David Hommen

Academic education and appointments

since 2025	Research assistant at the Chair of Epistemology and Philosophy of Language at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (Chair: Prof. Dr. Julia Zakkou)
since 2024	Lecturer at the University of Cologne
2024	Lectureships at the University of Trier
Since 2021	Principal Investigator in the DFG Individual Research Grant “Presuppositions of frame theory in the history of philosophy” (with Prof. Dr. Christoph Kann; project staff: Frauke Albersmeier)
2020 ‑ 2021	Research Fellow in the DFG Research Unit “Inductive Metaphysics” (FOR 2495), subproject A4: “Inductive Methods in Kant und Neo-Kantianism” (principal investigator: Prof. Dr. Kristina Engelhard)
since 2020	Private Lecturer at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf
2020	Habilitation in philosophy at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at Heinrich Heine University (Habilitation treatise: “Omissions, Potentialities, Properties, Objects. Studies in Analytic Ontology”)
2015 ‑ 2019	Research Fellow in the DFG Collaborative Research Centre “The Structure of Representations in Language, Cognition, and Science” (SFB 991), subproject A06: “Logic and ontology of the cognitive representation of theories” (principal investigator: Prof. Dr. Gerhard Schurz)
since 2012	Visiting Lecturer at the University of Duisburg-Essen
2012	Doctorate in philosophy at Heinrich Heine University (Thesis: “Mentale Verursachung, innere Erfahrung und handelnde Personen. Eine Verteidigung des Epiphänomenalismus”)
2011 ‑ 2020	Research Fellow in the DFG Collaborative Research Centre “The Structure of Representations in Language, Cognition, and Science” (SFB 991), subproject A05: “Presuppositions of frame theory in the history of philosophy” (principal investigator: Prof. Dr. Christoph Kann)
2009 ‑ 2015	Research Fellow in the DFG Research Unit “Causation, Laws, Dispositions and Explanations at the Interface of Science and Metaphysics” (FOR 1063), subproject P5: “The Causality of Omissions” (principal investigator: Prof. Dr. Dieter Birnbacher/Prof. Dr. Gerhard Schurz)
2008 ‑ 2009	Scholarship of the Landesgraduiertenförderung NRW
2007	Magister Artium in philosophy, media science and musicology at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf
2000 ‑ 2007	Studies in philosophy, media sciences and musicology at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf and the Robert Schumann Conservatory

Areas of Research

Philosophy of language: theories of concepts, pragmatic theories of meaning and reference, philosophy of natural language
Epistemology/philosophy of science: pragmatic epistemology, aspect perception, tacit knowledge, models as metaphors, causality of omissions and absences
Metaphysics/ontology: potentialities and absences, universals vs. tropes, theory of substance, metaphysics of natural kinds, metaphysical realism
Philosophy of mind: mind-body problem, explanations of action, epiphenomenalism
Wittgenstein

Areas of competence

Action theory
Philosophy of the person
Ethics/applied ethics, especially medical and bioethics
Aesthetics, philosophy of music
Aristotle
Hume

Publications

Monographs

(2013). Mentale Verursachung, innere Erfahrung und handelnde Personen. Eine Verteidigung des Epiphänomenalismus. Münster: mentis.
(2012). Negative Kausalität. Berlin: de Gruyter. (with Dieter Birnbacher)

Editions

(2020). Analysis and Explication in 20th Century Philosophy (Logical Analysis and History of Philosophy, Vol. 22). Paderborn: mentis. (ed. with Frauke Albersmeier and Christoph Kann)
(2018). Philosophische Sprache zwischen Tradition und Innovation (Studia philosophica et historica, Bd. 31). Berlin: Peter Lang. (ed. with Dennis Sölch)
(2018). Philosophy of Science Between the Natural Sciences, the Social Sciences, and the Humanities. Cham: Springer. (ed. with Alexander Christian, Nina Retzlaff and Gerhard Schurz)
(2016). Concepts and Categorization. Systematic and Historical Perspectives. Münster: mentis. (ed. with Christoph Kann and Tanja Osswald)

Contributions to journals and edited volumes (peer-reviewed)

