The Children of Moria and Ethics of Responsibility 2.0
The Children of Moria and Ethics of Responsibility 2.0 Guest commentary by Michael Breisky in “Die Presse”, Vienna December 29th, 2020 at 4:34 pm by Michael Breisky If Austria’s help does not arrive in the local slum camps, the ethics of responsibility has failed and ethics of conviction is back on track. The pre-Christmas dispute over the admission of some children from Greek slum camps has brought the conflict between ethics of conviction and responsibility to boil over again. Yes, it is a noble disposition to bring only a few people out of misery. And yes, it is a noble
2017: Vision for less Efficiency but more Resilience
Vision for less Efficiency but more Resilience Artikel in Rotary Magazin, Hamburg, August 2017: Brexit, Trump’s electoral victory and populist inducement point to a growing sense of anti-establishment coupled with reluctance and fear of over-reliance – all signs of a deep upheaval. Was Kurt Tucholsky right when he said: “the people often think wrong, but always feel right”? At least the second part of this sentence is correct; because with efficiency and resilience there is a conceptual pair that has fallen out of balance and can well explain the emergence of this feeling: efficiency – that is, the pursuit of an
2012: Leopold Kohr and the Limits of Complexity
NEW EUROPEAN, London, • autumn 2012: Leopold Kohr and the Limits to Complexity Michael Breisky Many people think the financial crisis, Fukushima and the many Wutbürger(angry citizens) movements spreading all over the world are symptoms of a deep systemic problem. Protestors who also reject the too-big-to-fail argument might be glad to remember Leopold Kohr (born 1909 near Salzburg – died 1994 in Gloucester, England), Austrian philosopher, professor of economics, and winner of the Alternative Nobel Prize in 1983. Kohr was founder of the small-is-beautiful movement and his views on life and society are remarkably well-suited for the 21st
2009: Fighting Globoliath
Fighting Globoliath Publication by Fourth World Review, a Transition Journal, London, No 151 Nov/Dec 2009 Over fifty years sjnce Kohr’s Breakdown of Nations was first published, former Austrian Ambassador Michael Breisky hails his theory of scale as being more relevant than ever. David’s fight against Goliath is a wonderful story every century loves to reenact. For me, the 20th century’s fight was between David Leopold Kohr and Globoliath, crown-prince of the Philistine empire of Globalisation. The fight began in the mid-1950s, when David Leopold, the Austrian born philosopher, wrote his „Breakdown of Nations“. Using this book like a slingshot,
2006: The Need for Ethics in the Insurance Industry
„The Secular Sourcere entering the Age of Reformation“ Speech by Michael Breisky at the Conference of Industrial Insurance Brokers, April 2006, Pottstown, PA Ladies and Gentlemen! It is a great honor and pleasure for me to address this distinguished gathering on the issue of ethics – no one among my childhood pals or peers in school and career would have believed I could ever catch anybody’s attention on this subject. I have, therefore, proved that it is never too late to become familiar with ethics. It is a difficult subject. My brother-in-law brought it to the point when he told
2003: Transatlantic Separation or Common Strategy
Transatlantic Separation or Common Strategy Speech at Union Club, Philadelphia, PA, September 2003, by Ambassador Michael Breisky, Austrian Consul General in New York Ladies and Gentlemen! I consider it a great honour to address this distinguished audience in Philadelphia, a city breathing not only business but also history, a matter so close to the heart of Europeans; they are well aware that was here where our Transatlantic values were put on paper for the first time. I thank my friend and collegue Harry Schaub for introducing me so kindly to you. L+G! As the theme of my address suggests, the
