Werner Krieglstein
Werner Josef Krieglstein (born October 31, 1941) is an American scholar, director and actor. Krieglstein is the founder of a neo-Nietzschean philosophical school called Transcendental Perspectivism. Krieglstein's "philosophy of compassion"[3] has been the subject of symposium lectures at many prominent conferences including the UNESCO section of the World Congress of Philosophy conference in Seoul Korea (August, 2008),[4][5] the ISAIL "Fields of Conflict-Fields of Wisdom": 4th International Congress in Wuerzburg, Germany (May, 2008),[6] the meeting of the American Philosophical Association in Washington D.C. (Symposium Chair: Sept. 2006),[7] and the ISUD Fourth World Conference of the International Society for Universal Dialogue (Summer, 2001),[8] among many others.
Werner J. Krieglstein | |
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Werner Krieglstein on stage | |
Born | |
Spouse(s) | Maryann Krieglstein |
Era | 20th-/21st-century philosophy |
Region | Western philosophy |
School | Frankfurt School · critical theory · transcendental perspectivism |
Main interests | social theory · feminist theory[1][2] · perspectivism · transcendentalism · aesthetics |
Notable ideas | Transcendental perspectivism · Work with collective orchestration |
Influences
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Career
Academic background
Krieglstein was born in 1941 in Blatnice, (near Plzeň), at the time an annexed part of Nazi Germany's Sudetenland (present-day Blatnice, Czech Republic). Following the post-war Expulsion of the Germans from Czechoslovakia, he relocated near Frankfurt, Germany.[9][10] In the Sixties, Krieglstein was a student at the Frankfurt School in Germany, under the professorship of Theodor W. Adorno. In his first book, Krieglstein credits the roots of his passion for the transformative aspects of philosophy to the tutelage of Adorno. As a German Jew, Adorno returned to Germany almost immediately after WWII ended with the goal of challenging the indoctrination many university students had received in Hitler's youth education programs.[10] Before moving to the United States, Krieglstein also studied at the Free University of Berlin.[11] Following his studies in Germany, Krieglstein pursued his doctorate at the University of Chicago as a Fulbright Scholar and University Fellow.[8]
Krieglstein has held teaching positions at the University of Helsinki, Finland, and Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo. He currently is professor emeritus of philosophy and religious studies at the College of DuPage, where he was awarded the Most Outstanding Teacher Award in 2003[11] and the Distinguished Regional Humanities Educator Award[11] from the Community College Humanities Association in 2008. In addition to his role as professor, Krieglstein is a course director at the Interuniversity Center in Dubrovnik, Croatia,[12] and a board member of the International Society for Universal Dialogue.[13] His philosophy of compassion is also finding an audience within the education reform movement, with symposium lectures at AEPL "Reclaiming the Wisdom Tradition for Education" conference in Northern California (May, 2008),[14] the NISOD International Conference on Teaching and Leadership Excellence in Austin, TX (May, 2007),[15] and the CCHA Creating Communities Conference hosted by the University of Chicago (Nov, 2006).[16]
Actor and director
While at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Krieglstein rose to prominence in theater when he was appointed as director of the avant-garde theater, Die Neue Bühne, at the Goethe University. While writing for the theater's paper, he interviewed members of The Living Theater including Jerzy Grotowski, and was fortunate enough to study mime under Marceau student Jeanne Winkler.[6] An ISAIL biography notes that "his black light production of Kafka's The Metamorphosis was performed over two hundred times at both European and American festivals."[6][17] After emigrating to the US and while teaching at Western Michigan University in 1976, he founded and directed a small rural theater company in Lawrence, Michigan known as the Whole Arts Theater, which later moved to Kalamazoo.[18] Michigan's official tourism site describing Krieglstein's founding of the Whole Art Theater. More recently, Krieglstein has shifted his acting focus to film. In the past few years, he has worked on several independent films including 'Urban Ground Squirrels' by Wiggle Puppy Productions, Chicago (Mark Krieglstein, 2002)[19] and the internationally known 'Light Denied'[20][21][22][23] by Delos Films, Warsaw (Paweł Kuczyński, 2008),[24] along with a few smaller films.
Personal life
Krieglstein is married to Maryann Krieglstein.[25] After attaining his PhD, the two lived in a few places around the world including Finland and Morocco before settling down on an organic farm in Lawrence, Michigan. While farming, he continued to teach and pursue acting in nearby Kalamazoo. In 1990, Krieglstein moved with his family to Glen Ellyn, Illinois, home to the College of DuPage where he would begin his almost 20 year professorship. Together, Maryann and Werner have five sons and one grandson: Robin (07/01/71), married to Suruchi have a son named Milan (03/14/09); Mark (02/25/75); Daniel (03/31/79), married to Andrea Trocchio; Thomas (12/05/80); and Michael (09/02/84).[9][10]
Philosophy
Transcendental perspectivism is a hybrid philosophy blending Friedrich Nietzsche's perspectivism and the utopian ideals of the transcendentalist movement. Transcendental perspectivism challenges Nietzsche's claim that there is no absolute truths while fully accepting his observation that all truth can only be known in the context of one's perception. This is accomplished through an appreciation of the emotional relationship between two perceptions (the "perceiver" and the "other"). In the simplest of terms, a transcendental truth can only be known when two individuals come to agree on the truth by either force or cooperation, thus working together to build a shared reality.
