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Godehard Brüntrup is a full Professor of Metaphysics, Philosophy of Mind and Philosophy of Language at the Munich School of Philosophy, where he has been tenured since 2003. He holds the Erich Lejeune Endowed Chair for Philosophy and Motivation, which he has occupied since 2012. Brüntrup also served as Vice President of the Munich School of Philosophy from 2014 to 2020 and has been acting manager of the "Institute for Scientific Borderline Questions to Philosophy and Theology" since 2020. As a Jesuit priest (SJ), he brings a unique perspective to his academic work bridging philosophy, theology, and contemporary scientific understanding.
Brüntrup received his undergraduate and master's degrees in Philosophy from the Munich School of Philosophy and Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich, graduating in 1984. He then pursued graduate studies in Catholic Theology at Hochschule St. Georgen in Frankfurt and the University of Innsbruck, Austria, completing his degree in 1989. He earned his doctorate in Philosophy from Freie Universität Berlin in 1994 with a dissertation on "Mental Causation," and completed his habilitation in Philosophy in 2003.
Brüntrup's research spans multiple interconnected domains within philosophy. His primary areas of specialization include Philosophy of Mind (focusing on Mental Causation, The Phenomenal Mind, and Pan(proto)psychism), Philosophy of Psychology (Theory of Motivation, Theory of Selves, and Personal Identity), Action Theory (Self-Control, Self-Regulation, and Autonomy), Metaphysics (Identity of Particulars, Personal Identity, and Libertarian Freedom), Philosophy of Religion, History of Philosophy (particularly Leibniz, Whitehead, and the Origins of Analytic Philosophy), and Applied Ontology. His work consistently bridges theoretical philosophical inquiry with practical applications, particularly in understanding human motivation and self-realization.
Brüntrup has secured approximately €5.6 million in third-party funding from prestigious organizations including the BMWi, DFG, John Templeton Foundation, Templeton Religion Trust, Thyssen Foundation, Isachaar Fund, and the Dr. phil. h.c. mult. Erich J. Lejeune Lehrstuhl für Philosophie und Motivation. His research projects include the "Geiststaub" Project, "Humility" Project, Erich Lejeune Chair for Philosophy and Motivation, "Analytic Theology" Project, "The Nature of God" Project, "Theodicy Cluster" Project, "Epistemology of Narrative," and "DomOnto" Project. These projects demonstrate his commitment to interdisciplinary work that connects philosophical inquiry with psychological, theological, and computational perspectives.
As editor for German-speaking countries at the European Journal for Philosophy of Religion since 2011 and member of the steering committee for the international "Analytic Theology" project (2011-2015), Brüntrup has significantly contributed to advancing philosophical discourse in the German-speaking world and internationally. His work as James Collins Visiting Professor at Saint Louis University and regular teaching there demonstrates his ongoing engagement with the international academic community.
