Fondation

The fondation Ostad Elahi: Ethics and Human Solidarity, is a government-sanctioned Public Interest Fondation, formed by decree of the Prime Minister and the Ministry of the Interior on January 27, 2000. The Fondation is also a nongovernmental organization in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. The Council of Europe and Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne University are members of its Board of Directors, and Dr. Bahram Elahi, Professor Emeritus in Pediatric Surgery, is its President and Founder.

Mission

The Fondation’s mission is to contribute to the development of true solidarity among human beings by promoting deeper reflection on the meaning and application of ethics. The Fondation’s activities advance three related objectives: the research, instruction and propagation of ethics.
The Fondation’s specificity lies in its secular and intercultural approach, which is intended to generate the conditions for ethical advancement in different contexts (workplace, community, life, education, etc.) not through the imposition of norms or rules, but rather through the collective sharing of practical experiences. The Fondation thus aims to cultivate a universally shared body of knowledge on ethics by addressing those who are themselves affected—potentially, every one of us.

Ethics

For Ostad Elahi (1895-1974), only an ethics devoid of all self-interest can contribute to ennobling the human mind and allowing for the emergence of a true solidarity among humankind that benefits both the individual and the society at large. In this regard, it is essential to actively cultivate within oneself, the characteristics that are proper to true humanity and comprise the yeast of all authentic spirituality directed toward one’s ethical perfection.
This method of learning rests upon daily, well-wrought experience. If it can find its inspiration in the universal heritage of wisdom and philosophy, it’s adaptation to contemporary life and the conditions for its efficacy remain burning questions. That is why the Fondation places special emphasis on its various projects, particularly its research and teaching initiatives, that are likely to shed light on concrete and pragmatic details.

Methodology

Through its diverse programs (conferences, seminars, discussion groups, educational modules, research grants, publications, internet sites, cultural events, etc.), the Fondation seeks to raise awareness of and sensitize the public to the interaction of ethics and the realms of human activity, soliciting experts and scholars in so doing from a range of disciplines including medicine, education, philosophy, psychology, sociology, history, and religion. In addition, the Fondation initiates collaborative enterprises with public, national, and international institutions and organizations, such as ECOSOC, UNESCO, the Paris School for Political Sciences, and CNAM.