For decades, Jay M. Bernstein has been one of the leading experts on German-language philosophy in the United States and has focused extensively on Helmuth Plessner’s *Philosophical Anthropology*. Bernstein played a key role in introducing Plessner’s work beyond the German-speaking world—particularly in the Anglo-Saxon world—and in highlighting its relevance to contemporary debates in philosophy and sociology.  

The HelmuthPlessner Prize is endowed with 20,000 euros and is awarded every three years by the City of Wiesbaden, in cooperation with the Helmuth Plessner Society, to a distinguished individual who has made outstanding contributions to philosophy in relation to aspects of Plessner’s work. On September 4, Helmuth Plessner’s birthday, the award ceremony will take place in the presence of invited guests in the ballroom of City Hall. 

Following the ceremony, the award recipient will deliver a public lecture on the current topic “Earth Citizens: Plessner’s Philosophical Anthropology in the Age of Climate Change” beginning at 7:30 p.m. in the City Council Chamber at City Hall, Schlossplatz 6. The lecture will be delivered in English. Interested citizens are cordially invited to attend (registration required). 

An academic workshop organized by the Helmuth Plessner Society on the laureate’s work will take place on Saturday, September 5, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. at Wiesbaden City Hall. Participation is possible both in person and online. 

Registration for the lecture and workshop is available at kulturfoerderungwiesbadende.  

In connection with the award ceremony, the Cultural Affairs Office is offering additional events: 

· “Silent Friend,” a film by Ildikó Enyedi, Caligari FilmBühne, Wednesday, September 2, 8:00 p.m. “Silent Friend” is a film about the majestic ginkgo tree in the botanical garden in Marburg. For over a hundred years, it has been a silent witness—observing quiet, profound changes in the lives of three people across three eras: 1908, 1972, and 2000. A visually stunning, philosophical cinematic experience in which the relationship between plants and people becomes a symbol of the universal longing for connection. Admission: 9 admission, reduced rate 8 admission, 7 euros with the Wiesbaden Filmkunstkarte. 

·         “I’ll make the world just the way I like it!”—Philosophy for Children (ages five to ten), Thursday, September 10, 3:00–4:30 p.m., City and Music Library in the Mauritius Media Library, Level 1, Story Room. “What does the world look like where you’d like to live? What would stay exactly the same, and what would be different? What are the pros and cons of such changes? That’s exactly what the picture book *In My World* by Sabine Bohlmann is about. We’ll read aloud from the book and discuss ideas and wishes. Afterward, participants can draw their ideal world. The best ideas will win a prize. 20 spots available; registration at the service desk, by phone at (0611) 312272, or via stadtbibliothekwiesbadende. Participation is free of charge. Starting Monday, September 7, the Mauritius Mediathek will host an exhibition featuring media on the topic of philosophy.

· Reading with Dirk Reinhardt from his young adult novel “No Alternative,” for 9th and 10th graders, Wednesday, September 30, 11 a.m., Literaturhaus Villa Clementine, Frankfurter Straße 1. Dirk Reinhardt is a master at weaving political and social themes into exciting stories. For his thriller “No Alternative,” he was awarded the German Youth Literature Prize, among other honors, and was selected for the Börsenblatt’s “Leselotsen” program. Admission is free.

·         “Helmuth Plessner—Free Spirit of the City, Free Spirit for the Nation”
with Prof. Dr. Tilmann Allert, Tuesday, October 20, 7:00 p.m., Literaturhaus Villa Clementine, Frankfurter Straße 1. The philosopher Helmuth Plessner is gaining increasing international attention. His work is continually being translated into English and French. Plessner’s perspective on the German nation—which is confronted with traces of the past in the present and is trying to find an answer to the question of who “we” are—is highly relevant today. Admission: 9 euros, reduced rate 7 euros, plus advance booking fee; at the door: 11 euros, reduced rate 9 euros.