Fellowship for Postdoctoral Researcher in History of Philosophy

Bewerbungsfrist: 16.04.2023

The “Human Abilities” Centre for Advanced Studies in the Humanities (www.human-abilities.de) announces 1 postdoctoral fellowship in history of philosophy (preferably in medieval or early modern philosophy)starting from 1 June 2023 (or possibly later) and going until 31 March 2024 (with the possibility of extending up to a year, subject to funding). The Centre is funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) and is directed jointly by Dominik Perler (HU Berlin) and Barbara Vetter (FU Berlin). 

About the Centre: 

Appeal to human abilities is ubiquitous both in and outside philosophy. Lawyers sometimes need to determine the defendant’s rational abilities, teachers aim to help their students develop various abilities, and medication is sometimes used to enhance our abilities. In philosophy, abilities are a staple resource in discussions of free will, theories of knowledge, education, justice, and many more. The history of philosophy is rife with both appeals to human abilities and scathing criticisms of such appeals, especially in early modern philosophy. But what is it to have an ability of the kind that we humans possess? How is it that we can know about abilities, and how can abilities help explain our role as both agents and knowers? The project aims to do foundational work to address these questions, with a focus on metaphysics, epistemology, and the philosophy of action. 

What we expect: 

The Centre aims to bring together scholars from different fields in philosophy with an interest in human abilities, both systematically and historically. Applicants should pursue a historical postdoctoral project related to human abilities and with a focus in at least one of the Centre’s main research fields: metaphysics, epistemology, or philosophy of action. 

Applicants should be interested in discussing their work in an intra- and interdisciplinary setting. In particular, fellows will be expected to participate in the weekly informal meetings (jour fixe), some of the bi-weekly reading groups, the monthly colloquia, and other activities of the Centre (workshops, conferences, reading groups, etc.), and to be resident in Berlin for the duration of the fellowship. Applicants need to have completed their PhD within 5 years prior to the starting date of the fellowship. 

We offer: 

  • An inspiring working environment with philosophers working from different fields.  
  • A scholarship of 2.500€/month, starting from 1 June 2023 (or possibly later) until 31 March 2024 (with the possibility of extending up to a year, subject to funding). 
  • An office space in the heart of Berlin on Schönhauser Allee 10-11, 10119 Berlin.

The application should include the following documents (in German or English): 

  • a cover letter;
  • your CV;
  • a scan of your relevant degree certificates;
  • a writing sample in the form of one philosophical paper (published or unpublished);
  • a research proposal of 2-3 pages within the purview of the project.

Please send your application as one single pdf document (document title: [Your surname]_fellowship 2023) by e-mail to the academic coordinator of the Centre, Sanja Dembić, human-abilities@hu-berlin.de (no snail mail).

Deadline for applications: 16 April 2023

Informationen

Universität
Human Abilities, Centre for Advanced Studies in the Humanities, Berlin

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