Welcome
“Only the clown calls the circus into question”
– Heiner Müller –
I am Professor of Philosophy at Michigan State University, working in Post-Kantian Continental Philosophy with a focus on German philosophy. My thinking is located somewhere between Phenomenology, Existentialism, German Idealism, Marx, Critical Theory, Recent European Political Philosophy, and Continental Aesthetics/Philosophy of Culture.
My current work focuses on philosophical aspects of critical social theory with a Marxian bend. In this vein, I am concerned [1] with a Kantian understanding of Marx’s theory of society, [2] with the concept of social categories, and [3] with the philosophical underpinnings of critical theory. I think that we should recover questions raised by early Critical Theory and rediscover lost figures, such as Sohn-Rethel and Kirchheimer. In addition, I am interested in bridging phenomenology with critical theory. In this vein, I am working on a book on the concept of reification in 20th Century German philosophy (i.e., primarily philosophers who do not belong to the Frankfurt School). Finally, I am working on basic concepts in European political philosophy, especially Schmitt and Arendt. All of this should lead to a better understanding of our own times and our contemporary society.
All details can be found in “About“. Almost all of my publications can be downloaded via “Articles” (check the menu on top of this page). My academia.edu profile can be found here; my CV is available on top of this page via “CV.”
I served between 2016 and 2019 as a member-at-large on the executive board of the US society for Continental Philosophy, SPEP, and edit with Antonio Calcagno the Continental Philosophy and the History of Thought series published by Lexington Books. In addition, I serve as Associate Chair and Director of the Graduate Program in MSU’s philosophy department.
I am currently accepting PhD students.
Christian Lotz 