Willi Goetschel

Willi Goetschel is a Professor of Philosophy and Germanic Languages & Literatures at the University of Toronto, affiliated with the Centre for European and Eurasian Studies. He holds a PhD from Harvard University (1989) and an MPhil from the Universität Zürich (1982). His research focuses on Jewish thought, German Enlightenment and idealism, critical theory, and social/political theory.

Key research interests include the emergence of modern philosophy's treatment of difference and alterity, particularly in Jewish philosophy, supported by SSHRC grants (2012–2020 and 2004–2009). His work spans Spinoza's influence, Mendelssohn's translations, and Heine's critical secularism. He has edited major works, including Hermann Levin Goldschmidt's collected writings and Margarete Susman's contributions.

Publications include Heine and Critical Theory (2019), Spinoza’s Modernity (2004), and Constituting Critique (1994). He serves as editor for Bamidbar, The Germanic Review, and others. Awards include the Moses Mendelssohn Prize (2020) and Royal Society of Canada Fellowship (2024).

Teaching includes courses on German literature and thought from the 18th to 20th centuries, critical theory, and Jewish intellectual history. His grants and fellowships highlight interdisciplinary work on exile, secularization, and Spinoza's legacy.