Zur Entstehung der Wissenschaftsfreiheit

This publication is focusing on the multifaceted history of the development of the fundamental right to academic freedom, from the academic privileges of universities in the Middle Ages to its first constitutional enshrinement in Section 152 of the Frankfurt Imperial Constitution of 1849. Drawing on conceptual, practical, and idea-historical analyses, the work traces various developmental processes of academic freedom across different historical periods and examines how the demand for scholars’ freedom of conscience, teaching, and research arose. The conclusion: Academic freedom is not a natural constant; its preservation remains the task of a fundamental social consensus and is not an end in itself.