Our Seminars and Colloquium

Our seminars and colloquium are intended to lead to a deeper understanding of philosophical orientation in today’s complex world as well as prudent practices and virtues in our everyday and professional life, especially in leadership tasks. All our seminars are free of charge and most are virtual.

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Who can attend?

Everyone, no matter what background, is welcome to attend. Prior philosophical or academic training is of course useful, but not required. We try to bring together interesting and curious people from inside and outside of academia, from all professional fields, in order to philosophize together. Participants who attend the majority (i.e., three quarter) of the sessions of a seminar and actively contribute to discussions will receive a certificate of recognition.

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What our seminar participants are saying

“I truly appreciate the Foundation’s generosity offering these seminars. I’ve learned so much from the presenters and their expertise. I also enjoy the discussion in general. This is extremely valuable! Every week I look forward to meeting with this nice community of curious and open-minded people. I appreciate how everyone is welcomed to participate in the discussion regardless of their background”

Belén Hernández, Violinist and Violin Teacher

Seminar: “Late Nietzsche II: Ecce Homo”

“With their online seminars, Reinhard Mueller and the good people at the Foundation for Philosophical Orientation provide both early career and seasoned philosophers with the opportunity to meet like-minded thinkers from around the world in a supportive and creative environment. I happily anticipated every session on Ecce Homo, Nietzsche’s provocatively unveiled final book, and I’m a better reader after each one: my perspectives were constantly changing thanks to the knowledge of the other participants. Thank you very much! I’m looking forward to more from the FPO.”

Blake Wilson, Professor of Criminal Justice at California State University, Stanislaus

Seminar: “Late Nietzsche II: Ecce Homo”
https://www.mblakewilson.com/

“For people like me, the complexities of Nietzsche require the right guides to provide insights and ask illuminating questions. The facilitators of our seminar helped orient us in the transcendent, culminating work of Nietzsche’s “Ecce Homo”, and as a result, I feel more enlightened about—and more confident—with Nietzsche’s thinking and aim as a result. My highest kudos and deepest appreciation goes to the Foundation of Philosophical Orientation for yet another seminar offering of the highest quality!”

George Ogata, Senior Agile Engagement Manager at Takeda Pharmaceuticals

Seminar: “Late Nietzsche II: Ecce Homo”

Ongoing and upcoming

Change and Leadership: How to Successfully Orient Yourself in a Rapidly Changing World

04/10/2025 - 06/06/2025In this seminar, we will explore the orientation skills required by leaders to navigate change.Read more

From Chaos to Logos: Śiva, Dionysus, and the Beginnings of Western Philosophy

04/04/2025 - 05/30/2025In this seminar, we will trace, via the terms of the philosophy of orientation, how what we call ‘Western philosophy’ was step by step created by distinguishing itself from perceived ‘Eastern traditions’ and their myths and rituals. Read more

Orientations in Politics: How Do We Orient Ourselves Politically and How Does Politics Orient Us?

03/18/2025 - 05/13/2025In this seminar, we will use the terminology of the philosophy of orientation in order to analyze historical and contemporary political positions with regard to their plausibilities, morals, and beliefs.Read more

Virtual Research Colloquium on Philosophical Orientation

01/01/2023 - 12/31/2025Our research colloquium is designed to provide a collaborative space for researchers with any disciplinary background to present and discuss their research projects engaging with the philosophy of orientation.Read more

Past seminars

Foundations of the Philosophy of Orientation (part 2)

01/23/2025 - 03/13/2025In this introductory seminar, we will read the primary book of the philosophy of orientation, Werner Stegmaier’s Read more

Late Nietzsche II: Ecce Homo

01/22/2025 - 03/19/2025Following our thought-provoking seminar on Nietzsche’s late writings last year, we are thrilled to announce we are thrilled to announce a second Late Nietzsche Seminar, now dedicated to his final enigmatic work: Ecce Homo.Read more

Media and Art in (Second-Order) Orientation

12/06/2024 - 01/17/2025Based on the idea that orientation today is mostly second-order orientation which, in turn, is fostered by mass and social media, Hans-Georg Moeller will take a critical look at major representatives of 20th century media theory and introduce Luhmann’s media theory as an alternative to them. The second part of the seminar, led by the two Serbian artists, Žarko Aleksić and Uroš Krčadinac, switches from media to art. Today, understanding art, too, must operate with second-order orientation.Read more

Introduction to the Philosophy of Orientation (part 1)

