Karl Jaspers (1883–1969) was one of the most important German-speaking philosophers of the 20th century. After earning his doctorate in medicine and his habilitation in psychology, he became a full professor of philosophy in Heidelberg in 1921. Forced into retirement by the Nazi regime because of his Jewish wife, he accepted a position in Basel in 1948, where he taught until his retirement in 1961. Interested in having a broad impact, Jaspers was very open to the then "new" media of radio, records, film, and television. However, he soon learned the downside of public life and found himself the target of a large number of "abusive letters."

In the summer of 2025, the radio lectures Introduction to Philosophy (1950) and the television lectures Small School of Philosophical Thought (1965) will be published as part of the inter-academic research project "Karl Jaspers Complete Edition" (KJG).

About the author: Dr . Dirk Fonfara studied classical philology, history, and philosophy in Cologne. After completing his state examination (1996/97), he earned his doctorate there in 2002 with a thesis on Aristotle's theory of substance and, from 2003 to 2013, published two volumes of the historical-critical complete edition Husserliana as a research assistant at the Husserl Archives in Cologne. Since 2014, he has been working at the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences on the Karl Jaspers Complete Edition (KJG), which he has also been coordinating since June 2024. In addition, he has been teaching ancient and medieval philosophy and Jaspers at the University of Heidelberg for almost ten years.

About the lecture series: This public lecture series has been taking place for over 20 years now, featuring scientists from the Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities as well as from its seven sister academies. The lectures are aimed at a broad audience and provide insights into the latest research. Afterwards, there is an opportunity to talk to the scientists over pretzels and wine in the Academy's courtyard garden.

The series is held in cooperation with vhs Heidelberg.