Science is organized knowledge. Wisdom is organized life.

— Immanuel Kant

A U.S. citizen born in Germany, I double-majored in philosophy and history at George Mason University, and earned MA and PhD degrees at the American University in 1991. My teaching career began at the Department of Philosophy at  Loyola University Maryland in 1991.  I taught courses in Philosophical Anthropology, Honors Ethics courses, as well as upper-level courses in my area on Kant and 18th century aesthetic theory.  To satisfy my interest in science I expanded my AOC, teaching special courses in the history and philosophy of science.

In 2006 my 16-year old granddaughter was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor and I opted to retire from academic life in 2007 to be with her in the last year of her life. Since that time, I have found new joy and satisfaction in teaching philosophy for the Osher Life Long Learning in Retirement Institutes at George Mason University and at the American University, as well as for a similarly organized program at Encore Learning in Arlington.

I never imagined giving up my satisfying tenured position would lead to something even more rewarding, teaching for an intellectually engaged retirement community — genuine seekers of wisdom after they had completed their lifetime careers in science, law, medicine, government, to name a few.  This has become my greatest academic achievement, to engage students in philosophical debates on a variety of issues, who bring sagacity and joy of learning to the study of philosophy, adding their rich professional backgrounds and insights to class discussions. It can’t get much better than that—designing new courses and accumulating a course repertoire (see list of courses) beyond my initial area of competence. I have even ventured out to teach a course at my local church, “The God of the Philosophers” on the relationship between Faith and Reason.

(1995) The Crisis of Judgment in Kant’s Three Critiques (In Search of a Science of Aesthetics). New York/Berlin/Paris/Bern: Peter Lang Publishing Inc.

(1995) “Kant’s Eschatology in Zum Ewigen Frieden: The Concept of Purposiveness to Guarantee Perpetual Peace.” In Proceedings of the 8th International Congress, Memphis. Vol. 2: 437-444. Edited Hoke Robinson. Milwaukee, WI: Marquette University Press.

(1997) co-authored with Daniel Rothbart. “Kant’s Critique of Judgment and the Scientific Investigation of Matter.” In Hyle International Journal for Philosophy of Chemistry 3(1): 65-80.

(1998) “The Problem of the A Priori in Sensibility: Revisiting Kant’s and Hegel’s Theories of the Senses.” In Review of Metaphysics, 52(2):341-367.

(2001) “Revisiting Kant’s General Metaphysics: Completing a Transcendental Psychology.” In Proceedings of the 9th International Kant-Congress, “Kant und die Berliner Aufklaerung, Berlin.” Vol. 4: 424-432. Editors: V. Gerhardt, R-P. Horstmann, R. Schumacher. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter.

(2003) “Faith, Philosophy, Passions and Feminism.” In anthology Philosophy, Feminism and Faith, edited Ruth Groenhout and Marya Bower. Indianapolis: Indiana University Press.

(2003) “Kant’s Transcendental Psychology: A Prerequisite for Metaphysics and Bridge to the Divine.” In Proceedings Second World Conference of Metaphysics, 2003. Rome, July 2-5, 2003. Vol. II:245-251. Editor: David C. Murray. Pub. Fondazione Idente di Study e di Ricerca.

(2004) “Irrationalism in Eighteenth Century Aesthetic Theory.” Abstract in Proceedings of the 21st World Congress of Philosophy, (12:23-29); August 10-17, 2003, Istanbul, Turkey.

(2008) “Reflections on Kant’s Transcendental Psychology: a Bridge to the Transcendent.” In Proceedings of the 10th International Kant-Congress, Sao Paulo, Brazil, 4 -9 Sept. 2005. “Recht und Frieden in der Philosophie Kants.” Vol. 5:87-93. Editors: V. Rohden, R.R. Terra, G.A. de Almeida, M. Ruffing. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter.

Perhaps one of the most intractable conundrums in human affairs is the apparent conflict between free will and scientific determinism.

We confront this problem most urgently when we do ethics, when we demand moral responsibility from people. If they are not free in their choices, it makes no sense to make moral demands on them. It is modern science in particular that throws us an ominous curveball, threatening the very foundations of ethical life.

This course will unpack this dilemma, acknowledging the common-sense assumption most people have, that they are free to choose. We ask what does it mean to be free, and how does science undermine this assumption with hardly a possible counter argument. However, for maintaining the dignity of human life, genuine freedom must be sacrosanct. We will examine various philosophical answers to this problem ending with a Kantian answer.

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