Dr. Martin Böhnert

• Epistemology of Care
• Feminist Philosophy of Science
• Climate Thinking
• Environmental Humanities & Anthropocene
• Ludwik Fleck's comparative, historical epistemology
• Plausibility as a pattern of thought and argumentation
• Philosophy & Pop Culture
• Philosophy of animal research

• 12/2022-today

  Coordinator of course development with focus on sustainability at FB02

• 01/2012-today                  
  Research assistant at the Institute of Philosophy of the University of Kassel (since 09/2019 as post-doc) with teaching and research tasks in the field of Theoretical Philosophy
• 01/2013-08/2019              
  Doctoral studies in philosophy at the University of Kassel (final grade: with distinction) Topic of the dissertation: "Methodological Signatures - A Philosophical Systematization Attempt of the Empirical Investigation of the Mind of Animals" (grade: with distinction)
• 04/2005-09/2011              
  Master's degree in Philosophy (major), German Studies and Political Science at the University of Kassel and Columbia University, New York, USA (final grade: 1.0). Topic of Master's thesis: "Thinking Animals - Methodological and Epistemological Issues in the Philosophical Debate on the Cognitive Abilities of Animals" (grade: 1.0).

• 2024 Member of the Animal - Human - Society research network at the University of Kassel

• 2023 Member of the DGS working group Sociology of Sustainability

• 04/2022 Founding member of the IAG Climate Thinking

• 01/2021 E-Learning Award of the University of Kassel for the project Climate Thinking: A Living Handbook

• 05/2020
  Barbara and Alfred Röver Foundation Prize for outstanding dissertations

• 05/2020
  Barbara and Alfred Röver Foundation Award for the Climate Thinking project

• 05/2016
  Teaching Innovation Award of the University of Kassel for the project Linguistics & Philosophy VS. Pop Culture

• 2015-2023
  Member of the Faculty Council of FB 02

• 2012-2017
  Member of the LOEWE focus Animal - Human - Society: Approaches to interdisciplinary animal research

• 2012-today
  Member of the Humanities and Cultural Studies Doctoral Program of the Faculty 02 of the University of Kassel

• 2007-2011
  Scholarship holder of the German National Academic Foundation

(selection)

Monograph

• Böhnert, Martin (2020): Methodological signatures. A philosophical attempt to systematize empirical research into the minds of animals. Paderborn: Mentis.

  • Reviews on "Methodological signatures"

    • Gruevska, J. (2020): Journal for General Philosophy of Science.
      https://doi.org/10.1007/s10838-021-09588-w.
    • Klassen, A. (2020): TierEthik 22(13)2020, pp. 174-178.
      https://www.tierethik.net/data/2021-01/TE_2021_1_Buchbesprechungen.pdf.
    • Gräfe, S. (2021): Zeitschrift für Kulturphilosophie 2021/2, pp. 189-191.
      https://meiner.de/kritik-16486.html?previd=16436.

Editorships

• Böhnert, Martin; Hornisch, Maria; Rink, Annika (in print, 2025): Apocalypse and apathy. (Dis)abilities to act in the climate crisis. Bielefeld: transcript.
• Co-editor of the book series Climates - Cultures - Contexts, transcript.
• Böhm, Felix; Böhnert, Martin; Reszke, Paul (2021): Climate Thinking - A Living Handbook. Kassel: University of Kassel.
• Böhnert, Martin; Reszke, Paul (2019): From Binge Watching to Binge Thinking. Investigations into the interplay between science and pop culture. Bielefeld: transcript.

• Wunsch, Matthias; Böhnert, Martin; Köchy, Kristian (2018): Philosophy of animal research. Vol. 3: Milieus and actors. Freiburg: Karl Alber.
• Köchy, Kristian; Wunsch, Matthias; Böhnert, Martin (2016): Philosophy of animal research. Vol. 2: Maxims and consequences. Freiburg: Karl Alber.
• Böhnert, Martin; Köchy, Kristian; Wunsch, Matthias (2016): Philosophy of animal research. Vol. 1: Methods and programs. Freiburg: Karl Alber.

Articles, contributions to edited volumes, etc.

• Meunier, Robert; Böhnert, Martin (2023): George John Romanes: Animal Intelligence. In: Hopkins, Andrew; Morgan, Mary S.; Paskins, Mat (eds.): Narrative Science Anthology II, London School of Economics and Political Science, pp. 78-84.

• Böhm, Felix; Böhnert, Martin (2023): How do animal sounds get into a text? Philosophical-linguistic studies on inscription and epistemic transcription in empirical animal research. In: Journal of Literary Studies and Linguistics 53(2), pp. 259-286.

• Böhnert, Martin (2022): The Science is Clear: Climate Action Now! An Attempt to Reassess the Relationship between Nature and Culture in the Climate Crisis. In: Salzburg Yearbook of Philosophy 67, pp. 27-50.

