Jan Hus Educational Foundation
Encyclopedia
The Jan Hus Educational Foundation was founded in May 1980 by a group of British philosophers at the University of Oxford. The Foundation operated an underground education network in the former Czechoslovakia
, at the time under Communist Party rule, running seminars on philosophy, smuggling in books, and arranging for Western academics to give lectures. It was deemed a "Centre of Ideological Subversion" by the Czech police, and some of the visiting philosophers were arrested or placed on the "Index of Undesirable Persons."
The creation of the Foundation was triggered by a letter in 1978 from the Czech dissident philosopher Julius Tomin
—unable at that time to hold a job in a university because of his anti-communist views—who wrote to four Western universities asking them to support philosophy seminars he was holding in his apartment in Prague; the seminars were known as bytové seminảři (home seminars). Tomin called his discussion group Jan Patocka
University, after the Czech philosopher who died after being interrogated by police in 1977.
The letter was sent during a period when correspondence from the Eastern bloc was slow and uncertain—one commentator compared it to sending a message in a bottle—and only one letter is known to have arrived at its intended destination, the philosophy sub-faculty at the University of Oxford, one year after it was sent. It was read out to the faculty by William Newton-Smith
of Balliol during a meeting in January 1979. Those present voted to send two philosophers to address the seminars, and to offer financial support. Kathy Wilkes
of St. Hilda's and Steven Lukes
of Balliol were the first philosophers to visit Tomin, in March and April 1979. Wilkes took books with her and gave several seminars, the first a talk on Aristotle at Tomin's apartment in Keramická Street from 6 pm to midnight, and another a few days later, to 25 people, on "Identity of Human Personality." When she returned to Oxford, she asked its Literae Humaniores Board for financial support, and urged other philosophers to pay a visit, to be coordinated by William Newton-Smith. An article appeared about the seminars in the New Statesman in May; Wilkes wrote one for The Guardian a few days later; and another appeared at the end of May in Isis. The philosophy sub-faculty agreed to send Charles Taylor
of All Soul's, and books were purchased with a grant from the Literae Humaniores Board.
Others who became involved included Alan Montefiore and Anthony Kenny
from Oxford; Ernest Gellner
from Cambridge; Roger Scruton
from Birkbeck College, London; Anthony Savile from King's College, London; and Thomas Nagel
from New York University. Branches of the Foundation sprang up in France and Germany. Jacques Derrida
, Jürgen Habermas
, and Ernst Tugendhat
, who was born in Brno, all travelled to Czechoslovakia to conduct a seminar. Several were detained by the police or expelled from the country. Newton-Smith was detained in March 1980; Anthony Kenny, then Master of Balliol, in April. Kathy Wilkes was escorted to the airport in June. Jacques Derrida was arrested in Prague in December 1981, supposedly for drug smuggling, after the police planted drugs in his suitcase. Roger Scruton was detained in 1985 and placed on the Index of Undesirable Persons.
The underground network was active until the Velvet Revolution
saw the overthrow of the Communist Party in 1989, though the Foundation continued to support education initiatives in the new Czech Republic
. In October 1998 at Magdalen College, Oxford, President Vaclav Havel
awarded Commemorative Medals of the President of the Republic to the Foundation, as well as to Kathy Wilkes and Barbara Day. Roger Scruton was awarded the Medal of Merit (First Class) of the Czech Republic.
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
, at the time under Communist Party rule, running seminars on philosophy, smuggling in books, and arranging for Western academics to give lectures. It was deemed a "Centre of Ideological Subversion" by the Czech police, and some of the visiting philosophers were arrested or placed on the "Index of Undesirable Persons."
The creation of the Foundation was triggered by a letter in 1978 from the Czech dissident philosopher Julius Tomin
Julius Tomin
Julius Tomin is a Czech philosopher. He became known in the 1970s and 1980s for his involvement with the Jan Hus Educational Foundation, which ran an underground education network in the former Czechoslovakia, offering seminars in philosophy in people's homes.Barbara Day writes that Tomin studied...
—unable at that time to hold a job in a university because of his anti-communist views—who wrote to four Western universities asking them to support philosophy seminars he was holding in his apartment in Prague; the seminars were known as bytové seminảři (home seminars). Tomin called his discussion group Jan Patocka
Jan Patocka
Jan Patočka is considered one of the most important contributors to Czech philosophical phenomenology, as well as one of the most influential central European philosophers of the 20th century...