Awards and academic achievements
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Publications
- Krieglstein, Werner (1992). The Dice-Playing God. University of Michigan: University Press of America. ISBN 978-0-8191-8092-6.
- Krieglstein, Werner (2002). Compassion, A New Philosophy of the Other. Amsterdam: Rodopi. ISBN 978-90-420-0903-5.
- Krieglstein, Werner (2006). Compassionate Thinking, An Introduction to Philosophy. Dubuque, IA.: Kendall Hunt Pub. Co. ISBN 978-0-7575-3141-5.
- Krieglstein, Werner (2007). "Toward a Naturalistic Foundation of Community: How Science Can Solve the Spiritual Crisis?". In Ott, Michael R. (ed.). The Future of Religion: Toward a Reconciled Society. Leiden, The Netherlands: Koninklijke Brill NV. pp. 343–364. ISBN 978-90-04-16014-9.
- Krieglstein, Werner (2010). Einstein's Mistake. Glen Ellyn: Vision Media. ISBN 978-1451576771.
- Werner Krieglstein; Daniel Krieglstein (2017). The Cooperating Universe: How Nature Creates Complexity. CreateSpace Independent Publishing. ISBN 978-1533330611.
References
- Femenias, Maria Luisa; Oliver, Amy A., eds. (2007). Feminist Philosophy in Latin America and Spain. Amsterdam: Rodopi. ISBN 978-90-420-2207-2. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
- Burns, Lynda (2006). Feminist Alliances. Netherlands: Editions Rodopi B.V. ISBN 90-420-1728-7. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
- Krieglstein, Werner (2002). Compassion: A New Philosophy of the Other. Amsterdam: Rodopi B.V. ISBN 978-9042009035.
- "Detailed programmes for UNESCO Conferences in Seoul 3-5 August, 2008" (PDF). UNESCO. Retrieved 4 June 2012.
- Kurokawa, Glen; Macer, Darryl (September 2008). "Report of the UNESCO Conference on Ethical Worldviews of Nature (Ethics of Energy Technologies in Asia and the Pacific Working Group 2)" (PDF). Eubios Journal of Asian and International Bioethics. Asian Bioethics Association. 18: 138–143. ISSN 1173-2571. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
- "Invited Presenters among other:". "Fields of Conflict-Fields of Wisdom": 4th International Congress. Institute for Systemic Constellations and Integrative Solutions (ISAIL). Retrieved 4 June 2012.
- "Collective Memory, Philosophical Reflection, and World Peace". American Philosophical Association. Retrieved 4 June 2010.
- "Werner Krieglstein". Liberal Arts:Faculty and Staff. College of DuPage. Retrieved 4 June 2012.
- Krieglstein, Werner (1992). "Building the Smallest Democracy at the Heart of Society". The Creative Woman. University Park, IL: Governors State University. 12 (2): 4–8. ISSN 0736-4733. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
- Krieglstein, Werner (1991). The Dice-Playing God: Reflections on Life in a Postmodern Age. Lanham, MD: University Press of America. ISBN 978-0819180926.
- "Werner Krieglstein". Division Awards. Community College Humanities Association. Retrieved 4 June 2011.
- "27 / Philosophy, Science and Spirituality". Academic Programme. Interuniversity Center Dubrovnik (IUC). Retrieved 4 June 2012.
- "Board of Directors" (PDF). International Society for Universal Dialogue. Retrieved 4 June 2009.
- "The Power of Partnership Education to Augment the Real Wealth of Nations: And How Dominator Education Puts Nations, and Children, at Risk" (PDF). Reclaiming the Wisdom Tradition for Education:2008 Conference Schedule. AEPL. Retrieved 4 June 2012.
- "International Conference on Teaching and Leadership Excellence:2007 Conference Program" (PDF). NISOD. Retrieved 4 June 2012.
- "CCHA Creating Communities Conference:Central Program" (PDF). Community College Humanities Association. Retrieved 4 June 2009.
- Smith, Sid (July 5, 1990). "Metamorphosis` Needs A Few Changes". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
- "Whole Art Theatre Epic Center Theatre". Michigan's Official Travel and Tourism Site. The Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC). Archived from the original on January 29, 2009. Retrieved 29 January 2009.
- "Urban Ground Squirrels". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 4 June 2012.
- "Light denied". Documentaries/Fiction. directing.com. Retrieved 4 June 2012.
- Fesenmaier, Steve (24 October 2007). "Light Denied-a new film about Nietzsche". Charleston Gazette of Charleston Virginia. Archived from the original on October 7, 2008. Retrieved 4 June 2009.
Of all the films I have seen on philosophy including ones by people like Godard and Syberberg, none packs more intense images about the meaning of philosophy into its 64 minutes than this film.
- "Light Denied". Daily Herald of Suburban Chicago. Retrieved 4 June 2009.
- "Antiquariat Thomas Haker". Thomashaker. Retrieved 4 June 2009.
- "Light Denied official website". Delos Films. Retrieved 4 June 2012.
- "Faculty Spotlight: Maryann Krieglstein". College of DuPage. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
External links
- Transcendental Perspectivism: The Third Enlightenment 'Home Page'
- Transcendental Perspectivism on MySpace
- Light Denied - Trailer on YouTube
- Krieglstein's video lecture on the "Meaning of Life" (Italy, 2004) on YouTube
- Krieglstein's video lecture on "action and reflection" on YouTube
- Krieglstein in Chinese (conference paper)