Work Experience
since 2018: Associate Professor for Ancient Philosophy, Toronto Metropolitan University.
2019/20: Visiting Professor, Universität Bonn.
2014-2018: Assistant Professor for Ancient Philosophy, Toronto Metropolitan University.
2013: Temporary Professorship for History of Philosophy at Universität Hannover.
2011-2013: Privatdozent at Humboldt Universität Berlin.
2011-2013: Research project (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft) on Plato's Forms at Humboldt Universität Berlin.
2010/11: Professor for theoretical philosophy at Humboldt Universität Berlin,
replacing Prof. Dominik Perler.
2007-2010: Research project on Aristotle's causes, funded by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
and Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in Berlin and
Pittsburgh.
2006: Visiting Assistant Professor at University of Pittsburgh.
2005: Assistant teacher at Humboldt Universität Berlin
(Prof. Dominik Perler).
2004-07: Researcher at the Institute for Formal Ontology and Medical Information Science (IFOMIS) in Saarbrücken (Prof. Barry Smith).
2004-07: Teaching jobs at Universität Hamburg, HU
Berlin, and SUNY Buffalo.
2002-03: Research assistant at TU Dresden (Logic and Philosophy of
Science, Prof. Heinrich Wansing).
2001-03: Teaching jobs in Leipzig, Dresden and Chemnitz.
2001-02: Instructor for the programming language Java.
2000-01: Research assistant at Universität Leipzig.
more
Education
2010: Habilitation at Universität Leipzig.
Title: "The Four Causes."
Referees: James Allen (Pittsburgh),
Christof Rapp (München), Pirmin Stekeler-Weithofer (Leipzig).
2004: PhD at Universität Leipzig (summa cum
laude).
Title: "Conscientia bei Descartes" ("Conscientia In Descartes")
Referees:
Dominik Perler (Berlin), Pirmin Stekeler-Weithofer (Leipzig), Jürgen Engfer (Leipzig).
2000: Master thesis at Universität Leipzig.
Title: "Gibt es eine Rehabilitation der
Cartesischen Psychologie?" ("Can Cartesian
Psychology Be Rehabilitated?")
1996/97: Philosophy at University College Dublin.
1995-2000: Philosophy and Logic / Theory of Science in Leipzig. Latin,
Ancient Greek, Modern Arabic.
1993-95: Philosophy and Psychology in Freiburg i. Br.
more
Languages
German: native
English: fluent
Ancient Greek: reading
Latin: reading
Arabic: reading
French, Italian, Spanish: basics
Farsi: basics
more
Awards and Fellowships
2018: SSHRC grant (with Thomas Land and David Hunter) for the conference "Transparency and Apperception".
2015: Best paper of the year, Australasian Journal of Philosophy.
2011-14: Research grant awarded by German Research Foundation (DFG).
2007-10: Research grant awarded by German Research Foundation (DFG).
2007-09: Feodor Lynen Fellowship funded by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.
2005: Karl Alber prize for PhD thesis.
more
Memberships
SAGP - Society for Ancient Greek Philosophy (2016).
GAP - Gesellschaft für Analytische Philosophie, Germany (2006).
AvH - Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Germany (2007).
GAIN - German Academic International Network, Germany (2007).
DGPhil - Deutsche Gesellschaft für Philosophie, Germany (2004).
more
Books
Co-edited with David Hunter and Thomas Land: Transparency and Apperception. London: Routledge. 2020. link
Aristotle's Four Causes. New York: Peter Lang 2019. link
Conscientia bei Descartes. Freiburg: Alber Verlag 2006. 
link
Gibt es eine Rehabilitation der
Cartesischen Psychologie?
Master Thesis, Leipzig 2000. pdf
more
Journal Articles
"Aristotle on Ownership", Phronesis, forthcoming (online 2024).
