Ringier Europe Prize 2021 goes to Peter Sloterdijk

Peter Sloterdijk was awarded the "European Prize for Political Culture" by the Hans Ringier Foundation today in Ascona. "With his provocative thinking, the German philosopher moves the consciousness of his contemporaries, not least of politics again and again. He is, in the best bourgeois republican sense, a ceaseless forward thinker. Peter Sloterdijk accompanies our Western Enlightenment civilization with contradiction and encouragement," says Frank A. Meyer, President of the Hans Ringier Foundation, commenting on the choice of this year's prize winner.

Christian Lindner, Federal Chairman of the Free Democrats and member of the German Bundestag, paid tribute to the award winner in his laudation: "Peter Sloterdijk is the master of intellectual provocation. His thoughts on politics appear as experiments in which it is sometimes also a matter of observing the outraged opposing voices in their reflexes. He thus makes exclusive contributions to the revitalization and self-reflection of political culture. His word creations not only express observations, but also bear witness to a subtle sense of humor. No contemporary intellectual formulates at the same time as erudite and entertaining as he does."

The award took place during the traditional "Dîner Républicain", which is held annually at the invitation of Frank A. Meyer at the Hotel Castello del Sole in Ascona. The prize was awarded for the 15th time. In previous years it went to Jean-Claude Juncker, Boris Tadić, Jürgen Habermas, Pascal Lamy, Jean-Claude Trichet, Hans-Dietrich Genscher, Donald Tusk, Wolfgang Schäuble, Heinrich August Winkler, Mario Draghi, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Margrethe Vestager, Sir Christopher Munro Clark and Zuzana Caputová.