About me

Photo: Ulrich Mayer

I’m a passionate philosopher. Since a booklet with “Plato’s Master Dialogues” came into my hands as a young man, I have been inspired by a fervent love (philia) for wisdom (sophia), which I understand as the way to a fulfilled and flourishing life. As a bestselling author, speaker, ZEIT travel director/organizer, inspirer and companion for companies, I refer to the great works of Western philosophy in order to transfer them into a contemporary art of living and forward-looking interpretation of the world.

My philosophy revolves around the question of fulfilled humanity in the 21st century: What does it mean to be alive in the full sense of the word? What is the inalienable dignity of the human being in the digital age? What kind of thinking do we need to meet the challenges of climate change?

For me, answers to these questions arise from the fact that man is a relational being: our self forms in conversation with the other; we discover meaning by letting ourselves be touched by the world. Life succeeds where we are bound back to living nature and work creatively together.