University of Philosophy Munich

University of Philosophy Munich
founding	1925 in Pullach, since 1971 in Munich
Sponsorship	ecclesiastical ( Jesuit order )
place	Munich
state	Bavaria
country	Germany
president	Johannes Wallacher
Students	365 WS 2019/20
Professors	11 (SoSe 2020)
Website	www.hfph.de

The Munich University of Philosophy (HFPH) is a state-recognized university sponsored by the Society of Jesus .

The university on Kaulbachstrasse in Munich is in the immediate vicinity of the Munich State Library and the Ludwig Maximilians University . Philosophy courses can be completed with a bachelor's or master's degree, doctorates and habilitation are also possible. There are also various further training options.

11 professors teach at the HFPH, plus there are academic staff and lecturers.

aims

Inner courtyard of the HFPH in June 2015

According to the statutes, the aim and task of the Munich School of Philosophy are:

• To practice philosophy and to promote knowledge of the history of philosophy;
• reflect on the relationships between philosophy and other sciences, particularly theology;
• to make the knowledge of philosophy usable for the life and coexistence of people.

history

The university was founded in 1925 by the later Cardinal Bea as Berchmanskolleg in Pullach near Munich. The name came from the Flemish Jesuit student Jan Berchmans, who died in 1621 and was canonized in 1888 . The Berchmanskolleg was originally a study house dedicated to the training of the Jesuits, in which the students and lecturers of the Society of Jesus lived and lived. In this religious house the philosophical lectures aimed at the study of theology took place at the same time. Already in the first decades of its existence, the Order University achieved an excellent scientific reputation as a philosophical training center.

During the time of National Socialism , the Berchmanskolleg was a meeting place for resistance fighters of the Kreisau district . A memorial plaque attached in 1997 at the entrance to the present branch in Munich's Kaulbachstrasse still commemorates the Jesuits Augustin Rösch , Rupert Mayer , Lothar König and Alfred Delp .

As early as 1945, the religious college had accepted some non-religious students every year.

In 1971 the university was relocated from Pullach to Munich. In keeping with the spirit of the Second Vatican Council , the university was open to all students, regardless of religious affiliation. Since then, the name Berchmanskolleg has only been used for the branch in Munich's Kaulbachstrasse. The Pullach buildings now house the archbishop's day care centers in Pullach .

Philosophical tradition

Hall of the HFPH in April 2018

The philosophical tradition of the university was shaped by neo-scholasticism until the 1970s . The main focus was on the school of Thomas Aquinas and other classics from the Middle Ages and the early modern period. The period from 1938 is considered to be its classic period. Here the university was under the influence of three professors who were considered to be the “Pullach triumvirate”: Josef de Vries (1898–1989), who mainly taught epistemology , but also almost all other subjects and was the dean of the faculty for over 30 years , Walter Brugger (1904–1990), who edited the well-known “ Philosophical Dictionary ” and wrote a large “sum of a philosophical doctrine of God ” and Johannes B. Lotz (1903–1992), who endeavored to combine the philosophy of neo-scholasticism with thinking Heideggers to convey.

With the retirement of the three formative figures of the university, the predominance of the scholastic legacy increasingly disappeared from the 1970s, and there was an increased engagement with contemporary philosophy such as phenomenology , existential philosophy , language- analytical philosophy and the philosophy of mind .

Today, the university's main research areas include a. Philosophical Anthropology and Philosophy of Spirit, Practical Philosophy and Applied Ethics, and Philosophy of Religion and Philosophical Doctrine of God. The HFPH has various research facilities: the Institute for the Philosophy of Religion, the Institute for Scientific Border Questions to Philosophy and Theology, the Institute for Ethics and Social Philosophy, the Rottendorf Project “Steps to a New World Culture”, the Center for Ethics of the Media and the Digital Society and the Pannenberg Research Center. These priorities are supplemented by the Third Mission Institute “Center for Global Issues” and the activities of the Institute for Philosophy and Leadership.

courses

The following courses can be taken at the university:

• 1-subject Bachelor in Philosophy (180 ECTS)
• Consecutive Master in Philosophy (120 ECTS)
• Doctorate in Philosophy to Dr. phil.

In the area of ​​continuing education, the university has the following offers:

• Further education Master's in ethics with a focus on ethics of intercultural dialogue, media ethics, medical ethics and business ethics (120 ECTS)
• As part of the master's degree, module studies are also possible in the following areas: ethics of intercultural dialogue, media ethics, medical ethics and business ethics (36 ECTS each)

In addition, the university offers the module study certificate “Philosophicum” (60–80 ECTS), which can be studied in a time frame of 1 to 3 years, as well as the course-related certificates “Philosophy and Leadership” and “Global Solidarity”. TUM students can acquire ECTS points in philosophy at the HFPH through the cooperation “Module Studies Philosophy” .

