Associate Professor of Philosophy
Johns Hopkins University
Katharina Kraus is Miller Associate Professor of Philosophy in the Miller Department of Philosophy at Johns Hopkins University, where she is also Associated Faculty of the German Program in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures. Before moving to Hopkins in January 2023, she taught for six years at the University of Notre Dame, where she also served as a member of the steering committee of the newly established History of Philosophy Forum. Before that, she taught at the University College Freiburg of the Albert-Ludwigs-University of Freiburg and was a post-doctorial fellow of the Martin Buber Society at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
After her studies of physics, mathematics, and philosophy, she received a Diplom in physics (including a BA and MA equivalent) from the Ruprecht-Karls-University of Heidelberg in 2008, a MPhil in History and Philosophy of Science in 2010 and a PhD in philosophy in 2014, both from the University of Cambridge.
Kraus is the author of Kant on Self-Knowledge and Self-Formation (Cambridge University Press, 2020) and numerous articles on Kant’s theoretical philosophy. In her forthcoming Cambridge Element on Kant’s Ideas of Reason, she offers a perspectivalist interpretation of Kant’s epistemology. In her new research project, The Life of the Mind, she examines theories of mental development and personal growth in the tradition of transcendental philosophy and philosophy of life. Moreover, she has strong interests in the work of women philosophers of the German tradition and studies in particular Lou Andreas-Salomé (1861–1937) and Edith Stein (1891–1942).
Her systematic research interests include topics such as self-consciousness, the first-person perspective, personal identity, and self-constitution, as well as analytic theories of expressivism, contextualism, and perspectivalism.
Cambridge Element on Kant’s Ideas of Reason coming soon!
This Element introduces Kant’s ideas of reason and offers a perspectivalist interpretation, reconciling metaphysical and fictional readings of ideas of theoretical reason.
Award Ceremony for the Immanuel Kant Essay Competition at German Embassy Washington
The Goethe-Institut USA invited students to delve into the complexities and enduring relevance of the Enlightenment. The award ceremony took place at the German Embassy in Washington D.C.
Kant 300: Tercentennial Gala at Johns Hopkins!
The North American premiere of ‘Immanuel Kant’ by Thomas Bernhard took place at Johns Hopkins on March 8, 2024.
The staged reading was followed by the conference “Kant and the World Today” at Johns Hopkins University (8-9 March).
Research Projects
Perspectivalism and Universalism in Kant and Beyond
This research project aims to explore Kantian perspectivalism. My Cambridge Element on Kant’s Ideas of Reason offers a perspectivalist interpretation of his theory of theoretical cognition.
Women Philosophers in the German Tradition
This project aims to promote the appreciation of women philosophers in the German tradition of the long nineteenth century. It focuses in particular on Lou Andreas-Salomé (1861-1937) and Edith Stein (1891-1942).
The Life of the Mind: A Theory of Personal Development in Modern Thought
This book project aims to present a theory of the mental development of persons. It builds on conceptions of the mind from the Enlightenment and the post-Kantian periods, according to which the mind is understood in terms of a living being endowed with mental powers.
Current Courses
The First-Person Perspective
Co-taught with J. David Velleman.
In this seminar, we study the first-person perspective and its implications for both theoretical reasoning and practical reasoning.
The Nature of Consciousness in Kant and beyond
This course examines Kant’s theory of consciousness and discusses contemporary challenges to Kant’s theory.
Women Philosophers in the German Tradition
This course examines the works, influence, and legacy of women philosophers in the German tradition in the 19th and 20th centuries, focusing on Lou Salomé, Edith Stein, and Hannah Arendt.