Gerrit Tiefenthal (Bonn): Arbeit und Wahnsinn

Описание: This lecture was part of the lecture series “Cologne Lectures on New Medical Humanities,” organized by Erik N. Dzwiza-Ohlsen, Thomas Dojan, Anna Kau, Mira Krebs, David Vogel, Hannes Wendler, and Malak Mostafa.

In his talk “Arbeit und Wahnsinn”, held on December 17, 2025, Gerrit Tiefenthal explores the complex and often troubling relationship between modern forms of work and experiences of psychological strain and madness. He illustrates perspectives from political philosophy, philosophy of science and intellectual history, thus making the lecture critically examine how contemporary work regimes shape norms of reason, productivity and normality. And how deviations from these norms are problematized or excluded. The talk invites reflection on the political and epistemic dimensions of work and mental health in modern societies.

Gerrit Tiefenthal studied philosophy, history, and political science at the universities of Münster and Dortmund. He holds an M.A. in Philosophy and Political Science from TU Dortmund and a B.A. in Philosophy and History from the University of Bielefeld. Since 2019, he has been pursuing a PhD at the University of Bielefeld under the supervision of Oliver Flügel-Martinsen, focusing on the political and philosophy of science of Paul Feyerabend. Gerrit Tiefenthal led a BMBF-funded project on political education in urban contexts and contributed to the development of an interdisciplinary Collaborative Research Centre (SFB). Since 2024, he has been a research associate at the Center for Life Ethics and is involved in the ethical subproject of the EU-funded Virtual Brain Twin Project. His research interests include intellectual history, political philosophy, and philosophy of science.

Watch the full lecture series here:
   • Cologne Lectures in New Medical Humanities