Hubert Laitko – a German philosopher, historian of science, and scholar of science studies died on 9 September 2024 in Berlin.
Born on 3 April 1935, in Spremberg, a small town that became part of East Germany (the GDR) after 1945/49, Laitko began studying journalism at Karl Marx University in Leipzig in 1953 but soon shifted his focus to philosophy, which he studied until 1959. While at Leipzig, he had the opportunity to attend lectures by the renowned philosopher Ernst Bloch (1885–1977), who had returned to East Germany after escaping Nazi persecution during his exile. However, due to the political climate of the GDR, characterised by debates between orthodox and heterodox Marxists and the dominance of Stalinist doctrines, Bloch was forced to retire in 1957. As a philosophy student, Laitko gained an early understanding of the risks associated with working in this field under such conditions.
At Leipzig, Laitko also studied under another prominent figure, Gerhard Harig (1902–1966), a physicist and resistance fighter against the Nazis. Harig, who had been liberated from the Buchenwald concentration camp, worked briefly in Berlin in the state administration for higher education before founding a research group in Leipzig to study the history of science and mathematics. He later became the director of the Karl Sudhoff Institute for the History of Medicine and Science at Leipzig University. Many years after his own studies in Leipzig, Laitko emerged as one of Harig’s intellectual successors, becoming a prominent representative of the history of science in the GDR.
At the outset of his academic career, Hubert Laitko focused on philosophy, particularly the philosophical problems in science, with a strong emphasis on chemistry. After graduating from the University of Leipzig in 1959, he became a philosophy assistant at the Institute for Humanities at the University of Halle/Saale. From 1960 onward, he worked as an assistant to the Chair of Philosophical Problems of Science at the Institute for Philosophy at Humboldt University in Berlin. The chair, Hermann Ley (1911–1990), who led the research group studying the philosophical problems of science—known in the English-speaking world as philosophy of science—held this position until his retirement in 1977. Ley served as a mentor to many doctoral students, including Laitko, who earned his PhD from Humboldt University in 1964. His (unpublished) dissertation, titled Zur philosophischen Konzeption des Physikers Pascual Jordan. Versuch einer kritischen Analyse (On the Philosophical Conception of the Physicist Pascual Jordan: An Attempt at a Critical Analysis), offered a critical examination of the German physicist Pascual Jordan (1902–1980). Laitko remained part of Ley’s research group from 1960 to 1969.
During this time, Laitko formed lifelong friendships with several fellow researchers, many of whom later became professors at universities across the GDR. These colleagues worked closely with him on publications, organised conferences, and contributed to the development of the emerging fields of science studies and the history of science in the GDR. Among them was Heinrich Parthey (1936–2020), a philosopher and science studies researcher who led a research group at the Institute for Theory and Organisation of Science (ITW) within the Academy of Sciences. Another was Reinhard Mocek (1936–2021), a philosopher and historian of science who became a professor at the University of Halle/Saale. Reinart Bellmann (1934–2023) held a position at the Technical University of Dresden, while Martin Guntau (1933–2019), a historian of geology and professor at the University of Rostock, collaborated with Laitko on a 1987 book about the genesis of scientific disciplines. Karl-Friedrich Wessel (b. 1935) also stood out among Laitko’s close circle, later succeeding Hermann Ley as chair at Humboldt University. Together, this group of scholars exemplified the intellectual camaraderie and collaborative spirit that defined Laitko’s career.
During his time in Leipzig, Hubert Laitko joined a student cabaret group called Rat der Spötter (Mockers’ Council), where he wrote sketches, played the piano, and transformed old pop songs into modern satirical verses. The group saw itself as a politically engaged, left-wing collective, but its humour did not resonate with the Leipzig authorities. In the autumn of 1961, the cabaret was shut down by official decree for promoting a ‘counter-revolutionary programme’. Despite this setback, Laitko maintained close friendships with his fellow cabaret artists, Ernst Röhl (1937–2015) and Peter Sodann (1936–2024), throughout their lives. Friends and colleagues often observed his talent for satire and comedy, particularly during informal gatherings after conferences, workshops, or academic events, where he improvised sketches that humorously captured the events or situations of the day. Even in his final months, Laitko retained a keen eye for the absurdities of daily life, political decisions, and his own experiences as a patient, often portraying these grotesque elements with humour. His gift for satire also shone through in his elegantly crafted letters and emails, which he wrote with the style and care of traditional correspondence.