"Avicenna’s Agent Intellect as a Completing Cause", History of Philosophy Quarterly 41(1), 2024, 45-72. link
"Qualification in Philosophy", Acta Analytica 39(1), 2023, 183-205. link
"The Significance of Aristotle’s Four Causes in Design Research" (with Matthias Rauterberg), Design Issues 38(4), 2022, 35–43. link
"Aitiai as Middle Terms", Journal of Ancient Philosophy 16(2), 2022, 126-148. link pdf
"Avicenna on Human Self-Intellection", Arabic Sciences and Philosophy 32, 2022, 179-199. link
"Quiddities and Repeatables", Synthese 200(3), 2022, 216. pdf
"Meta Logou in Plato's Theaetetus", Apeiron 54(1), 2021, 109-128. link
"Form and Function in Aristotle", History of Philosophy & Logical Analysis 23(2), 2020, 317-337.
"Self-Knowledge as Knowledge of the Good", dialectica 73(1-2), 2019, 211-230.
link
"Self-Knowledge, Estrangement, and Social Metabolism". Monthly Review 70(10), March 2019, 40-57. link
"Lichtenberg's Point".
Grazer Philosophische Studien 95(2), 2018, 265-286.
link
"The Man Without Properties".
Synthese 194(6), 2017, 1989–2006.
link
"Plato's Ingredient Principle".
Ancient Philosophy 35(2), 2015, 303-316. pdf
"Instance is the Converse of Aspect".
Australasian Journal of Philosophy 93(1), 2014, 3-20. pdf
"Documents: Fillers of Informational Gaps".
Monist 97(2), 2014, 246-255. pdf
"'Insofar as' in Descartes' Definition of Thought".
Studia Leibnitiana 43(2), 2011, 145-159. pdf
"Kants Modell kausaler Verhältnisse".
Kant Studien 102(3), 2011, 367-384. pdf
"Teleonomy".
Logical Analysis and History of Philosophy 14, 2011, 184-201. pdf
"Science, Conscience, Consciousness".
History of the
Human Sciences 23(3), 2010, 15-28. pdf
"Eine Verteidigung des typologischen Artbegriffs".
Philosophia Naturalis 46(2), 2009, 251-278. pdf
"The Four Causes".
The Journal of Philosophy 106(3),
2009, 137-60. pdf
"Matter in Z3".
Foundations
of Science 13, 2008, 199-215. pdf
"Tugenden und Absichten".
Philosophisches Jahrbuch 115(1),
2008, 165-182. pdf
"Substance, Reality, and Distinctness".
Prolegomena 7(1), 2008, 5-20. pdf
"Cartesian Conscientia".
British
Journal for the History of Philosophy 15(3), 2007, 455-484. pdf
"Der Fortbestand von Lebewesen".
Allgemeine Zeitschrift für Philosophie
32(1), 2007, 81-91. pdf
"Naturteleologie, reduktiv".
Philosophisches Jahrbuch 113(2),
2006, 296-315. pdf
"Conscientia bei Descartes".
Zeitschrift für
Philosophische Forschung 60(1),
2006, 21-36.
"Schuld und Gewissen bei
Abelard". Dialektik
1/2003, 129-143. pdf
more
Book Contributions
"Denken als Probehandeln". In: Wolfram Gobsch & Jonas Held, eds., Orientierung durch Kritik. Festschrift für Pirmin Stekeler-Weithofer. Hamburg: Meiner Verlag 2021, 127-143.
"Self-Knowledge by Participation". In: Gyula Klima & Alexander Hall, eds., Consciousness and Self-Knowledge in Medieval Philosophy (Proceedings of the Society for Medieval Logic and Metaphysics, vol. 14). Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2018.
"Über die 'Ursachen' von Texten". In: Verena Klappstein & Thomas A. Heiß, eds., als bis wir sein Warum erfasst haben (Grundlagen der Rechtsphilosophie vol. IV). Franz Steiner Verlag 2017, 161-181.
"Kategorien" / "Konkrete Einzeldinge".
In: Markus Schrenk, ed., Handbuch Metaphysik,
Metzler Verlag 2017, 86-89 / 128-134.
