No regrets: Amsterdam philosopher André Klukhuhn's extraordinary career & hometown pride
Born on the Ortelliustraat in Amsterdam West as the Netherlands entered into World War II, Dutch chemist-turned-philosopher Dr. André Klukhuhn barely survived a problematic birth, the Dutch famine known as the Hunger Winter, and the mass shooting perpetrated by German soldiers on May 7, 1945, who killed dozens of people celebrating the liberation of the Netherlands in the city's Dam Square. Apart from time he spent sailing a boat with 12 people in the 1970s from the Netherlands to Greece, he has triumphantly lived in Amsterdam all his life.
Klukhuhn obtained his PhD in physical chemistry from his work on infrared spectrophotometric research on ferroelectric crystals. But he left his field to join Studium Generale at Utrecht University in 1973, which still promotes itself as a program to connect the sciences and social developments. He first came on as a staff member and later served as the director. Since then, he has published multiple books on philosophy.
Dr. Klukhuhn sat down the Dam Yankee podcast, in partnership with NL Times, to discuss the commercialization of science, taking a stand against NATO, and whether or not he has any regrets.
Dam Yankee: You left the physical-chemical field because you would have been dependent on financial support from NATO for further research in the development of self-targeting missiles. The next NATO summit is going to be held in the Hague in the next couple of months. What are your thoughts on that?
André Klukhuhn: I wrote about this actually. I am European. I believe in Europe. The religious roots of Europe, the mythological roots of Europe, and the political roots of Europe. So I think we need an army. Europe needs an army, a political system, an economic system, but also a diverse system through which all the peoples can have their own culture. An army is necessary for that.
DY: You’ve spoken pretty firmly about the government and military funding of your original field and of the sciences in general. Do you still feel like that is still an issue today? Because we see a lot of activists in this area that are trying to create separation between the defense spending and the universities or between weapons manufacturers and companies in general and universities. Do you consider yourself a kind of pioneer in that?
AK: The industries have a very loud voice in scientific investigation. This is a problem. The industry has a lot of money and they bought science. Industry could choose the direction of the investigations.
DY: That was a big reason why you and your friend Piet Vroon tried to hand back your doctorates in the mid 1990s.
AK: Wow, you know that? Yes, we tried to give them back but apparently it is not possible. A doctorate degree is for life. What happened was all the universities were giving doctorates to politicians and people in the industry. One of the people was Albert Heijn.
DY: Albert Heijn, of the supermarket chain?
AK: Yes, he found the barcode in England. He took it from England to Holland. He didn't create the barcode which is why they said they were giving him the doctorate. We took offense to that. We said “If he gets one for free, because he stole something from England and brought it to the Netherlands, then we don't want to have our doctorates anymore.”
DY: After 84 years, can you say that you’ve been on the journey you wanted to be on?
AK: On my good days, I have that feeling.
DY: Do you have any regrets?
AK: I have no regrets. There is no sense in regret. You have to learn from your mistakes, and your faults.
Dr. Klukhuhn released his Mangum Opus online for free in 2022. Physical volumes of the work divided over three books are set to release on his 85th birthday, which is in just a few months on August 17.
Listen to this entire episode of Dam Yankee wherever you get your podcasts, or watch the full videos on YouTube. Dr. Klukhuh goes on to discuss growing up in abject poverty in a working-class neighborhood of Amsterdam, what it’s like residing in the Red Light District now, and his view on miracles.
