Kurt Bayertz

Kurt Bayertz is a Professor for Applied Philosophy at Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster since 1993. His research focuses include Ethics, Anthropology, Political Philosophy, Philosophy of Science, and Bioethics. He has been a member of the Research College: Theoretical Foundations of Normative Justification in Biomedical Ethics and Bio-politics since 2009 and leads projects like Social Order without God and Materialistic Worldview in 18th Century Europe.

• Education: Habilitation (1988, University of Hamburg); Doctorate in Philosophy (1975–1977, University of Bremen); Masters in Philosophy (1974, University of Düsseldorf); Study in Philosophy, Social Sciences, and German Literature (1969–1974, Frankfurt/Düsseldorf).
• Research: Explores the intersection of ethics, political philosophy, and historical-materialist frameworks, with emphasis on Marxist theory, Kantian ethics, evolutionary biology, and bioethics. His work addresses moral normativity, technological intervention, and philosophical anthropology.

Scientific Awards:

• Tractatus – Essaypreis des Philosophicum Lech (2013)
• Fellowship at Hanse-Wissenschaftskolleg (2009)
• Opus magnum Fellowship (VolkswagenStiftung, 2006)
• Fellowship at Istituto per le Scienze Religiose (2006)

Teaching: Offers seminars on Kantian Cosmology, Evolutionary Ethics, and Happiness Theories, often in collaboration with Prof. Dr. Peter Rohs and others. Recent courses include Social Order without God (2025) and Schöpferische Evolution (2025).