Werner Erhard is a critical thinker who has influenced the academic community worldwide with his revolutionary ideas first expressed in The est Training. He introduced the 20th Century notion of transformation and has had an enormous impact as a thought leader and humanitarian.
In 1973 Werner Erhard, committed to making a difference, founded the Werner Erhard Foundation. The Foundation’s original name was The Foundation for the Realization of Man, a name in keeping with the intention of the Foundation. Werner Erhard established this Foundation as an expression of his own personal commitment to transforming the quality of life for all human beings, and as a vehicle for graduates of The est Training to participate in making a difference in their local communities and throughout the world. Erhard, and the entire Board of Directors, served the Foundation pro-bono, with Erhard committing a significant amount of time generating funds for the Foundation.
Erhard founded over a dozen separate charities and has been recognized for his commitment to humanity with the Mahatma Gandhi Humanitarian Award in 1988 and the Humanitarian of the Year Award in 2003.
Time Magazine said of Erhard on March 7, 2011:
“It was Werner Erhard who created the first modern transformation when he founded est seminars in 1971. It’s a tribute to the power of his central concept that more than 20 years after he sold his ideas to a group of employees Landmark is still the natural first stop in any transformation tour.”
The Financial Times said of Erhard on April 28, 2012:
“Erhard’s influence extends far beyond the couple of million people who have done his courses.”
Werner Erhard’s ideas used to be accessible only through participating in a program; they are now accessible to everyone via his academic papers published at SSRN.and publications available through organizations such as the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER).