Jan Michel
© Nurida Boddenberg

PD Dr. Jan Guido Michel

Interim Chair of Natural Philosophy and Philosophy of Science
(2025–2026)

Email: jan.michel@uni-bonn.de

Research

My research lies at the intersection of philosophy of science, epistemology, and philosophy of language, with a particular focus on discovery. At the center of this work is the development of an epistemology of discovery: a systematic account of how scientific findings unfold in stages, from the moment something new first becomes available, through their communicative life, to their eventual place within established knowledge. A recurring question is how artificial systems, too, may come to participate in these processes. Beyond this, I work on communication and meaning in the philosophy of AI, and on environmental philosophy, including efforts to establish the environmental humanities as a research field. My work is interdisciplinary and international, grounded in case studies from the history and practice of science, and pursued in close collaboration with colleagues across the natural sciences and humanities.
 

Research Areas

  • Philosophy of Science
  • Epistemology
  • Philosophy of Language and Mind
  • Philosophy of AI
  • Environmental Philosophy

Academic CV

  • 2025–2026: Interim Chair of Natural Philosophy and Philosophy of Science, University of Bonn
  • 2024–present: Privatdozent, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf
  • 2023: Interim Chair of Theoretical Philosophy, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf
  • 2021–2022: Interim Professor of Philosophy of Mind and Cognition, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf
  • 2018: Visiting Scholar, Department of Philosophy, University of Connecticut, USA
  • 2017–2021: Research Fellow, Emmy Noether Research Group, Ruhr University Bochum
  • 2011–2017: Research Fellow, Department of Philosophy, University of Münster
  • 2009–2011: Research Fellow, Center for Philosophy of Science, University of Münster
  • 2024: Habilitation in Philosophy, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf
  • 2010: Dr. phil. in Philosophy (minor in Physics), University of Münster, summa cum laude
  • 2005: M.A. (Philosophy, English Philology, Pedagogy), University of Münster
  • 2005: First State Examination in Philosophy and English (Teaching Qualification), University of Münster
  • Institutions: Cognitive Science Society · European Research Council (ERC) · German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) · German Research Foundation (DFG) · German Society for Philosophy (DGPhil) · London School of Economics (LSE) · Society for Analytic Philosophy (GAP) · Thyssen Foundation · Volkswagen Foundation
  • Publishers: Brill · Oxford University Press · Routledge · Springer Nature
  • Journals: AI and Society · Asian Journal of Philosophy · Ergo · Erkenntnis · European Journal for Philosophy of Science · Journal for General Philosophy of Science · Mind and Language · Minds and Machines · Noûs · Philosophia · Philosophical Psychology · Philosophical Studies · Philosophy and the Mind Sciences · Philosophy of AI · Synthese
  • Gesellschaft für Analytische Philosophie (GAP)
  • Deutsche Gesellschaft für Philosophie (DGPhil)
  • Gesellschaft für Wissenschaftsphilosophie (GWP)
  • Society for the Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence
  • The Serendipity Society

Selected Editorial Activities

  • Associate Editor, Philosophia: A Global Journal of Philosophy (since 2022); Springer Nature Editor of Distinction Award (2025, 2026)
  • Co-Editor (with Samantha Copeland), Chance and Discovery, Book Series, De Gruyter (since 2026)
  • Advisory Board Member, Philosophy of AI (since 2024)

Teaching

My teaching spans theoretical philosophy at five universities (Münster, Bochum, Connecticut, Düsseldorf, and Bonn), from introductory seminars to graduate seminars, lectures, and research colloquia. I combine systematic philosophical analysis with historical contextualization, drawing on a range of formats: close reading, group work, and student workshops, alongside digital tools such as flipped-classroom modules and online quizzes, as well as occasional field trips, for instance to research collections. Courses regularly connect core debates in philosophy of science, language, and mind with contemporary developments in artificial intelligence, animal communication, and environmental philosophy, and are enriched by sustained interdisciplinary exchange. I supervise theses at all levels, from BA to doctoral dissertations, and welcome inquiries from prospective doctoral students working on topics related to my research.

Publications

Two book projects on the philosophy of scientific discovery are currently in preparation.

