Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2000 12:32:46 +0100 (CET)
From: Sy David Friedman <sdf@logic.univie.ac.at>
Subject: Vienna 2001

(Sent to various logicians including members of the ASL Council.)

I enclose here a copy of 2 statements by the Vienna logicians, in favour of keeping the 2001 Summer Meeting in Vienna. Perhaps some of you have not seen it.

Tony Martin, ASL President, has prescribed the following procedure: The ASL Committee on Logic in Europe will debate this question and make a recommendation to the ASL Council. The Council will then discuss and decide the matter. The discussion within the Committee has already begun.

Best wishes,
Sy Friedman, Chair
ASL Committee on Logic in Europe

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Logic Colloquium 2001 in Vienna?
Statement of the involved Viennese Logicians

There is no doubt that our country is currently suffering a very serious political crisis. Scientists and artists alike ask themselves if they will compromise their ethical principles by participating in cultural events and scientific meetings in Austria; therefore, several international events in Austria are in danger of being boycotted or cancelled. One of the meetings scheduled for summer 2001 is the Logic Colloquium. However, we are convinced that the previous decision to organize Logic Colloquium 2001 in Vienna should not be withdrawn.

First, we do not believe that this conference will in any sense support the current government. Indeed some of us have parents and
grandparents who were persecuted and exiled by the National Socialists; thus please believe us that we do not entertain sympathy
for our current regime and its political background. Besides, we hope that another government will be in power in 2001.

Second, we think that the cancellation of scientific and cultural events is largely counter-productive. As a matter of fact, the only
effective boycott against a country has to address economics and trade in order to put serious pressure on a regime. Otherwise it serves only to isolate our colleagues, without helping them in any way.

We would like to emphasize that even right now we would be interested in having the Logic Colloquium in Vienna. More than ever we need manifestations of the critical and scientific mind as weapons against narrow-mindedness, provincialism and political darkness.

Matthias Baaz, Lev Beklemishev, Chris Ferm"uller, Sy Friedman, Martin Goldstern, Georg Gottlob, Alexander Leitsch

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Statement of Matthias Baaz, chair of the Organising Committee, to the ASL
Council and ASL Committee on Logic in Europe:

In addition to our general statement I would like to draw attention to some practical and legal points to be considered in your difficult decision concerning the question, whether the Logic Colloquium 2001 should be organized in Vienna.

1. As I am responsible for funding, I would ask you to come to a conclusion within a reasonable limit of time, say till end of April. Any further delay makes funding difficult if the LC should be organized in Vienna 2001. If applied for in time, funding is not difficult even in this extraordinary situation.

2. Shifting the LC in Vienna to a different year - say to 2002 - is possible in principle but problematic, as it is difficult to predict the political situation. This situation might improve till summer 2001 as we all hope, but it is as well possible that the situation prevails for a much longer period of time and then all arguments against 2001 would apply to 2002 etc. Furthermore, we would appreciate 2001 for the reason that it is the 70th anniversary of Gödel's famous result obtained in Vienna.

The following 2 paragraphs apply in case the decision to organize the LC 2001 in Vienna is not withdrawn:

3. The participation of invited speakers seems to pose no problems, as 9 of 12 invited speakers already agreed to participate being aware of the problematic situation of our country. It is difficult to estimate the total number of expected participants, but hopefully there is a correspondance to the degree of participation of invited speakers.

4. As political manifestation of general nature which is independent of the actual political situation in Austria at the time of the LC, I intend to invite a survivor of concentration camps to speak about his/her experiences and why he/she still lives in Vienna working for a better future against all odds.

5.Whatever form your decision takes, I will consider it as legal obligation and act accordingly. The decision should be publicized.

in appreciation of all your efforts,
sincerely yours,
Matthias Baaz, chairman of the organizational commitee

 

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