Hans Lenk

In applied philosophy he published rather many studies and books on performance and achievement (not only in sport), social responsibility (see, e.g., Mitcham's Encyclopedia on Science, Technology and Ethics (2005, 2015 2nd ed.)), and social philosophy of technology. Lately, he turned to several books on Concrete Humanity 1988 and sustainability 2009 and Philosophical Anthropology 2010, 2013. Lenk's autobiographical memorial recollections on Ratzeburger Goldwasser (Ratzeburg’s Golden Waters) 2013 and Golden Day at Lago Albano 2015 present a lively overview of his athletic and academic career stages (except the three US visiting professorships).

Visiting and honorary professorships in Argentina; Austria; Brazil, Chile, Hungary, India, Japan, Norway, Russia, Switzerland, Venezuela and the United States, incl. distinguished ones at University of Illinois 1973, University of Massachusetts 1976, TCU, Texas, 1987.

Full Professor 1969–2003 (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, KIT = University of Karlsruhe, Germany), now Emeritus. President 2005-8 (now Honorary President) of the International Institute of Philosophy (I.I.P.), Paris, (i.e., the world academy of philosophers). President of the German Philosophical Society 1991-3, Vice President 1998–2003 of the International Federation of Philosophical Societies (Fédération Internationale des Sociétés de Philosophie, FISP).

Lenk started out with the philosophy of science and the foundation of logics (notably his habilitation thesis on the Critique of Logical Constants, 1968) and later on, since 1978, included epistemology and pragmatic methodology of the social and natural sciences, technology+ economics, neuroscience and the philosophy of language in several books on Interpretative Constructs (1993) and Schema Games (1995). Since 1978 he developed his basic epistemological methodology of what he calls “methodological (scheme-)interpretationism” focused on a pragmatic and constructive realism a bit similar to Putnam's internal realism and much earlier and more general than the according recent perspectivism in US philosophy of science. Since then he extended and differentiated Wittgenstein’s later conception of “language games” toward “schema games” connecting and activating these with neuroscientific findings and analyses (for neurophilosophy cf. his book Consciousness as Scheme-Interpretation 2004).

In 1960, he was a crew member of the West German boat which won the gold medal in the eights event.

4 German, 9 University and 2 European Championships in rowing (4-, 8+) 1958–60, Olympic Goldmedalist in the eight oar crew (8+) 1960 (Rome Olympics). Co-founder and coach of 3 German Championships (4+, 8+), 1 European silver medal (4+) and one World Championship (8+, 1966).

Studies in mathematics, philosophy, sport science (physical edu.) at the University of Freiburg, 1955-7, and until 1961 at the University of Kiel.(there also sociology and psychology), advanced studies in cybernetics, Technical University of Berlin. – Dr. phil. = PhD at Kiel Univ. 1961. His Dissertation on the modern Olympic Games has been the first comprehensive social philosophical study of the modern Olympics in the social sciences. Habilitations (advanced doctorates) at the Technical University of Berlin 1966 (in philosophy) and 1969 (for sociology), Assoc. Prof. 1969. – Full Professor at Karlsruhe Univ. 1969–2003. Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences 1973-5. Dean 1993–2006 of the European Faculty (now European Academy) of Land Use and Development.

Hans Lenk (born 23 March 1935) is a German rower who competed for the United Team of Germany in the 1960 Summer Olympics, and an Emeritus Professor of Philosophy. He was born in Berlin.