University, after the Czech philosopher who died after being interrogated by police in 1977.
The letter was sent during a period when correspondence from the Eastern bloc was slow and uncertain—one commentator compared it to sending a message in a bottle—and only one letter is known to have arrived at its intended destination, the philosophy sub-faculty at the University of Oxford, one year after it was sent. It was read out to the faculty by William Newton-Smith
William Newton-Smith
William Herbert Newton-Smith is an Anglo-Canadian philosopher of science.His undergraduate degree from Queen's University was in Mathematics and Philosophy, in 1966. He took an MA from Cornell University in Philosophy, in 1968, and a DPhil in philosophy from Balliol College, Oxford, in 1974...
of Balliol during a meeting in January 1979. Those present voted to send two philosophers to address the seminars, and to offer financial support. Kathy Wilkes
Kathy Wilkes
Kathleen Vaughan Wilkes was an English philosopher and academic who played an important part in rebuilding the education systems of former Communist countries after 1990. She established her reputation as an academic with her contributions to the philosophy of mind in two major works and many...
of St. Hilda's and Steven Lukes
Steven Lukes
Steven Michael Lukes is a political and social theorist. Currently he is a professor of politics and sociology at New York University...
of Balliol were the first philosophers to visit Tomin, in March and April 1979. Wilkes took books with her and gave several seminars, the first a talk on Aristotle at Tomin's apartment in Keramická Street from 6 pm to midnight, and another a few days later, to 25 people, on "Identity of Human Personality." When she returned to Oxford, she asked its Literae Humaniores Board for financial support, and urged other philosophers to pay a visit, to be coordinated by William Newton-Smith. An article appeared about the seminars in the New Statesman in May; Wilkes wrote one for The Guardian a few days later; and another appeared at the end of May in Isis. The philosophy sub-faculty agreed to send Charles Taylor
Charles Taylor (philosopher)
Charles Margrave Taylor, is a Canadian philosopher from Montreal, Quebec best known for his contributions in political philosophy, the philosophy of social science, and in the history of philosophy. His contributions to these fields have earned him both the prestigious Kyoto Prize and the...
of All Soul's, and books were purchased with a grant from the Literae Humaniores Board.
Others who became involved included Alan Montefiore and Anthony Kenny
Anthony Kenny
Sir Anthony John Patrick Kenny FBA is an English philosopher whose interests lie in the philosophy of mind, ancient and scholastic philosophy, the philosophy of Wittgenstein and the philosophy of religion...
from Oxford; Ernest Gellner
Ernest Gellner
Ernest André Gellner was a philosopher and social anthropologist, described by The Daily Telegraph when he died as one of the world's most vigorous intellectuals and by The Independent as a "one-man crusade for critical rationalism."His first book, Words and Things —famously, and uniquely...
from Cambridge; Roger Scruton
Roger Scruton
Roger Vernon Scruton is a conservative English philosopher and writer. He is the author of over 30 books, including Art and Imagination , Sexual Desire , The Aesthetics of Music , and A Political Philosophy: Arguments For Conservatism...
from Birkbeck College, London; Anthony Savile from King's College, London; and Thomas Nagel
Thomas Nagel
Thomas Nagel is an American philosopher, currently University Professor of Philosophy and Law at New York University, where he has taught since 1980. His main areas of philosophical interest are philosophy of mind, political philosophy and ethics...
from New York University. Branches of the Foundation sprang up in France and Germany. Jacques Derrida
Jacques Derrida
Jacques Derrida was a French philosopher, born in French Algeria. He developed the critical theory known as deconstruction and his work has been labeled as post-structuralism and associated with postmodern philosophy...
, Jürgen Habermas
Jürgen Habermas
Jürgen Habermas is a German sociologist and philosopher in the tradition of critical theory and pragmatism. He is perhaps best known for his theory on the concepts of 'communicative rationality' and the 'public sphere'...
, and Ernst Tugendhat
Ernst Tugendhat
Ernst Tugendhat is a Czech-born German philosopher. He was born in Brno, Czechoslovakia, to a wealthy Jewish family that commissioned Mies van der Rohe with the Villa Tugendhat in Brno. In 1938 the family emigrated from Czechoslovakia to St...