• Böhnert, Martin; Reszke, Paul (2022): The Knowledge of Others - Epistemic Systems, Environments of Understanding and Plausibility as Analytical Tools of Understanding. In: Aptum 3/2022, pp. 131-148.

• Böhnert, Martin; Reszke, Paul (2022): Which Facts to Trust in the Debate on Climate Change? - On Knowledge and Plausibility in Times of Crisis. In: Hohaus, Pascal (ed.): Science Communication in Times of Crises. Amsterdam: John Benjamins, pp. 15-40.

• Böhm, Felix; Böhnert, Martin (2022): Climate Thinking: A Living Handbook. Collaborative-hypertextual writing at the interface of research-based learning and knowledge communication in the humanities/cultural studies. In: Sowa, Frank; Voden, Dzifa (eds.): Writing publication-oriented teaching. Teaching concepts from the subjects. Bielefeld: wbv, pp. 137-152.

• Böhnert, Martin; Köchy, Kristian (2021): Outlines of a philosophy of animal research. In Animal Ethics, 13(2), pp. 7-38.

• Böhnert, Martin (2021): When Controversies Flair Up, Matters of Fact Become Matters of Concern. In: Horstmann, Simone (ed.): Interspecies Learning Baselines of Interdisciplinary Animal Welfare and Animal Rights Education. Bielefeld: Transcript, pp. 247-274 (open access).
• Böhnert,Martin; Reszke, Paul (2019): Non-trivial trivialities - pop-cultural secondary worlds as thought experiments and their epistemological utility. In: Böhnert, Martin; Reszke, Paul (eds.): From Binge Watching to Binge Thinking. Investigations into the interplay between science and pop culture. Bielefeld: transcript, pp. 11-50.

• Böhnert, Martin; Hilbert, Christopher (2018): Other minds than ours - A controversial discussion on the limits and possibilities of comparative psychology in the light of Lloyd Morgan's work. In: History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences, 40(3), 27.07.2018, https://doi.org/10.1007/s40656-018-0211-4

• Böhnert, Martin (2018) Three Guys And A Girl In Space. Gender Construction in the Sci-Fi Animes Captain Future, Saber Rider and Cowboy Bebop. In: Milevski, Urania; Reszke, Paul; Woitkowski, Felix (eds.): Gender and Genre. Popular Seriality between Critical Reception and Gender Theoretical Reflection. Würzburg: Königshausen & Neumann, pp. 317-335.

• Böhnert, Martin; Kranke, Nina (2018): Riot Grrrl Primatology. On women researchers, feminism and feminist sciences. In: Wunsch, Matthias; Böhnert, Martin; Köchy, Kristian (eds.): Philosophy of animal research. Vol. 3: Milieus and actors. Freiburg: Karl Alber, pp. 325-374.

• Böhnert, Martin; Reszke, Paul (2015): Linguistic-philosophical studies on plausibility: On basic communicative patterns in the emergence of scientific facts. In: Engelschalt, Julia; Maibaum, Arne (eds.): In search of the facts: Proceedings of the 1st conference of the junior research network "INSIST", October 22/23, 2014, Berlin. SOAR, PP. 40-67.

(Selection)

• 27.11.2024 University of Kassel: Is There an Ethics of Knowledge? Understanding Epistemic Responsibilities in Scientific Knowledge Production, lecture as part of the lecture series of the research group Multiscale Clocks

• 02.07.2023

  Universität Hamburg: Wissen zwischen Transfer und Dialog - Über Dynamiken des Vertrauens und der Plausibilität (together with Paul Reszke), lecture at the conference "Wissenstransfer in der Krise? Sociological perspectives on challenges and conditions for success of science communication on sustainability problems" of the DGS working group Sociology of Sustainability.

• 26.10.2022

  University of Kassel: The Science is Clear - Climate Action Now! On the (ir)relevance of the humanities and cultural sciences in the climate crisis, Interdisciplinary lecture series "Apokalypse & Apathy - Handlungs(un)fähigkeit im Kontext des Klimawandels", IAG Climate Thinking

• 28.09.2022

  Paderborn University: How do animal voices get into texts? Linguistic-philosophical reflections on multimodal knowledge modeling of empirical animal research (together with Felix Böhm, Siegen), 27th Germanist Conference, Section 2: Phenomenon-oriented approaches, Panel 37: "Mehrdeutigkeit und Unsicherheit in Tier-Mensch-Begegnungen. Linguistic and literary approaches"

• 01.07.2022

  Université Genèva (Switzerland): Facts in crisis - The dynamics between trust, Research and plausibility using the example of the climate change discourse (together with Paul Reszke), International Conference "Kulturell Konstruktiv" under the direction of Juliane Schröter.

• 17.06.-18.06.2022

  University of Kassel: Workshop (concept and organization):Thought experiments and their narrative settings (together with Rebecca Bachmann).