From 1960 to 1969, Hubert Laitko worked and taught at Humboldt University in Berlin before moving to the Academy of Sciences of the GDR. In most Comecon countries, Academies of Sciences followed a similar structure, consisting of two main components: the Academy itself, comprising full, corresponding, and foreign members, and a network of research institutes specialising in various fields of science, technology, and the humanities. It was essential to distinguish between being a member of the Academy and being a collaborator working in one of its affiliated institutes.
By the 1970s, it had become possible to earn academic degrees through the institutes of the Academy without holding university teaching duties. The primary focus was on conducting research, publishing results, and participating in academic colloquia and conferences. Collaboration with universities was encouraged but not obligatory. By the summer of 1990—its final year of existence—the Academy of Sciences of the GDR encompassed approximately 60 research institutes and 20 additional units, including an archive, a library, and a publishing house, among other facilities. Altogether, the Academy employed around 24,000 individuals, including roughly 10,000 scientists and scholars, half of whom were based in Berlin.
The Academy of Sciences of the GDR, whose origins traced back to the Royal Prussian Academy of Science founded in 1700, maintained close connections with other academies in the socialist bloc, particularly with the Academy of Sciences of the USSR. These relationships were formalised through contracts that regulated the exchange of scholars, allowing scientists from the USSR to visit institutes in the GDR and vice versa. Similar exchange programmes operated between other Comecon states. For Laitko, these collaborations were especially significant in fostering relationships with colleagues at a Moscow institute, as well as with partners in Prague at the Czech Academy of Sciences and in Budapest at the Hungarian Museum of Science.
From 1969 onward, Hubert Laitko became part of a small group of philosophers led by Günter Kröber (1933–2012), a philosopher and researcher in science studies. This group was tasked with laying the groundwork for a specialised institute dedicated to science studies under the Academy of Sciences of the GDR. Their efforts culminated in the establishment of the Institute for Science Theory and Science Organisation (Institut für Wissenschaftstheorie und -organisation), which, from 1975 to 1991, operated as the Institute for Theory, History, and Organisation of Science (Institut für Theorie, Geschichte und Organisation der Wissenschaft, ITW) of the Academy of Sciences of the GDR.
The late 1960s marked a global emergence of science studies, known as naukovedenie in the USSR, across universities and scientific institutions. These fields were often categorised as science studies, philosophy of science, or sociology of science. The group around Kröber, who had studied philosophy at Leningrad University, maintained strong ties with the Institute for the History of Science and Technology (Institut Istorii Estestvoznania i Tekhniki, IIET) of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR in Moscow. In particular, they collaborated closely with Bonifatii Mikhailovich Kedrov (1903–1985), a philosopher and historian of science who became one of the founding figures of the Berlin ITW.
A comparison of the two institutes reveals contrasting emphases. At the Moscow IIET, most research groups and departments focused on the history of science and technology, covering areas such as the history of physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics (under Adol’f Pavlovich Yushkevich, 1906–1993, winner of the 1978 Sarton Medal from the History of Science Society), and cosmonautics, and only a minority of research groups dealt with naukovedenie. By contrast, the Berlin ITW emphasised science studies, with only one group dedicated to the history of science. In 1973, Hubert Laitko became the head of this group.
Laitko led the history of science research group, later designated as a department, from 1973 until the ITW’s closure at the end of 1991. His team included two historians of physics (Dieter Hoffmann and Horst Kant, 1946–2023), two historians of chemistry (Wolfgang Girnus and Regine Zott), and one historian of mathematics (Annette Vogt). The group, which also included scholars working at the intersection of science and the humanities, was relatively small; by 1990, it consisted of 14 members. This was modest compared to the larger departments at Moscow’s IIET.
As the department head, Laitko proved to be an exemplary leader. His background as a philosopher enabled him to integrate diverse approaches and intellectual styles, uniting his team under a shared theoretical framework for exploring the history of science and humanities from multiple perspectives. He was known for his high standards and rigorous expectations, balanced by fairness, humour, and unwavering support for his colleagues. Younger members of the team found in him not only an academic mentor and Doktorvater (doctoral advisor) but also a trusted friend. This camaraderie endured even after the dissolution of the GDR and the closure of their department.
One of the department’s notable achievements was the publication of the book Science in Berlin (Wissenschaft in Berlin), released in 1987 to mark the 750th anniversary of the city. Published by Dietz Verlag Berlin, the book showcased the strengths of the department’s interdisciplinary collaboration and reflected the positive synergy of its members under Laitko’s leadership.