10/31/2024 - 12/19/2024In this seminar, we will read the first half of the primary book of the philosophy of orientation, Werner Stegmaier’s 'What is Orientation? A Philosophical Investigation'Read more

Spinoza’s Ethics: A Radical Reorientation of Metaphysics

06/18/2024 - 09/03/2024In this seminar, we will give an introduction to Spinoza’s main work, his Ethics, and relate it to important concepts of the philosophy of orientationRead more

Orientations to and beyond the Logos

05/16/2024 - 07/18/2024Delving into the origins of the notion of logos, this seminar explores how the manifold aspects of the concept in the ancient Greek world shape different perceptions of reality, knowledge, and belief, as well as how its interpretation as rational thinking was an orientation decision that continues to impact current philosophical thought.Read more

Innovation and Leadership: How to Successfully Orient to "the New"?

05/08/2024 - 06/26/2024In this seminar, we explore, via the philosophy of orientation, how we orient ourselves to “the new” and how something novel becomes an innovation. Read more

Late Nietzsche: Twilight of the Idols and The Antichrist

01/17/2024 - 03/27/2024Among Nietzsche’s most aggressive and polemical are his late works, when he was increasingly seeking public attention, such as, Read more

Artificial Intelligence and Human Orientation

01/15/2024 - 04/22/2024AI is increasingly intertwined with and thus transforms human orientation – raising new philosophical questions concerning artificial intelligence and human orientation.Read more

Martin Heidegger's Being and Time and the Philosophy of Orientation (part 2)

10/23/2023 - 12/18/2023In this seminar, we will track how, in their explorations of everydayness, temporality, and death, Stegmaier’s philosophy of orientation aligns with or departs from Heidegger’s Being and Time.Read more

Orientation for Leadership

10/18/2023 - 12/20/2023In our everyday and professional lives, people have different orientation abilities. The question of leadership arises when people having to cope with difficult situations are in need of a superior orientation, i.e., leadership.Read more

Philosophical Critiques of Morality: Nietzsche and Stegmaier

06/13/2023 - 09/20/2023Morals bind not only our actions, but already our thinking; they are blind spots of our orientation. In this seminar, we explore Nietzsche’s and Stegmaier’s philosophical critiques of morality and compare the two approaches. We will closely read and discuss Nietzsche’s Genealogy of Morality as well as chapters 14 and 15 from Werner Stegmaier’s Read more

Virtual Seminar: Artificial Intelligence and Human Orientation

04/11/2023 - 12/12/2023Artificial Intelligence (AI) increasingly generates output that changes not only how we find our way on the internet and in the world. AI also changes how we relate to each other and how we conceive of ourselves.Read more

Virtual Seminar: Orientation/Disorientation in Ancient Greek Philosophy and Literature

02/02/2023 - 03/31/2023Many of the basic concepts of our present political, scientific and aesthetic world orientation have their origins in ancient Greek thought. Read more

in-person Seminar: The Philosophy of Orientation on Leadership

11/30/2022 - 06/30/2023Outstanding leaders orient themselves more successfully than others under the conditions of uncertainty and time pressure. They are therefore able to take on responsibility for other people. Read more

Virtual Seminar: Identity and Orientation

10/26/2022 - 12/30/2022Identity is at the heart of political struggles today: identity politics has become a defining feature of the present culture wars between the liberal left and the conservative right. Read more

Virtual Seminar: Martin heidegger’s Being and Time and the Philosophy of Orientation

10/26/2022 - 12/20/2022Martin Heidegger’s Being and Time (1927) is not only a landmark in the history of philosophy, especially in the so-called “Continental” tradition, but it also prepared the philosophy of orientation in significant aspects. Read more

Virtual Seminar: Chinese Philosophy and the Philosophy of Orientation

05/24/2022 - 06/28/2023In this seminar we will introduce some of the most influential texts in Chinese thought, namely the Analects of Confucius, the Laozi (Tao-Te-Ching), and the Zhuangzi. We will highlight similarities between the philosophical reflections in these texts and Stegmaier’s philosophy of orientation.Read more

Virtual Seminar on the Philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche

04/01/2022 - 12/01/2022Friedrich Nietzsche is not only one of the most influential thinkers of modern and “postmodern” philosophy, art, and literature, but he is also one of the most crucial forerunners of the philosophy of orientationRead more

Virtual Seminar on What is Orientation? A Philosophical Investigation

03/01/2021 - 03/01/2022Especially in times of the current Coronavirus pandemic, the question of how we continually reorient ourselves in everyday life has become most relevant. But what is orientation?Read more