"Aristoteles' Beschreibung der ethischen Tugenden".
In: Jan Müller & Jens Kertscher, Lebensform und Praxisform. Paderborn: Mentis Verlag 2015, 173-189. draft pdf
"Constituent Functions".
In: Christer Svennerlind et al., eds.,
Johanssonian Investigations. Ontos Verlag 2013, 259-274. pdf
"Das Segeltuchmodell".
In: Sebastian Rödl & Henning Tegtmeyer, eds.,
Sinnkritisches Philosophieren.
Berlin: De Gruyter 2012, 213-229. pdf
"Descartes".
In: Tina-Louise Eissa & Stefan Lorenz Sorgner, eds.,
Geschichte der Bioethik.
Paderborn: Mentis Verlag 2011, 137-148. pdf
"Is Causation a Relation?"
In: Keith Allen & Tom Stoneham, eds.,
Causation and Modern Philosophy.
Routledge 2011, 188-200. pdf
"Consciousness as Spontaneous Knowledge".
In: Petr Glombicek & James Hill, eds.,
Essays on the Concept of Mind in Early-Modern Philosophy.
Cambridge Scholars Publishing 2010, 7-27. pdf
"What is Formal Ontology?" / "Occurrents".
In: Katherine Munn & Barry Smith, eds.,
Applied Ontology: An Introduction.
Ontos Verlag 2008, 39-56 / 255-284. pdf
"Zeitliche Entitäten: Geschehnisse".
In: Ludger Jansen, ed.,
Biomedizinische Ontologie. Zürich:
VDF Hochschulverlag 2008, 127-154. pdf / eBook
"Ghazali on Immaterial Substances".
In: Christian Kanzian & Muhammad Legenhausen, eds., Substance and Attribute in Islamic
Philosophy. Western and Islamic Tradition in
Dialogue. Heusenstamm: Ontos Verlag 2007, 55-66.
"Social
Facts Explained and Presupposed".
In: Nikos Psarros & Katinka Schulte-Ostermann,
eds., Facets of Sociality. Heusenstamm: Ontos Verlag 2006,
243-263. pdf
"Holistic Arguments for
Individualism".
In: Georg Meggle, ed., Social Facts &
Collective Intentionality. Frankfurt: Hänsel Hohenhausen
2002, 103-123. pdf
"Luhmann und die Formale
Mathematik".
In: P.-U. Merz Benz & G. Wagner, eds.,
Die Logik der Systeme. Konstanz: Universitätsverlag
2000, 157-198. pdf
more
Dictionary Entries and Reviews
"Disposition".
Hans Jörg Sandkühler et al., ed., Enzyklopädie Philosophie.
Hamburg: Meiner Verlag 2010. pdf
Christian Barth, "Intentionalität und Bewusstsein in der frühen Neuzeit". Philosophische Rundschau 68(1), 2021, p. 60-63.
Thomas Nail, "Marx in Motion". Monthly Review 72(11), April 2021, p. 26-31.
Damien Janos, "Avicenna on the Ontology of Pure Quiddity". Philosophical Quarterly, online 2020.
Catherine Rowett, "Knowledge and Truth in Plato". Philosophical Quarterly 69 (276), 2019, p. 638-641.
Christopher Moore, "Socrates and Self-Knowledge". Philosophical Quarterly 68 (271), 2018, p. 421-424.
Frank Lewis, "How Aristotle Gets By in Metaphysics Zeta". Philosophical Quarterly 67 (266), 2017, p. 179-182. pdf
Stephen Mumford and Rani Lil Anjum, "Getting Causes from Powers". Philosophical Quarterly 66 (263), p. 414-417, 2015. pdf
Jonathan Beere, "Doing and Being". Philosophical Quarterly 66 (263), 2016, p. 411-414. pdf
Stephan Schmid, "Finalursachen in der frühen Neuzeit". HOPOS 3(1), 2013, p. 179-182. pdf
Johannes
Haag, "Erfahrung und Gegenstand".