President

• Albert Keller (1970–1976)
• Hans Zwiefelhofer (1976–1982)
• Gerd Haeffner (1982–1988)
• Peter Ehlen (1988–1994)
• Hans Goller (1994–1999)
• Norbert Brieskorn (1999-2005)
• Michael Bordt (2005-2011)
• Johannes Wallacher (since 2011)

Faculty

Teaching professors

• Stefan Bauberger (* 1960), professor for natural philosophy and philosophy of science
• Michael Bordt (* 1960), Professor of Philosophical Anthropology , Aesthetics and History of Philosophy
• Godehard Brüntrup (* 1957), Professor of Metaphysics , Philosophy of Language and Philosophy of Spirit
• Alexander Filipović (* 1975), professor of media ethics
• Dominik Finkelde (* 1970), professor of epistemology and modern philosophy
• Eckhard Frick (* 1955), Professor of Anthropological Psychology
• Michael Reder (* 1974), Professor of Social Philosophy and Philosophy of Religion
• Georg Sans (* 1967), professor for philosophy of religion and subject
• Barbara Schellhammer (* 1977), Professor for Intercultural Social Transformation
• Andreas Trampota (* 1963), professor of philosophical ethics
• Johannes Wallacher (* 1966), Professor of Social Sciences and Business Ethics

Emeritus professors

• Peter Ehlen (* 1934), professor emeritus for the history of philosophy
• Friedo Ricken (* 1934), professor emeritus for the history of philosophy and ethics
• Bernhard Grom (* 1936), professor emeritus for religious psychology and religious education
• Rüdiger Funiok (* 1942), professor emeritus for communication science , education and adult education
• Johannes Müller (* 1943), professor emeritus for social sciences and development policy
• Norbert Brieskorn (* 1944), professor emeritus for social and legal philosophy
• Harald Schöndorf (* 1944), professor of epistemology and the history of philosophy
• Christian Kummer (* 1945), professor emeritus for natural philosophy
• Josef Schmidt (* 1946), Professor of Philosophical Doctrine of God and History of Philosophy
• Johannes Herzgsell (* 1955), professor for the foundations of theology, for religious studies and for religious philosophy

Former professors

• Josef de Vries (1898–1989)
• Johannes B. Lotz (1903-1992)
• Walter Brugger (1904–1990)
• Adolf Haas (1914–1982)
• Walter Kerber (1926-2006)
• Béla Weissmahr (1929-2005)
• Giovanni B. Sala (1930-2011)
• Albert Keller (1932-2010)
• Antonio Ponsetto (1936-2016)
• Gerd Haeffner (1941–2016)

Alumni and other students

Alumni (selection)

• Mubabinge Bilolo , professor of ancient Egyptian philosophy and religious studies
• Alfred Delp (1907–1945), Jesuit and member of the Kreisau Circle, studied philosophy at the Berchmanskolleg in Pullach
• Christian Demand , editor of the Merkur magazine
• Ottmar Edenhofer , (* 1961), Professor at the Technical University of Berlin and Director at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK).
• Gerhard Ernst , (* 1971), Professor of Philosophy at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg and President of the German Society for Philosophy since 2018
• Daniela Frank (* 1962), Managing Director of the Catholic Media Council (CAMECO) in Aachen
• Heiner Geißler , CDU politician, Secretary General of the CDU from 1977 to 1989
• Hanna-Barbara Gerl-Falkovitz , professor for the philosophy of religion and comparative religious studies at the Technical University of Dresden
• Felix Gmür , (* 1966), Bishop of Basel
• Benedikt Paul Gätze , professor for basic philosophical and theological questions at the Ruhr University Bochum
• Heinz Helle , (* 1978), German writer
• Paul Klimpel , Administrative Director of the Deutsche Kinemathek Foundation
• Lukas Köhler , member of the Bundestag and General Secretary of the FDP in Bavaria
• Wolfgang Krach , (* 1963), editor-in-chief of the Süddeutsche Zeitung
• Stefan Leifert, (* 1977) German journalist
• Jonas Lüscher , (* 1976), Swiss writer and essayist
• Patrizia Nanz , (* 1965), Scientific Director at the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies and Professor for Transformative Sustainability Science at the University of Potsdam
• Maria Neubrand , (1955–2020), Professor of the New Testament in Paderborn (contact study for adult education)
• Ulf Poschardt , (* 1967), editor-in-chief of the Welt-Gruppe
• Michaela Pilters , (* 1952), German journalist
• Richard Schaeffler (1926–2019), professor for philosophical-theological borderline questions at the Ruhr University in Bochum
• Thomas Schärtl-Trendel , (* 1969), Professor of Philosophical Theology at the Faculty of Catholic Theology at the University of Regensburg
• Erich Schröger , Professor of Biological Psychology at the University of Leipzig
• Nathalie von Siemens, member of the Supervisory Board of Siemens AG
• Ludwig Steinherr , (* 1962), German writer
• Oswald Schwemmer , Professor of Philosophical Anthropology and Cultural Philosophy at the Humboldt University in Berlin
• Rudolf Voderholzer , (* 1959), Bishop of Regensburg
• Katja M. Vogt , Professor of Philosophy at Columbia University
• Markus Vogt , Professor of Christian Social Ethics at the Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich

