Faculty colloquium I: Katharina Bauer

About the speaker

Katharina Bauer is assistant professor of practical philosophy at Erasmus School of Philosophy.

She obtained a doctorate in philosophy (summa cum laude) for a dissertation about the phenomenon of the gift: Einander zu erkennen geben (Karl Alber Verlag 2012). In 2016 she has completed her habilitation thesis about theories of practical necessity at the Ruhr-Universität Bochum as a research scholar of the “Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)”. As Visiting Researcher at the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen and Goethe Universität Frankfurt a.M., she has investigated the topic of self-optimization from a Kantian perspective (Feodor-Lynen Fellowship for Experienced Researchers, sponsored by the Humboldt Foundation).

Her areas of specialization are moral philosophy, self-optimization and enhancement, theories of practical necessity, theories of personal identity and character, theories of the gift and contemporary French philosophy

Abstract lecture

The title of the lecture is 'Work in Progress: About human perfection and imperfection'. “Work in Progress” does not only indicate the status of this lecture, but also its topic. According to theories of transhumanism, human nature ought to be regarded as work in progress. It needs further enhancement in order to overcome imperfection. Striving for perfection has always been a fundamental element of the human condition. But what would it mean for human beings to be perfect and in how far is this really desirable? Is there a “case against perfection”? Or is there even a particular worth of imperfection? What are the advantages and disadvantages of understanding human beings as “work in progress”?