Philosophischer Literaturanzeiger, Heft 3, 2007,
p. 209-14. pdf
Claudia Pawlenka, "Sportethik".
Leipziger
Sportwissenschaftliche Beiträge 45, 2004,
p. 152-157. pdf
more
Areas of Interest
Ancient Philosophy
Plato
Aristotle
Medieval Philosophy
Avicenna
Hugh of St. Victor
Aquinas ...
Early Modern Philosophy
Descartes
Kant
German Philosophy
Hegel
Marx
Heidegger
20th c. Philosophy
Austin
Anscombe
... many others
Self-Knowledge
Consciousness
Practical self-knowledge
Alienation
Metaphysics and Epistemology
Teleology
Causation
Universals
Logic and Theory of Science
Classification
Predication
Aspects / Qualification
Action Theory and Metaethics
Action and Intention
Virtue Ethics
Social Philosophy
Collective Intentionality
Ownership
show
09/12 2019:
"Posterior Analytics II.11". Aristotle on Grounding, Definition, Explanation, Essence, Ligerz, Switzerland.
05/30 2019:
"Universals: Some Old Wine in a New Bottle". The Problem of Universals, Madrid, Spain.
05/11 2019:
Comments on Matthias Haase, "Maker's Knowledge". Anscombe's Legacy, York University, Toronto.
09/04 2018:
"Avicenna on Aristotle on Self-Knowledge". Aristotle's Metaphysics - Yesterday and Today, Falconara, Sicily.
04/27 2018:
"Meta Logou in Platons Theaitetos". Universität Heidelberg.
05/27 2017:
"Generic Mechanisms" (with Catherine Stinson). Congress, Annual Meeting of the Canadian Society for History and Philosophy of Science, Toronto.
04/21 2017:
"Lichtenberg's Point." The Cogito -- Yes or No?, Ligerz, Switzerland.
11/05 2016:
"Self-Knowledge by Participation." American Catholic Philosophical Association, 2016 Annual Meeting, San Francisco.
10/29 2016:
"Self-Knowledge and Rational Capacities." 34th Annual Joint Meeting of the Society for Ancient Greek Philosophy and the Society for the Study of Islamic Philosophy and Science, Fordham University, New York.
04/08 2016:
"Über die 'Ursachen' von Texten." Conference: Die Vierursachenlehre des Aristoteles als Grundlage für Hermeneutiken, Passau.
10/15 2015:
"The Man Without Properties." Colloquium, Queen's University, Kingston ON.
10/22 2013:
"Instance is the Converse of Aspect." Workshop: Themes from Baxter II, Ligerz, Switzerland.
07/18 2013:
"Aristoteles' Beschreibung der ethischen Tugenden." Workshop: Lebensform und Praxisform, Darmstadt.
02/25 2013:
"Was in uns geschieht, insofern es uns bewusst ist." Berufungsverfahren (job talk): Geschichte der Philosophie, Universität Basel.
02/19 2013: "On What A Virtue Is." Job talk, Ryerson University, Toronto.
10/17 2012:
"Insofern wir Bewusstsein davon haben." Berufungsverfahren (job talk): Theoretische Philosophie, Universität Jena.
02/08 2012:
"Platons Zutatenprinzip." Berufungsverfahren (job talk): Antike Philosophie, Universität Tübingen.
06/20 2011:
"Der Stagirit ohne Eigenschaften."
Institut für Philosophie, HU Berlin.
05/25 2011:
"Die Vier Ursachen."
Philosophisches Seminar, Universität Göttingen.
05/13 2011:
"Descartes on Thought - Bresser on Moral Agency."
Workshop: Early Modern Concepts of Consciousness,
HU Berlin, May 14-15.
04/17 2011:
"Two Kinds of Matter."
Workshop: Form and Matter in Kant and Aristotle, Chicago, April 15-17.
04/06 2011:
"Two Epistemic Directions of Fit."
J.L. Austin Centenary Conference, Lancaster University, April 5-7.