Hubert Laitko was not only the head of the department on the history of science but also remained deeply engaged in research on science studies and the philosophy of science, always grounding his work in the framework of historical materialism. In 1978, he completed his Habilitation with an investigation titled Science as Universal Labour – On the Conceptual Foundation of Science Studies (Wissenschaft als allgemeine Arbeit – zur begrifflichen Grundlegung der Wissenschaftswissenschaft), published by Walter de Gruyter in 1979. In the same year, he was appointed as a professor at the Academy of Sciences.
In addition to his research projects and extensive publications in books and journals, Laitko contributed to academic knowledge by translating key articles on the history, philosophy, and science studies from Russian into German for the journal Soviet Sciences (Sowjetwissenschaften). Through this work, he played a vital role in disseminating the latest Soviet research to the German-speaking academic community. Following the publication of Science in Berlin in 1987, new projects were planned for his department, but the political upheaval of 1989–1990 brought about a rapid and dramatic shift.
After the unification of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) and the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), the 1990 unification treaty included Article 38, which dealt with the fate of the Institutes of the Academy of Sciences. In accordance with this article, most of the Institutes were liquidated, a process referred to in German as Abwicklung. This marked a profound rupture and turning point in the academic careers of many scholars, including Laitko. By January 1992, the history of science department he led ceased to exist, despite a favourable evaluation of its work in 1990–1991. His collaborators were forced to seek new employment, with some managing to continue their careers as historians of science in other institutions.
Hubert Laitko, however, transitioned into the role of a private scholar. With remarkable energy, discipline, and adherence to his high personal standards, he continued his work on the history of science, science studies, and philosophy of science. He maintained a prolific output of publications, organised scientific colloquia, and sustained his scholarly activities until illness brought an end to his work.
In Berlin, Laitko joined two important societies that offered a haven for scholars who had lost their institutional affiliations after unification. In 1993, the Leibniz Society (Leibniz-Sozietät der Wissenschaften zu Berlin e. V.) was founded, and Laitko became a member in 1994. The society’s mission was to promote scientific activities—including conferences, sessions, and publications—across all disciplines, continuing the traditions of Berlin’s historic Academy of Sciences. It served as a vital forum for Laitko and his colleagues, fostering communication and collaboration. Over time, the society welcomed new members, and its evolving profile reflected generational shifts in focus and priorities.
Under the auspices of the Leibniz Society, Laitko established a working group on the history of science and academic institutions in collaboration with Bernhard vom Brocke (b. 1939), a professor of the history of science from Marburg. Their collaboration, which had begun prior to 1989, was rooted in a shared interest in the science policy of Friedrich Althoff (1839–1908), a pivotal figure in the Prussian Ministry for Culture and Science. Together, they organised several conferences and co-edited a seminal volume on the history of the Kaiser Wilhelm/Max Planck Society, examining the so-called Harnack principle. This principle, named after Adolf von Harnack (1851–1930), who in 1911 became the first president of the Kaiser Wilhelm Society, the forerunner of the Max Planck Society. Their volume, The Kaiser Wilhelm/Max Planck Society and its Institutes: Studies on its History – The Harnack Principle (Die Kaiser-Wilhelm-/Max-Planck-Gesellschaft und ihre Institute. Studien zu ihrer Geschichte: Das Harnack-Prinzip), was published in 1996 by Walter de Gruyter.
Through their membership in the Leibniz Society, Laitko and vom Brocke also organised conferences on the history of science, further enriching the field and maintaining the collaborative spirit that characterised Laitko’s career.
In 1991, Hubert Laitko became one of the founding members of the Society for Science Studies (Gesellschaft für Wissenschaftsforschung), along with his colleague and friend from the ITW, Heinrich Parthey. Since 1996, the Society has published a Yearbook, which included comprehensive bibliographies of Laitko’s publications in the 2005 and 2015 editions, dedicated to his 70th and 80th birthdays, respectively (Wissenschaftsforschung Jahrbuch 2005, pp. 181–210; Wissenschaftsforschung Jahrbuch 2015, pp. 103–137).
