From the margins to the center: The case of philosophical anthropology

In the 1920s, a new and promising philosophical discipline was launched by Max Scheler and Helmuth Plessner, called “philosophical anthropology”. Fiercely contested by Edmund Husserl and Martin Heidegger, this approach was only briefly in the center of philosophical debates. After World War 2, philosophical anthropology was more or less completely marginalized, due to several biographical, social and philosophical reasons. Only in the 1970s it was cautiously revitalized by some bold attempts. But in the last two decades, philosophical anthropology has made an astonishing comeback. As a flourishing philosophical discipline it is now back in the center of fundamental philosophical debates. In my talk, I aim at telling the fascinating story of philosophical anthropology, its protagonists and their opponents, in order to elucidate the reasons and background of this notable development.

Nov 29, 2018
University of Freiburg, Kollegiengebäude I, HS 1015