02/04 2011:
"The notion of consciousness as Descartes (might have) encountered it,"
LMU München.
06/26 2010:
"Aristotle's Argument Against Functionalism" (with Catherine Stinson),
HOPOS, Budapest, June 24-27.
12/10 2009:
"Suches",
Philosophy Department, University of Pittsburgh.
04/08 2009:
"Eine Verteidigung des typologischen Artbegriffs."
Institut für Philosophie, Universität Leipzig.
06/19 2008:
"Consciousness as Spontaneous Knowledge."
Workshop: The Concept of Mind from Descartes to Hume, Prague, June 19-21.
05/21 2008:
"Verursachung."
Institut für Philosophie, Universität Leipzig.
03/26 2008:
"Causation and the Unity of Events."
Annual BSHP Spring Conference "Causation 1500-2000," University of York, March 25-27.
03/19 2008:
"Virtues and Intentions."
Conference: Ethical Theory and Moral Practice, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, March 19-20.
11/16 2007:
"Austin Explains Kant: The direction of fit and the Copernican turn."
Philosophy Department, University of Pittsburgh.
06/20 2007:
"Absichten und Tugenden."
Institut
für Philosophie, Universität Rostock.
05/21 2007:
"The Immaterial Substance."
Conference: Descartes and Contemporary
Philosophy, Samobor (Croatia), May 20-23.
04/14 2007:
"Final Causes and Practical Inference." 2nd Workshop on Causality and Motivation,
April 13-14, Rome.
03/31 2007:
"On Reducing Final Causes."
2e Congrès de la Société de philosophie des
sciences,
March 29-31, Genève.
03/28 2007:
"The Inner Man as Substantial Form." First
International ESEMP Congress, March 26-30, Essen.
02/06 2007:
"Inwiefern der Geist eine immaterielle Substanz ist."
Institut
für Philosophie, Universität des Saarlandes.
01/26 2007:
"Matter in Z3."
Conference: Aristotelian Encounters, January 26-27, Roosevelt Academy, Middelburg, The
Netherlands.
01/17 2007:
"Finalursachen." Department
Philosophie, Universität Hamburg.
09/25 2006:
"Korrigierbarkeit als das Merkmal des Mentalen."
Jahresversammlung der Görres Gesellschaft, Sektion Philosophie, September 23-27, Regensburg.
08/11 2006:
"Al-Ghazali on the Incoherence of
'Substance'." 29th International
Wittgenstein Symposium, Kirchberg, August 6-12.
04/04 2006:
"Final Causes."
Center for Philosophy of Science, University of Pittsburgh.
10/26 2005:
"Corrigibility as the Mark of the Mental."
Center for Cognitive Science, SUNY Buffalo.
10/01 2005:
"Documents."
Topics in Ontology, SUNY Buffalo.
08/10 2005:
"Temporal Extension."
28th International
Wittgenstein Symposium, Kirchberg, August 6-13.
06/04 2005: "Functional Reasoning." Workshop: Norms,
Reasoning and Knowledge in Technology,
Boxmeer, the Netherlands, June 3-4.
05/26 2005:
"No Identity without Agency."
Identity: Ontological Perspectives, Vrije Universiteit
Amsterdam, May 25-27.
05/22 2005:
"Complex Procedures Instantiated by their
Proper Parts." 7th International Symposium on Logical
Formalizations of Commonsense Reasoning, Corfu, Greece.
01/22 2005: "Parts of Processes."
Aspects of Mereotopology and Granularity in Bioontologies,
Universitätsklinikum
Freiburg, January 21-22.
01/13 2005: "Conscientia bei Descartes."
Workshop: Philosophische Theorien des Geistes in der
Frühen Neuzeit, Heidelberg, January 13-15.
06/01 2004: "Practical Knowledge."
Institut für Philosophie, HU Berlin.
10/20 2004:
"Teleologie und Praxis."
