A great intellectual moment: Mayor Dr. Nopper presents the Hegel Prize 2024 to Sociology Professor Patterson from Harvard University

Nopper called the philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, who gave his name to the prize, a "Stuttgart export hit like Porsche and Mercedes". Hegel was not only "omnipresent" in Stuttgart, but had also left deep traces in the "Swabian national character". Holding different opinions and striving to combine opposing views are habits that Hegel incorporated into his philosophy. His work was about awakening people's need for freedom, as Hegel believed that domination and oppression only existed "where the awareness of freedom is not yet sufficiently developed". Nopper also looked at local political events: "We local politicians can learn from Hegel that the dialectical dispute, that the dispute between thesis and antithesis can be productive and can lead to constructive solutions, to what Hegel called synthesis."

Prof. Dr. Christoph Menke from the Chair of Practical Philosophy at Goethe University Frankfurt paid tribute to the prizewinner, saying that he had "produced a body of work over the course of six decades whose diversity, breadth, depth, erudition, boldness and effectiveness is unique". Menke highlighted the similarities, but also the differences between Hegel and Patterson. Patterson's sociology of freedom is more consistent and radical than Hegel's philosophy of freedom, because Patterson looks at "the world from its edges" and questions the one-dimensional "Western" understanding of freedom. He thematizes the "entanglement of slavery and freedom", points to the origins of freedom in bondage, in oppression, in violence. In this way, he contributes to a deeper and more complex understanding of freedom. "We must learn to interpret Hegel and thus Western culture in a new and completely different way through Patterson," said Menke.

The highlight of the evening was Orlando Patterson's acceptance speech in English: an intellectual highlight in the Great Hall. "To be honored in Hegel's name has special meaning for me, because Hegel has always been both a mentor and an adversary to me," said the 84-year-old prizewinner, who was first introduced to Hegel over 60 years ago by his teacher, a Caribbean intellectual.

Patterson traced the birth and history of freedom from the spirit of oppression and slavery in his lecture, which spanned the period from Ancient Greece in 6th century BC Athens to the recent US presidential election. Today, in the 21st century, the Western belief that freedom would ultimately triumph has been shaken: "We are witnessing a regression of this historic promise, an impending collapse of democracy, the rise of populist nationalism and the decline of the values that once underpinned the free world," Patterson explained. "Most disturbingly, these developments are taking place in the heart of freedom, in France, Britain and America, where leaders are abusing the rhetoric of liberty while undermining its most sacred principles."

Patterson elaborated on the thesis that freedom is not an innate human aspiration. It is not an ideal pursued in all cultures - it is a largely Western ideal. For it was born "in opposition to its darkest antagonist: slavery". Following Hegel, Patterson developed three aspects of freedom: negative, positive and collective or solidary freedom. Hegel represented a harmonious triad of these three "chords of freedom". However: "Neoliberalism, an ideology that emphasizes individual autonomy at the expense of community and equality, has distorted the chord of freedom." Freedom is fragmented and has lost its ethical foundation. Now "populist authoritarians" are emerging, promising to restore the "beloved community". Patterson warned urgently: "Freedom is fragile. When its chord fragments, tyranny threatens. But when its three notes: liberation from domination, power for self-realization and community solidarity resound in harmony, the spirit of freedom, the spirit of the West, can blossom anew."

The 2024 Hegel Prize winner received a long round of applause for his speech from a packed Great Assembly Hall. The evening was hosted by Elena Kaifel, Director of the Stuttgart Museum Family and the Hegel House.

Founded in 1967, the Hegel Prize is one of the most important awards for philosophy and the humanities worldwide and has been awarded every three years since 1970. Previous recipients include Jürgen Habermas, Niklas Luhmann, Hans-Georg Gadamer, Charles Taylor, Dieter Henrich, Michael Tomasello and Béatrice Longuenesse. Prof. Orlando Patterson is the 19th prize winner.

The jury consisted of four experts in addition to members of the Stuttgart City Council: Dr. Amrei Bahr, Junior Professor of Philosophy at the University of Stuttgart, Prof. Dr. Dina Emundts, President of the International Hegel Association and Professor of History of Philosophy at the Free University of Berlin, and Prof. Dr. Christoph Menke, Chair of Practical Philosophy at Goethe University Frankfurt, as well as Jürgen Kaube, co-editor of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), where he is responsible for the features section.

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