, who was born in Brno, all travelled to Czechoslovakia to conduct a seminar. Several were detained by the police or expelled from the country. Newton-Smith was detained in March 1980; Anthony Kenny, then Master of Balliol, in April. Kathy Wilkes was escorted to the airport in June. Jacques Derrida was arrested in Prague in December 1981, supposedly for drug smuggling, after the police planted drugs in his suitcase. Roger Scruton was detained in 1985 and placed on the Index of Undesirable Persons.
The underground network was active until the Velvet Revolution
Velvet Revolution
The Velvet Revolution or Gentle Revolution was a non-violent revolution in Czechoslovakia that took place from November 17 – December 29, 1989...
saw the overthrow of the Communist Party in 1989, though the Foundation continued to support education initiatives in the new Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
. In October 1998 at Magdalen College, Oxford, President Vaclav Havel
Václav Havel
Václav Havel is a Czech playwright, essayist, poet, dissident and politician. He was the tenth and last President of Czechoslovakia and the first President of the Czech Republic . He has written over twenty plays and numerous non-fiction works, translated internationally...
awarded Commemorative Medals of the President of the Republic to the Foundation, as well as to Kathy Wilkes and Barbara Day. Roger Scruton was awarded the Medal of Merit (First Class) of the Czech Republic.
Chairmen
- Charles TaylorCharles Taylor (philosopher)Charles Margrave Taylor, is a Canadian philosopher from Montreal, Quebec best known for his contributions in political philosophy, the philosophy of social science, and in the history of philosophy. His contributions to these fields have earned him both the prestigious Kyoto Prize and the...
(1980–1981) - Stuart HampshireStuart HampshireSir Stuart Newton Hampshire was an Oxford University philosopher, literary critic and university administrator. He was one of the antirationalist Oxford thinkers who gave a new direction to moral and political thought in the post-World War II era.Hampshire was educated at Repton School and at...
(1981–1984) - Claus Moser (1984–1989)
- Anthony SmithAnthony D. SmithAnthony D. Smith is Professor Emeritus of Nationalism and Ethnicity at the London School of Economics, and is considered one of the founders of the interdisciplinary field of nationalism studies...
(1989–1999)
Other trustees
- Catherine Audard
- Frank Bealey
- Jessica Douglas-Home
- Nancy DurhamNancy DurhamNancy Durham is a journalist for the CBC. She is married to Oxford philosopher William Newton-Smith. Nancy Durham was educated at York University in Toronto.-External links:*...
- Paul FlatherPaul FlatherPaul Flather is the acting secretary-general of the Europaeum and fellow of Mansfield College, Oxford. He is the son of Shreela Flather, Baroness Flather and was the founding Chief Executive of the Central European University and Chair of the Lady Noon Educational Trust.-References:...
- Helen Ganly
- Andrew Lenox-Conyngham
- David Matthews
- Alan Montefiore
- Iris MurdochIris MurdochDame Iris Murdoch DBE was an Irish-born British author and philosopher, best known for her novels about political and social questions of good and evil, sexual relationships, morality, and the power of the unconscious...
- William Newton-SmithWilliam Newton-SmithWilliam Herbert Newton-Smith is an Anglo-Canadian philosopher of science.His undergraduate degree from Queen's University was in Mathematics and Philosophy, in 1966. He took an MA from Cornell University in Philosophy, in 1968, and a DPhil in philosophy from Balliol College, Oxford, in 1974...
- Jonathan Ruffer
- Roger ScrutonRoger ScrutonRoger Vernon Scruton is a conservative English philosopher and writer. He is the author of over 30 books, including Art and Imagination , Sexual Desire , The Aesthetics of Music , and A Political Philosophy: Arguments For Conservatism...
- Tom StoppardTom StoppardSir Tom Stoppard OM, CBE, FRSL is a British playwright, knighted in 1997. He has written prolifically for TV, radio, film and stage, finding prominence with plays such as Arcadia, The Coast of Utopia, Every Good Boy Deserves Favour, Professional Foul, The Real Thing, and Rosencrantz and...