From the 1970s onward, the ITW department for the history of science organised a series of colloquia known as the Berlin History of Science Colloquia (Berliner Wissenschaftshistorische Kolloquien), with the lectures published as booklets. Seven of these booklets are catalogued in the 2005 bibliography (pp. 182–183). Inspired by this format, Laitko collaborated with Eckart Henning (b. 1940), a professor of archival history and the director of the Kaiser-Wilhelm-/Max-Planck-Society Archives in Berlin-Dahlem (1984–2006), to establish a new colloquia series in 1994.
This series, titled Dahlem Archive Talks (Dahlemer Archivgespräche), ran until 2014, with six colloquia held each year. It became a platform for fostering dialogue among historians of science from East and West Berlin, bridging the divide between scholars from the GDR and the old Federal Republic, as well as between seasoned professionals, young academics, and scientists transitioning into historical research. Thanks to the publication series of the Kaiser-Wilhelm-/Max-Planck-Society Archives, many of the lectures from these colloquia were subsequently published.
Laitko also returned to teaching, a role he greatly enjoyed. From 2008 to 2014, he taught the history of science at the Brandenburg Technical University in Cottbus, an institution founded in 1991 during the reorganization of the GDR’s territories into five federal states, including the re-establishment of Brandenburg. His courses inspired young students to delve into the history of science and science studies.
The scientific legacy of Hubert Laitko—philosopher, historian of science, and researcher in science studies—deserves close examination. His work sought to illuminate the complexities of scientific progress, its ambivalences, and the philosophical underpinnings of leading scientific ideas and theories. Grounded in historical materialism, Laitko consistently investigated the interplay between science and society, emphasising the mutual influences of state science policies, socio-economic conditions, and the development of scientific institutions and their practitioners.
Although it is impossible to encapsulate Laitko’s immense scholarly contributions in a brief obituary, his bibliographies, spanning 30 and 35 pages respectively, provide a comprehensive overview. Among his most significant works, the edited volume on the history of the Kaiser-Wilhelm-/Max-Planck-Society, co-edited with Bernhard vom Brocke in 1996, stands out. Earlier, in 1987, he co-edited Science in Berlin with his ITW team, and another important volume, The Origin of Modern Sciences: Studies on the Emergence of Scientific Disciplines (Der Ursprung der modernen Wissenschaften. Studien zur Entstehung wissenschaftlicher Disziplinen), co-edited with Martin Guntau in 1987, remains a key text on the genesis of scientific disciplines.
Laitko also contributed as a co-editor to several volumes of the Yearbook for Science Studies (Jahrbuch Wissenschaftsforschung) and the colloquia series Dahlemer Archivgespräche. Through the support of the Leibniz Society, he continued publishing his findings in their Sitzungsberichte series, released by the Berlin publisher trafo.
As a meticulous and experienced scholar, Laitko revisited the history of Prussian and German science policies to critically assess their strengths and shortcomings. He had a particular affinity for long-term historical studies, which enabled him to identify patterns of continuity, disruption, and transformation, as well as critical turning points in the development of science and its institutions.
Although deeply saddened by the dissolution of the GDR, the closure of the Academy of Sciences’ institutes, and the end of his department, Hubert Laitko persevered. From 1992 to 2020, he thrived as an independent scholar, dedicating himself to rigorous research and maintaining strong ties with the academic community. He was deeply interested in the work of younger colleagues, serving as both an advisor and a friend. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic and his illness curtailed in-person meetings after 2020. One of the last events he attended was a celebration of his 85th birthday in September 2020, held during a colloquium organised by the Leibniz Society between two lockdowns.
Hubert Laitko was married to Sigrid Laitko, a physician, for over 50 years. Together, they raised a family, including their daughter, Ulrike, who earned a PhD in biophysics. He is survived and dearly missed by three grandchildren.
As a philosopher, historian of science, and researcher in science studies, Hubert Laitko was recognized not only in the German-speaking academic world but also internationally. While his work was particularly well-known in Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic (formerly the CSSR), and the USSR due to political contexts, he also gained recognition in the (old) Federal Republic of Germany before unification. However, his publications have remained relatively underappreciated in English-speaking academia.
His writings, particularly those published in the Sitzungsberichte of the Leibniz Society, are available online, providing invaluable resources for scholars. One enduring approach to appreciating his intellectual contributions is the practice of ‘re-reading the classics’ in the history of science. It is hoped that younger generations will revisit and engage deeply with Laitko’s articles and books, ensuring that his scholarly legacy continues to inspire and inform.
* We are thankful to Linda Clarke who improved our English.