Institut für Philosophie, Universität Leipzig
show
2025,
TMU: PH 8115 - Plato: Parmenides
2024,
TMU: PHL 402 - Aristotle: Politics
2024,
TMU: PHL 505 - Hegel and Marx
2023,
TMU: PH 8115 - Aristotle: Politics
2022,
TMU: PHL 622 - Classical Arabic Philosophy
2022,
TMU: PHL 503 - Ancient and Modern Ethics
2021,
TMU: PHL 707 - Plato: Theaetetus, Sophist, Statesman
2020,
TMU: PH 8115 - Plato: Parmenides
2020,
TMU: PHL 639 - Medieval Philosophy: Human Agency
2020,
Bonn: Denken als Probehandeln
2020,
Bonn: Nuel Belnap et al., Facing the Future
2019,
Bonn: Avicenna, Ausgewählte Texte
2019,
Bonn: Marx, Ökonomisch-Philosophische Manuskripte
2019,
TMU: PHL 639 - Medieval Philosophy: Universals
2019,
TMU: PHL 511 - Kant: Prolegomena
2018,
TMU: PHL 502 - Aristotle: Metaphysics
2018,
TMU: PH 8115 - Plato: Theaetetus - Sophist - Statesman
2018,
TMU: PHL 639 - Medieval Philosophy: Self-Knowledge
2017,
TMU: ACS 220 - Medieval World
2017,
TMU: PHL 187 - Ancient Greek Philosophy: Plato's Theaetetus
2017,
TMU: PHL 514 - Mind and Agency
2016,
TMU: PHL 187 - Ancient Greek Philosophy: Self-Knowledge
2016,
TMU: PHL 505 - Hegel and Marx
2016,
TMU: PH 8115 - Ancient Philosophy: Alcibiades, Phaedrus, Foucault, & Derrida
2015,
TMU: PHL 187 - Ancient Greek Philosophy: Plato, Sophist
2015,
TMU: PHL 502 - Aristotle: Politics
2015,
TMU: PHL 201 - Problems in Philosophy
2014,
TMU: PHL 187 - Ancient Greek Philosophy: Plato, Gorgias
2014,
TMU: ACS 200 - Ideas that Shaped the World II (Homer - Renaissance)
2014,
TMU: PH 8115 - Ancient Philosophy: Plato, Phaedo and Parmenides
2013,
Hannover: Vorlesung: Geschichte der Philosophie II (Kant - 20th c.)
2013,
Hannover: Anscombe, Intention
2013,
Hannover: Heidegger, Sein und Zeit
2012/13,
Tübingen: Platon, Philebos
2012,
HU Berlin: Platon, Parmenides
2011/12,
HU Berlin: Platon, Phaidon
2011,
Leipzig: Platon,
Theaitetos
2010/11,
HU Berlin: Vorlesung: Kausalität
und Teleologie
2010/11,
HU Berlin: Abelard: Ausgewählte Texte
2010/11,
HU Berlin: Analytische Handlungstheorie
2010,
Leipzig: Aristoteles,
Kategorien
2009,
Leipzig: Aristoteles,
Physik
2008,
Hamburg: Thomas von Aquin, Traktat
über die Tugenden
2008,
HU Berlin: Zur
Geschichte des Begriffs der Ursache
2006, Pittsburgh: History of modern
philosophy: Descartes-Kant
2006, Pittsburgh: Rationalism:
Descartes & Spinoza
2006, Pittsburgh: Topics in 20th c. Contintental
Philosophy: Heidegger
2005/06, Hamburg: Ps-Dionysius: Die Namen
Gottes
2005, SUNY Buffalo: Types and tokens
2005, HU Berlin:
Locke,
Essay II,xxvii
2004, Leipzig: Kant, Prolegomena
2003/04, Chemnitz: Descartes, Meditationes
2003/04, Leipzig: Augustinus, Confessions
2003, Dresden: Descartes, Morale provisoire
2002/03, Dresden: Geschichte des
Bewusstseinsbegriffes
2002, Leipzig: Verantwortungsethik
2001, Leipzig: Person
und Selbst (with S. Rödl)
even more
show
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