- Christopher Taylor
- Ralph WalkerRalph C. S. WalkerRalph Walker is a leading academic at Magdalen College, University of Oxford, where he has been from 1972. From 1993-2003 he was a delegate to Oxford University Press and from 2000-2006 he was Head of the Humanities Division at Oxford, one of the most senior posts at the University...
- Kathy WilkesKathy WilkesKathleen Vaughan Wilkes was an English philosopher and academic who played an important part in rebuilding the education systems of former Communist countries after 1990. She established her reputation as an academic with her contributions to the philosophy of mind in two major works and many...
Patrons
- Alfred AyerAlfred AyerSir Alfred Jules "Freddie" Ayer was a British philosopher known for his promotion of logical positivism, particularly in his books Language, Truth, and Logic and The Problem of Knowledge ....
- Robert BirleyRobert BirleySir Robert Birley was an English educationalist who was head master of Charterhouse School, then Eton College, and an anti-apartheid campaigner.-Biography:...
- Adrian CadburyAdrian CadburySir George Adrian Hayhurst Cadbury is a former British Olympic rower and Chairman of Cadbury and Cadbury Schweppes for 24 years. He has been a pioneer in raising the awareness and stimulating the debate on corporate governance and produced the Cadbury Report, a code of best practice which served...
- G.E. Ellison
- Miles Fitzalan-HowardMiles Fitzalan-Howard, 17th Duke of NorfolkMajor-General Miles Francis Stapleton Fitzalan-Howard, 17th Duke of Norfolk, , was the eldest son of Bernard Fitzalan-Howard, 3rd Baron Howard of Glossop and his wife Mona Stapleton, 11th Baroness Beaumont....
- Norman Franklin
- Antonia FraserAntonia FraserLady Antonia Margaret Caroline Fraser, DBE , née Pakenham, is an Anglo-Irish author of history, novels, biographies and detective fiction, best known as Antonia Fraser...
- Helen Gardner
- Ernest GellnerErnest GellnerErnest André Gellner was a philosopher and social anthropologist, described by The Daily Telegraph when he died as one of the world's most vigorous intellectuals and by The Independent as a "one-man crusade for critical rationalism."His first book, Words and Things —famously, and uniquely...
- Stuart HampshireStuart HampshireSir Stuart Newton Hampshire was an Oxford University philosopher, literary critic and university administrator. He was one of the antirationalist Oxford thinkers who gave a new direction to moral and political thought in the post-World War II era.Hampshire was educated at Repton School and at...
- Yehudi MenuhinYehudi MenuhinYehudi Menuhin, Baron Menuhin, OM, KBE was a Russian Jewish American violinist and conductor who spent most of his performing career in the United Kingdom. He was born to Russian Jewish parents in the United States, but became a citizen of Switzerland in 1970, and of the United Kingdom in 1985...
- Hugh MontefioreHugh MontefioreHugh William Montefiore was Bishop of Birmingham from 1977 to 1987.He was a member of a famous Jewish family. His father was Charles Sebag-Montefiore . He was educated at Rugby School , St John's College, Oxford, and Westcott House, Cambridge...
- Claus Moser
- Roger MynorsRoger MynorsSir Roger Aubrey Baskerville Mynors was a British academic and classical scholar.Mynors was educated at Summer Fields School, Oxford and won a scholarship to Eton. He was Newcastle Scholar at Balliol College, Oxford. At Eton and Balliol, he was a friend of Cyril Connolly. He was Hertford and...
- Harold PinterHarold PinterHarold Pinter, CH, CBE was a Nobel Prize–winning English playwright and screenwriter. One of the most influential modern British dramatists, his writing career spanned more than 50 years. His best-known plays include The Birthday Party , The Homecoming , and Betrayal , each of which he adapted to...
- Victoria Rothschild
- Honor Smith
- C.H. Sporborg
- Charles TaylorCharles Taylor (philosopher)Charles Margrave Taylor, is a Canadian philosopher from Montreal, Quebec best known for his contributions in political philosophy, the philosophy of social science, and in the history of philosophy. His contributions to these fields have earned him both the prestigious Kyoto Prize and the...
- Rosalyn TureckRosalyn TureckRosalyn Tureck was an American pianist and harpsichordist who was particularly associated with the music of Johann Sebastian Bach...