What initially led you to pursue a career in philosophy?
When I took up my studies, I started in the literature department and only occasionally took philosophy classes. Over time, I realised that what truly interested me in literature were ultimately theoretical problems. I began to feel a bit sorry for the literary texts themselves—so I made a full switch to philosophy and have remained there ever since. For me, doing philosophy is the nicest occupation I can imagine. It demands freedom of thought, critical reasoning, engagement with delightfully challenging arguments and positions, and a great deal of creativity to make sense of how everything fits together. I find this deeply rewarding.
Over the course of your academic career, which philosophical questions have interested you the most, and why?
A number of questions interest me, precisely because they are so interesting. Here are a few examples: What did Kant and Hegel really mean? How might we reformulate their ideas in the context of contemporary philosophy? What is god, and does god exist? Can there be true contradictions, and what (if anything) can we learn from them? What are art and beauty, and what makes aesthetic engagement so special? What is music, and what does it express? How can we practise non-identity?
What is the most significant change in philosophy that you have witnessed since you began working in the field?
Philosophy has become much more diverse in recent years, expanding into a wide range of new branches and sub-disciplines. This development has had many positive effects—for instance, I now personally feel encouraged to publish highly specialised work on topics in the philosophy of music or ancient Chinese Daoism.
If you had to choose your greatest philosophical inspiration or hero, who would it be and why?
There are no heroes in philosophy. But Adorno’s work has probably been the most consistent and profound source of inspiration for me. And Rüdiger Bubner was my philosophical teacher. Although I disagree with him on most points, he showed me what philosophy can be.