• 26.11.2021

  Technical University of Darmstadt: Researching the Knowledge of Others: Understanding Environments, Epistemic Systems and Plausibility as Analytical Tools of Understanding (together with Paul Reszke, Kassel), Working Group Applied Linguistics under the direction of Nina Janich

• 16.06.2021
  Friedrich Schiller University Jena: Between crisis knowledge and knowledge crises: Philosophical Reflections on Knowledge in the Corona Crisis, International and Interdisciplinary Event Series Interdisciplinarity, Interprofessionality, Internationality in the Context of the Health Crisis at the Medical Faculty of the Friedrich Schiller University Jena
• 12.05.2021
  University of Kassel: Wissen in der Krise - Eine philosophische Reflexion von Wissen am Beispiel der Klimakrise, Interdisziplinäre Vortragsreihe des Lehr- und Forschungsschwerpunkts Climate Thinking am Fachbereich 02.

• 24.09.2020
  University of Kassel: Anecdotes in the comparative psychology of the 19th century (together with Robert Meunier, Kassel), study day of the research focus "Narration and Research" of the Department of Humanities and Cultural Studies under the direction of Ilse Müllner

• 06.11.2019
  LSE - London School of Economics (England): Uses of Anecdote in Nineteenth Century Comparative Psychology (together with Robert Meunier, Kassel), workshop of the Narrative Science Project under the direction of Mary S. Morgan

• 25.06.2019
  University of Rostock: Zur Plausibilität wissenschaftlicher Tatsachen am Beispiel der Erforschung des Geistes von Tieren, research colloquium of the Moritz-Schlick-Forschungsstelle under the direction of Matthias Wunsch

• 20.12.2018
  University of Bochum: Methodological Signatures - A Philosophical Attempt to Systematize Research Approaches in Cognitive Behavioural Research, CAST Colloquium (Centre for Anthropological Knowledge in Scientific and Technological Cultures) under the direction of Christina Brandt

• 24.01.2018
  University of Kassel: Superheroes, Private Dicks and the female Gaze - Netflix' Jessica Jones und der weibliche Blick auf männliche Genres, Interdisciplinary lecture series: Gender & Genre 3 - Populäre Serialität zwischen kritischer Rezeption und geschlechtertheoretischer Reflexion

• 17.07.2017
  University of Zurich, (Switzerland): It was so beautiful it had to be true - Visualization forms as a plausibilization strategy of scientific facts (together with Paul Reszke, Kassel), International Conference VisuHu 2017: Visualization processes in the Humanities - Linguistic perspectives on imprints, practices, positions

• 05.09.2024

  University of Kassel: "Have fun, and make an impact!" Board games as a discursive medium of climate-related knowledge transfer (together with Felix Böhm), workshop at the 15th annual conference of the Society for Fantastic Research under the title Fantastic Climates.

• 10.07.2024

  Museum for Sepulchral Culture, Kassel: "ÜberLeben - A roundtable discussion on life, survival and coexistence in the age of the Anthropocene" (together with Annika Rink). Panel discussion with Eva-Maria Aigner (Vienna), Lisa Hinterleitner (Kassel), Maria Hornisch (Kassel), Miriam Tag (Heidelberg).

• 12.06.2024

  SDG+LAB, Kassel: "¿Explotar hasta el final? Exploração sem fim? Exploiting endlessly? - A panel discussion on extractivism in South America in the age of the Anthropocene" (together with Annika Rink). Panel discussion with Nina Baghery (Kassel), Dani Dias (Rio de Janeiro), Jan-Henrick Witthaus (Kassel).

• 29.05.2024

  Naturkundemuseum Ottoneum, Kassel. "Strange Idyll, Familiar Threat - A Round Table on the Forest in the Age of the Anthropocene" (together with Annika Rink). Panel discussion with Patrick Kahle (Bielefeld), Silvie Lang (Kassel), Vanessa-Nadie Sternath (Kassel) and Karolin Schmitt-Weidmann (Stuttgart).

(Selection, alphabetical)

Project seminars and research-based learning

• Apocalypse & apathy: (dis)abilities to act in the climate crisis

• Climate Thinking - Forms of Research in the Climate Change Discourse
• Donna Haraway: Staying with the Trouble
• Environment, Society and the Anthropocene
• Feminist epistemology
• Linguistics & Philosophy VS Pop Culture
• Philosophy and Performance
• Plausibility - philosophical-linguistic investigations
• Social epistemology and collaborative knowledge production using the example of Wikipedia
• That's fake news. It's true. - Certainty between realism and constructivism

Introductions and classical topics

• Thinking animals? Epistemological, ontological and methodological aspects of animal philosophy
• Descartes' meditations
• Forms of Research
• Philosophy in the real world - An introduction to the philosophy of John Searle
• Philosophy of Science: Critical Perspectives on Knowledge
• Plato's Politeia
• Positions of feminist philosophy of science
• Science Studies - An introduction to the work of Bruno Latour
• Miracles, Evidence and Facts - An Introduction to Positions in the Philosophy of Science