  1. Discovery, Language, and Machines. Habilitation thesis, 2023.
  2. John Searle. Introductory book in German, co-authored with Michael Kober. Brill/mentis 2011. 
  3. Der qualitative Charakter bewusster Erlebnisse: Physikalismus und phänomenale Eigenschaften in der analytischen Philosophie des Geistes. Doctoral Dissertation. Brill/mentis 2011.
  1. William Lycan on Mind, Meaning, and Method (ed., with Mitchell Green), Palgrave Macmillan, 2025.
  2. Making Scientific Discoveries: Interdisciplinary Reflections (ed.), Brill/mentis, 2022.
  3. Ist der Geist im Kopf? Beiträge zur These des erweiterten Geistes (ed., with Kim Boström & Michael Pohl), Brill/mentis, 2016.
  4. Die Suche nach dem Geist (ed., with Gernot Münster), Brill/mentis, 2013.
  5. Rosemarie Rheinwald. Logic, Causation, Freedom – Selected Papers (ed., with Oliver Scholz), Brill/mentis, 2012.
  6. John R. Searle. Thinking about the Real World (ed., with Dirk Franken & Attila Karakuş), de Gruyter/ontos, 2010.
  7. Physikalismus, Willensfreiheit, Künstliche Intelligenz (ed., with Marius Backmann), Brill/mentis, 2009.
  1. "On Finding: From Epistemic Acts to Accepted Facts," Topical Collection, Synthese (Guest Editor, forthcoming)
  2. "Language and AI," Special Issue, Philosophy of AI (Guest Co-Editor, with Mitchell Green & Guido Löhr, forthcoming)
  3. "Artificial Researchers and Scientific Discoveries," Special Issue, Philosophical Studies, 2026 (Guest Editor)
  4. "Sources of Meaning," Special Issue, Grazer Philosophische Studien, 2019 (Guest Editor)

