Rudolf Bahro (1935 - 1997)
- Scientific outline of his work -

The philosopher and socio-ecologist Rudolf Bahro was a critical thinker in modern German history. Furthermore, he is said to have been one of the internationally most important originators of an integral science, in general, and of a transdisciplinary social ecology, in particular. For the contemporary-historical public, for critical sociology, and for socio-ecological reasons, his works should be preserved as completely as possible.

Theoretician and activist of German and European history

Rudolf Bahro was one of the most important, influential, and scientifically sound critics of the theory and practice of actually existing socialism. Probably, the effects of his thinking extend to the theoretical foundations of the peaceful self-transformation of these countries and, consequently, to the reunification of Germany, as well as to the worldwide political openness emerging in the last two decades of the 20^th century. This is shown not only by the fact that his book, "Die Alternative", was translated into 20 languages, but by the fact that it was documented by lots of essays, compendia, and newspaper articles. Rudolf Bahro was not the only Eastern European dissident who achieved public effects, but he was the one whose influence was based on detailed scientific, sociological, historical, and philosophical analyses and concepts. That's why he had an immense influence on the intellectuals and the political and cultural elites in Eastern and in Western Europe. In his late works, the famous social philosopher Herbert Marcuse cited Rudolf Bahro as the most important critical theoretician of the second half of the twentieth century.

Bahro's "Interventions" is a document not only of his individual positions and their modifications but also of wider social problems and processes.
Important insight into the real changes in society can be gained on the basis of Bahro's clear analyses of the failures which led to the ending of the GDR and his efforts - concrete alternative proposals - to avoid the pure liquidation of the remaining GDR potentials, as well as his political activities for founding the Greeen party and his critical relationship toward the real politics of the Greens.
Nevertheless, his lectures held in the Humboldt University's Audimax are impressive examples of creating an intellectual community, and are highly relevant to the analyses of the processes in the period of change and the consequent assimilation of the former GDR.

Originator of a Transdisciplinary and integrated social ecology

Bahro is an important co-founder and theoretician of a transdisciplinary social ecology. This new scientific discipline, which is just arising step-by-step in the context of wider sustainability debates, is connoted in Bahro's work, probably, by unique causes, questions, conceptions and perspectives coming from his individual history. Consequently, the collection, reviewing, and critical edition of these works are of great importance for the perspective of socio-ecologic research and teaching, and for practical socio-ecological transformation.
Modern socio-ecological research is trying to overcome the crisis-like linkage between social patterns of acting and natural mechanisms by some kind of interdisciplinary environmental research, based on problem solutions and their implementation, which includes several branches of natural science and sociology.
Going beyond this, Bahro's conception puts emphasis on critique of contemporary civilization and culture. The insight that social patterns of acting and natural mechanisms influence each other in the ecological crisis he focussed by saying that the consequences of ecological problems can be observed by the means of natural science; primarily, however, they are socially caused.
Therefore, they can be solved only by the means of a theory and practice which is able to acknowledge these social causes and to change them. In other words, this conception is based on the fact that natural and social entities usually influence each other. Natural processes influence social ones – and vice versa. But the nature of the ecological crisis primarily goes back to social and anthropogenic processes and, consequently, is to be crucially influenced only from there.

A great point in Bahro's social ecology is the arts' component, which is dismissed in most of the other sustainability conceptions, and the connection between theoretical research and practical experiments.

More than that, Bahro is seen as an important philosopher and originator of an integrated ecological paradigm. In the process of globalization, ecological and social problems become more evident and build a complex of natural, economical, social and anthropological reasons and consequences; therefore, sustainable solutions need the integration between natural and social sciences and the humanities. Also in the international range, Rudolf Bahro is seen as a forerunner of this integral paradigm (see the statement of Allan Combs).

Unity and development of Bahro's thinking

Bahro's efficiency as an important and influential critic of the theory and practice of "actually existing socialism" was based on a synthesis between wide-ranging scientific studies and individual perception, which did not stop at radical insights and their implementation into political practice.

His analysis gained additional authenticity from his readiness to withstand the unjustified sanctions of the political structures which he criticized.
This quality Bahro also preserved after his release from prison; into the criticism of estranged circumstances and estranged behaviour he always included himself.

From the point of this continuous authenticity a splitting of Bahro's œvre is out of the question; there is no fundamental break between the "Alternative" and his later works. Nevertheless, the new experience in the Western system and his reflections on changes taking place there led to different insights and judgements (including calling into question some axioms of the "Alternative"). A non-dualistic periodization of his writings takes into account this important aspect.

In particular, the influence of Bahro's ideas is characterized by his ability to design visions of sustainable ways of life and for a reorganization of the relation between individual consciousness, community, nature, economy and techniques based on theoretical insight. This is relevant notwithstanding the judgement of some critics who describe Bahro's unfinished reflections on the World government and the "House of the Lord", as well as some details of his subsistence-economy-model, as "speculative." The visionary potential of his theory and ideas lived on his persistent searching for "practice"; on this point, he was probably superior to most of the other sociologists who suffered from a lack of "sociological imagination"(Mills).

Also in the transatlantic context Bahro is to be described – see e. g. Herbert Marcuse's high regard – as one of the important authors in the area of Critical Theory. Nevertheless, his importance should not be reduced to this aspect of his work. Bahro's writings are a remarkable alternative, worthy of consideration, in contrast to an affirmative functional sociology, as well as the rather resigned variants of Critical Theory.

As the leading theme of all his writings one can identify a social conception characterized by a critical opposition to all forms of power and an orientation to the principle of equality in connection with avant-garde ideas - although the avant-garde is not postulated as the ruling class granting privileges to itself but as a fabric of responsibly acting institutions which are to be judged by their contribution to overcoming the subalternity of the "mass", of the "ordinary people" and, last but not least, to overcoming human estrangement.

All forms of expansionism, presumption of power, claim to power, or power-controlled centralization are condemned, and the postulate of real gender equality is a positive consequence; in particular, the repeal of the traditional division of labour. Throughout, there is to be seen a high regard for decentralized organization, and a corresponding rejection of power-controlled centralization.

The principle of equality is applied to the unequal exploitation of resources all over the world – with rigorous consequences concerning the necessity of a "contractive economy" in the centers of the global system. On the other hand, the cultural richness of the countries at the periphery is acknowledged as an important source of inspiration. From this point of view, the improvement of their life circumstances is in the interests of the industrial countries. The openness to extra-European civilizations postulated by Bahro, which often was stereotyped as "sectarian", appears to be an important paradigm, with hindsight.

In the last two decades of the last century, ideas about the "cultural revolution" formulated in the "Alternative" were radicalized and formed into a program of a mental-spiritual renaissance which is ( on the base of the experience and the discussions of the gone decennium ) detailed in the book "Logik der Rettung"(translated into English as "Avoiding Social And Ecological Disaster") published in 1987. By editing unpublished texts we can get an answer to the question: To what extent Rudolf Bahro in his last years was able to design alternatives of social relevance opposing a one-dimensional development in the fields of economy and techniques, which he pushed forward with compelling logic. It can also be expected that Bahro's judgement on Science – which is not one-dimensional, by any means! – will emerge more clearly.