Johannes Abel studied Philosophy, English, and Educational Studies at Ruhr-University Bochum (Germany) and worked as a high school teacher before starting to work full-time on a PhD in Philosophy at Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg.
What excites you about philosophy?
I like when I am completely surprised by a question, when I had not thought before that that could be a problem. Examples are the concepts of “time” and “nature”.
What are you most proud of in your professional life?
I still try to understand the concept of a ‘professional life’, of what is behind our division of time into work and leisure.
What are you working on right now?
I am mainly working on Søren Kierkegaard and Albert Camus. I have a general interest in Ethics and Anthropology of the 19th and 20th centuries, as well as in theoretical approaches to teaching philosophy at the high school level.
What topic do you think is under explored in philosophy?
That is a difficult question. I think every student of philosophy has to explore the basic topics for him or herself. There is no authority of a tradition of research as there is in science. For a student of physics, Aristotelian physics is systematically irrelevant. That might be different in philosophy. I do not know that for sure, which in turn is precisely the problem. In the end, you have to decide that yourself.
If you could wake up tomorrow with a new talent, what would you most like it to be?
I wish I could sing or dance.
If a crystal ball could tell you the truth about yourself, your life, the future, or anything else, what would you want to know?
I would like to know how I can be sure that the crystal ball tells the truth.
If you could be anyone else for a day, who would that be and why?
This is a thought experiment that is impossible to think.
Which books have changed your life? In what ways?
I believe more in dialogue than in books. Usually, I change because someone convinces me, or helps me to understand something.
What would your childhood self say if someone told you that you would grow up to be a philosopher?
I would not have believed him, and I would have been right. Plato or Kant are philosophers, not me.
Who do you think is the most overrated / underrated philosopher?
I guess there are many underrated philosophers who do or did not write in English, French, German, Latin or Greek, so our present-day scientific community has little access to their works. From the ones I know, Kant is both the most famous thinker and still the most underrated one.
Where is your favorite place you have ever traveled and why?
Sils Maria in Switzerland.
What 3 items would you take to a desert island other than food and water?
Soap, a toothbrush and a satellite phone.
Who would win in a fight between Spiderman and Batman?
Since Spiderman has superpowers, but Batman has not, that should be an easy fight.
Where would you go in a time machine?
I do not believe in the concept of time that the idea of a time machine presupposes.
What technology do you wish the human race could discover/create/invent right now?
The replicator from Star Trek – if it could indeed solve the global problem of access to food. But I am skeptical.
What advice do you wish someone had given you?
I wish someone had told me things that took me years to find out, but I guess I would not have understood him.
This section of the APA Blog is designed to get to know our fellow philosophers a little better. We’re including profiles of APA members that spotlight what captures their interest not only inside the office, but also outside of it. We’d love for you to be a part of it, so please contact us via the interview nomination form here to nominate yourself or a friend.
Dr. Sabrina D. MisirHiralall is an editor at the Blog of the APA who currently teaches philosophy, religion, and education courses solely online for Montclair State University, Three Rivers Community College, and St. John’s University.