Other students (selection)

• Erwin Huber started studying philosophy in the 2018 winter semester.
• Erwin Teufel , CDU politician and Prime Minister of the State of Baden-Württemberg from 1991 to 2005, studied at the university from 2005 to 2008 (5 semesters) without aiming for a degree; he is therefore not one of the alumni.

literature

• Julius Oswald SJ (Hrsg.): School of thinking. 75 years of the Philosophical Faculty of the Jesuits in Pullach and Munich . Kohlhammer, Stuttgart 2000, ISBN 9783170167018 .

Web links

• Official website
• Julius Oswald SJ: Berchmanskolleg . In: Historical Lexicon of Bavaria
• Julius Oswald SJ: University of Philosophy, Munich . In: Historical Lexicon of Bavaria

Remarks

1. ↑ Bavarian State Office for Statistics: Students at universities in Bavaria - Winter semester 2019/2020 - Preliminary results (= B III 1-1 hj 2/2019), p. 8.
2. ↑ https://www.hfph.de/hochschule/lehrende
3. ↑ https://www.hfph.de/studierende/downloads/allgemeines/hfph_satzung.pdf
4. ↑ Helga Pfoertner: Living with history. Vol. 1, Literareron, Munich 2001, ISBN 3-89675-859-4 , pp. 47-50 ( PDF; 1.1 MB ( Memento from April 28, 2014 in the Internet Archive ))
5. ↑ See lecture by Gerd Haeffner on November 14, 2003 about Johannes B. Lotz ( Memento from May 29, 2014 in the Internet Archive ), pp. 5–18 (pdf; 234 kB)
6. ↑ https://www.hfph.de/forschung/forschungsschwerpunkte
7. ↑ https://www.hfph.de/forschung/wissenschaftliche-einrichtungen/religionsphilosophie
8. ↑ https://www.hfph.de/forschung/wissenschaftliche-einrichtungen/naturphilosophie
9. ↑ https://www.hfph.de/forschung/wissenschaftliche-einrichtungen/ethik-und-sozialphilosophie
10. ↑ https://www.hfph.de/forschung/drittmittelprojekte/rottendorf-projekt
11. ↑ https://www.hfph.de/hochschule/lehrende/prof-dr-alexander-filipovic/medienethik/zem-dg
12. ↑ https://www.hfph.de/forschung/wissenschaftliche-einrichtungen/religionsphilosophie/pannenberg-forschungsstelle
13. ↑ https://www.hfph.de/forschung/wissenschaftliche-einrichtungen/globalefendung
14. ↑ https://www.hfph.de/forschung/wissenschaftliche-einrichtungen/leadership
15. ↑ https://www.hfph.de/studieninteressierte/bachelor/studieren
16. ↑ https://www.hfph.de/studieninteressierte/bachelor/studieren
17. ↑ https://www.hfph.de/studieninteressierte/promotion
18. ↑ https://www.hfph.de/weiterbildung/weiterbildung-in-philosophie
19. ↑ https://www.hfph.de/weiterbildung/zertifikat-ethik-des-interkulturellen-dialogs/studieren
20. ↑ https://www.hfph.de/weiterbildung/zertifikat-medienethik/studieren
21. ↑ https://www.hfph.de/weiterbildung/zertifikat-medizinethik/studieren
22. ↑ https://www.hfph.de/weiterbildung/zertifikat-wirtschaftsethik/studieren
23. ↑ https://www.hfph.de/studieninteressierte/modulstudium-philosophicum/studieren
24. ↑ https://www.hfph.de/studieninteressierte/leadership-zertifikat
25. ↑ https://www.hfph.de/studieninteressierte/globale-solidaritaet
26. ↑ https://www.hfph.de/studieninteressierte/modulstudien-philosophie-tum
27. ↑ https://www.hfph.de/hochschule/nachrichten/alumni-im-portraet-jun-prof-dr-dr-benedikt-goecke
28. ↑ http://fdp-muenchen-west.de/news/dr-lukas-koehler-fuer-sie-in-den-bundestag/
29. ↑ https://www.lukaskoehler.de/
30. ↑ https://presseportal.zdf.de/biografie/Person/stefan-leifert/
31. ↑ https://www.hfph.de/hochschule/nachrichten/alumni-im-portraet-nathalie-von-siemens
32. ^ Vogt, Katja Maria: Skepticism and Life Practice - The Pyrrhonic Life Without Opinions . Alber, Munich: 1998. p. 2

Coordinates: 48 ° 8 ′ 56.1 ″  N , 11 ° 34 ′ 59.8 ″  E