Philosophical Orientations

What shapes our identity today? How does the academic industry influence philosophy and our pursuit of wisdom? In this conversation, Hans-Georg Moeller and Reinhard G. Mueller discuss Moeller’s theory of profilicity and the three identity technologies – sincerity, authenticity, and profilicity – as developed in his book "You and Your Profile," exploring how we can orient ourselves amid the plurality of identities in our time.Via the lens of Werner Stegmaier’s philosophy of orientation, the episode examines the shift from Bildung to the academic industry, the transformation of mass media, cultural differences between Europe, the US, and China, and debates around the sovereign individual, culture wars, and thinkers such as G. W. F. Hegel, Friedrich Nietzsche, Niklas Luhmann, Robert Sapolsky, and Jordan Peterson.

In this episode, philosophy professor Kathleen Higgins joins Reinhard to discuss her profound new book "Aesthetics in Grief and Mourning: Philosophical Reflections on Coping with Loss" (2024). They explore why grief transforms our experience of the world, how mourning relates to love, meaning, and art — and why aesthetic activity may be essential in navigating loss. From ancient Greek tragedy to modern technologies like chatbots, Kathleen offers deep insight into the human condition and how aesthetic practices help reorient ourselves after loss.

In this episode, Carlin Romano joins Reinhard G. Mueller to revisit his 2012 book "America the Philosophical," where he claims that the United States embodies the most philosophical culture the world has ever seen. The two discuss to what extent this claim holds true, what defines philosophy, and the challenges facing philosophical inquiry today.Carlin Romano is currently a Fulbright-Nehru Senior Scholar in India for Academic and Professional Excellence. He is Distinguished Visiting Professor of Philosophy at the University of Delhi and Visiting Professor of Philosophy at Ashoka University.

In this episode, FPO Fellow Jes Heppler joins Reinhard G. Mueller to discuss her dissertation project, "Gut Feelings and Embodied Epistemology," and the question of what kind of knowledge our body offers. Together, they dive into what gut feelings really are and where they come from, how the body’s wisdom challenges the mind-body divide, and to what extent Nietzsche’s line — “There is more reason in your body than in your deepest wisdom” — still resonates today.