The purpose of the Parmenides Foundation is to expand our knowledge of one of the most fascinating and characteristic abilities of human beings: complex thinking. The Foundation was established in the year 2000 as a charitable institution for basic research and has been named after the pre-Socratic philosopher Parmenides, who lived and taught in Elea in Italy. He was the first to inquire systematically for the relationship between thinking and reality, and to reveal the power of logical thought.

The main activity of the foundation is to run the Parmenides Center for the Study of Thinking which has been established in co-operation with the Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich. The center is organized similar to a Max Planck Institute. It tries to provide optimal conditions for advanced basic research and interdisciplinary co-operation, with minimized bureaucratic distractions and optional teaching activities at the university.