Chance and Discovery (co-edited with Samantha Copeland), De Gruyter, 2026–

  1. "Discoveries and the Paronymy of General Terms", in William Lycan on Mind, Meaning, and Method, M. Green & J.G. Michel (eds.), 165–190, Palgrave Macmillan 2025.
  2. "Introduction to William Lycan on Mind, Meaning, and Method", in William Lycan on Mind, Meaning, and Method, M. Green & J.G. Michel (eds.), 1–14. Palgrave Macmillan 2025. (With Mitchell Green)
  3. "Finden – Akzeptieren – Wissen. Über die Philosophie des Entdeckens", Politik & Kultur 10/2024: 18.
  4. "Identitätstheorie und Eliminativismus", in Handbuch Philosophie des Geistes, V. Hoffmann-Kolss & N. Rathgeb (eds.), 89–97, Metzler 2024.
  5. "What Might Machines Mean?", Minds and Machines 32 (2022): 323–338. (With Mitchell Green)
  6. "Toward a Philosophy of Scientific Discovery", in Making Scientific Discoveries: Interdisciplinary Reflections, J.G. Michel (ed.), 9–53, Brill/mentis 2022. 
  7. "Imaginary Demons and Scientific Discoveries", Science 370 (2020): 772.
  8. "Could Machines Replace Human Scientists? Digitalization and Scientific Discoveries", in Artificial Intelligence: Reflections in Philosophy, Theology, and the Social Sciences, B. Göcke & A. Rosenthal-von der Pütten (eds.), 361–376, Brill/mentis 2020.
  9. "How Are Species Discovered? Declarative Speech Acts in Biology", Grazer Philosophische Studien 96 (2019): 419–441.
  10. "Determinism", Special Divine Action, digital humanities project hosted by Oxford University's Bodleian Library and the Ian Ramsey Centre for Science and Religion, Oxford 2018. (6,701 words)
  11. "Materialism", Special Divine Action, digital humanities project hosted by Oxford University's Bodleian Library and the Ian Ramsey Centre for Science and Religion, Oxford 2018. (6,711 words)
  12. "Reductionism", Special Divine Action, digital humanities project hosted by Oxford University's Bodleian Library and the Ian Ramsey Centre for Science and Religion, Oxford 2018. (5,907 words)
  13. "Creating Creatures of Fiction: A Fictional Dialogue", in Peter van Inwagen: Materialism, Free Will and God, L. Jansen & P. Näger (eds.), 123–136, Springer 2018. (With Kerstin Gregor & Steffen Neuß; reply by Peter van Inwagen in the same volume, pp. 230–237)
  14. "Vom Transhumanismus zur These des erweiterten Geistes: Ethische Implikationen?", in Designobjekt Mensch? Die Agenda des Transhumanismus auf dem Prüfstand, B. Göcke & F. Meier-Hamidi (eds.), 199–224, Herder 2018.
  15. "What Makes My Thought about x a Thought about x? Putting Sosa's Externalistic Internalism to the Test", in Ernest Sosa: Targeting his Philosophy, A. Bahr & M. Seidel (eds.), 119–134, Springer 2016. (With Tim Grafe; reply by Ernest Sosa in the same volume, pp. 144–146)
  16. "Extended Mind: Was ist eigentlich mit 'Mind' gemeint?", in Ist der Geist im Kopf? Beiträge zur These des erweiterten Geistes, J.G. Michel, K. Boström & M. Pohl (eds.), 57–82, Brill/mentis 2016.
  17. "Warum sollte der Geist nicht im Kopf sein? Eine Einführung", in Ist der Geist im Kopf? Beiträge zur These des erweiterten Geistes, J.G. Michel, K. Boström & M. Pohl (eds.), 9–21, Brill/mentis 2016. (With Kim Boström & Michael Pohl)
  18. "Pettit's Mixed Causal Descriptivism: Feeling Blue", in Philip Pettit: Five Themes from his Work, S. Derpmann & D.P. Schweikard (eds.), 33–42, Springer 2016. (With Amrei Bahr & Bianca Hüsing; reply by Philip Pettit in the same volume, pp. 138–139)
  19. "Frege-Inspired Neo-Descriptivism and Its Problems", in Frege: Freund(e) und Feind(e), D. Schott (ed.), 161–175, Logos 2015.
  20. "Man nehme: 2–3 Gesetze, einige Alternativen und einen Schuss Kausalität. Zu Peter Rohs' Rezept für richtige Freiheit", in Freie Subjekte in der Welt der Physik: Die analytische Transzendentalphilosophie von Peter Rohs in der Diskussion, A. Karakuş et al. (eds.), 73–84, Brill/mentis 2014. (With Tobias Peters & Peter Szmaj; reply by Peter Rohs in the same volume, pp. 209–212)
  21. "Refining Kitcher's Semantics for Kind Terms, or: Cleaning up the Mess", in Philip Kitcher: Pragmatic Naturalism, M.I. Kaiser & A. Seide (eds.), 91–109, de Gruyter/ontos 2013. (With Amrei Bahr & Mareike Voltz; reply by Philip Kitcher in the same volume, pp. 187–190)
  22. "Mit Gedankenexperimenten argumentieren: Eine Fallstudie in der Philosophie des Geistes", in Die Suche nach dem Geist, J.G. Michel & G. Münster (eds.), 81–120, Brill/mentis 2013.
  23. "Die Suche nach dem Geist und die Rolle der Physik", in Die Suche nach dem Geist, J.G. Michel & G. Münster (eds.), 9–34, Brill/mentis 2013. (With Gernot Münster)
  24. "Vorbemerkung zu 'Causation and Intensionality: A Problem for Naturalism'", in Rosemarie Rheinwald: Logik, Kausalität, Freiheit, J.G. Michel & O. Scholz (eds.), 187–189, Brill/mentis 2012.
  25. "Die Schlick-Feigl-Variante der Identitätstheorie aus heutiger Sicht: Eine Skizze", Schlickiana 5 (2010): 303–338.
  26. "51 Years on: Searle on Proper Names Revisited", in John R. Searle: Thinking about the Real World, D. Franken, A. Karakuş & J.G. Michel (eds.), 117–131, de Gruyter/ontos 2010. (With Amrei Bahr et al.; reply by John Searle in the same volume, pp. 220–222)
  27. "Searle's Biological Naturalism: A Typology", in John R. Searle: Thinking about the Real World, D. Franken, A. Karakuş & J.G. Michel (eds.), 73–85, de Gruyter/ontos 2010. (With Arne Weber et al.; reply by John Searle in the same volume, pp. 210–214)
  28. "Überlegungen zu einem panpsychistischen Physikalismus", in Physikalismus, Willensfreiheit, Künstliche Intelligenz, M. Backmann & J.G. Michel (eds.), 43–50, Brill/mentis 2009.
  29. "Substance Dualism Substantially Duelled", in Richard Swinburne: Christian Philosophy in a Modern World, N. Mößner et al. (eds.), 113–124, de Gruyter/ontos 2008. (With Ana Honnacker et al.; reply by Richard Swinburne in the same volume, pp. 212–215)