood Award
Right Livelihood Award
The Right Livelihood Award, also referred to as the "Alternative Nobel Prize", is a prestigious international award to honour those "working on practical and exemplary solutions to the most urgent challenges facing the world today". The prize was established in 1980 by Jakob von Uexkull, and is...
.
In 1992 he made an unsuccessful bid for the Austrian presidency
Austrian presidential election, 1992
In the Austrian presidential election of 1992, incumbent Kurt Waldheim did not seek reelection, since he did not gain acceptance in the international community....
on behalf of the Green Party
Austrian Green Party
The Greens – The Green Alternative is a political party in the Austrian parliament.The party was formed in 1986 with the name Grüne Alternative, following the merger of the more conservative Green party Vereinte Grüne Österreichs and the more progressive party Alternative Liste Österreichs The...
.
External links
- "Robert Jungk, futurist and social inventor"
- Zukunftswerkstatt
- Robert Jungk & The New Encyclopedists (1978) revisited - a late eulogy at the 14th Anniversary of his death