Profile

The Institute of Philosophy at Leibniz University Hannover engages with the entire spectrum of contemporary philosophy – both in its research and its teaching. A particular focus is placed on the philosophy of science and on science ethics. These areas are understood in a broad sense and comprise classical philosophy of science as well as social epistemology, and applied problems as well as perspectives from political philosophy. Fundamental questions of an epistemological, ethical, ontological, or socio-philosophical nature also shape the institute's activities.

The focus on the philosophy of science and on science ethics has existed in Hannover since the founding of the Zentrale Einrichtung für Wissenschaftstheorie und Wissenschaftsethik (ZEWW) in 1997, an institute for science theory and science ethics, from which the Institute of Philosophy emerged in 2010. A great variety of research areas of the scientific staff shape this focus and it is also addressed in formal research projects, including several with third-party funding. The institute's profile is systematically refined and enhanced through cooperations with other research institutions and the targeted integration of visiting scholars.