Hommen, D. (forthcoming 2026). Wittgenstein, Merleau-Ponty and the Question of Idealism. In: D'Angelo, D./Gauvry, C. (eds.), Philosophie der Alltagssprache und Phänomenologie. Positionen der Forschung. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck.
(2025). Family Resemblance and the Problem of Universals: Bambrough's Analysis Revisited. Philosophical Investigations 48(4), 401–420. DOI: 10.1111/phin.70000
(2025). Poetic Understanding and Scientific Knowledge: Models as Aesthetic Descriptions. General Journal for Philosophy of Science 56, 373–391. DOI: 10.1007/s10838-024-09707-3
Hommen, D. (2025). Wittgenstein and Hesse on Models and Metaphors. In: Gori, P. (ed.), Mary B. Hesse (1924 – 2016): Metaphors, Models, and the Growth of Scientific Knowledge (Women in the History of Philosophy and Sciences Vol. 20). Cham: Springer, 119–136. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-95155-8_7
Hommen, D. (2024). The World and How We Know It: Wittgenstein's Realism and Metaphysics. In: Kappes, Y./Passinsky, A./De Rizzo, J./Schnieder, B. (eds.), Facets of Reality – Contemporary Debates (Contributions of the Austrian Ludwig Wittgenstein Society, Vol. XXX). Kirchberg a.W.: ALWS, 357–366.
Hommen, D. (2024). Vihalemm's Practical Realism: A Wittgensteinian Appraisal. In: Mets, A./Lõhkivi, E./Eigi-Watkin, J./Müürsepp, P. (eds.), Practical Realist Philosophy of Science. Reflecting on Rein Vihalemm's Ideas. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Group, 43–64.
(2023). Seizing the World: From Concepts to Reality. Metaphysica 24(2), 421–444. DOI: 10.1515/mp-2022-0031
(2023). Semantic Understanding, Aspect Perception, and Metaphysics. In: Pichler, A./Heinrich-Ramharter, E./Stadler, F. (eds.), 100 Years of Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus – 70 Years after Wittgenstein's Death. A Critical Assessment (Contributions of the Austrian Ludwig Wittgenstein Society, Vol. XXIX). Kirchberg a.W.: ALWS, 279–287.
(2022). Wittgenstein, Ordinary Language, and Poeticity. Kriterion 35(4), 313–334. DOI: 10.1515/krt-2021-0036
(2021). Determinables in Frames. Acta Analytica 36(2), 291-310. DOI: 10.1007/s12136-020-00448-8
(2021). Kinds as Universals: A Neo-Aristotelian Approach. Erkenntnis 86(2), 295–323. DOI: 10.1007/s10670-019-00105-6
(2021). Wittgensteins ‚aristotelische Theorie‘ der Universalien. In: Sölch, D./Ritter, B. (eds.), Wittgenstein und die Philosophiegeschichte. Freiburg: Verlag Karl Alber, 111–156.
(2020). Intuitions and Conceptual Analysis in Wittgensteinian Pragmatism. Logical Analysis and History of Philosophy 22, 72–91. DOI: 10.30965/9783957437310_006 (with Frauke Albersmeier)
(2019). Ontological Commitments of Frame-Based Knowledge Representations. Synthese 196(10), 4155–4183. DOI: 10.1007/s11229-017-1649-8
(2018). Begriffe und Eigenschaften – Versuche eines Pragmatisten. In: Sölch, D./Hommen, D. (eds.), Philosophische Sprache zwischen Tradition und Innovation (Studia philosophica et historica, Bd. 31). Berlin: Peter Lang, 291–320.
(2018). Frames and the Ontology of Particular Objects. dialectica 72(3), 385–409. DOI: 10.1111/1746-8361.12236
(2018). Negative Properties – Negative Objects? Acta Analytica 33(4), 395–412. DOI: 10.1007/s12136-018-0341-z
(2018). Epiphenomenalism and Agency. Mind and Matter 16(1), 17–41.
(2018). Making Sense of Negative Properties. Axiomathes 28(1), 81–106. DOI: 10.1007/s10516-017-9337-3
(2017). Den Geist zur Sprache bringen. Erkenntnistheoretische, anthropologische und ethische Aspekte des psychotherapeutischen Gesprächs. In: Bechmann, S. (ed.), Sprache und Medizin. Interdisziplinäre Beiträge zu medizinischer Sprache und Kommunikation. Tübingen: Narr Francke Attempto Verlag, 321–348.
(2016). Absences as Latent Potentialities. Philosophical Papers 45(3), 401–435. DOI: 10.1080/05568641.2016.1245829
(2016). Wittgensteinian Pragmatism in Humean Concepts. Philosophia 44(1), 117–135.
(2016). Knowledge Structures and the Nature of Concepts. In: Hommen, D./Kann, C./Osswald, T. (eds.), Concepts and Categorization. Systematic and Historical Perspectives. Münster: mentis, 95-122. DOI: 10.30965/9783969750025_007 (with Tanja Osswald)
(2014). Moore and Schaffer on the Ontology of Omissions. Journal for General Philosophy of Science 45(1), 71–89.
(2014). Review of Charles R. Pigden (Ed.): Hume on Is and Ought. Erkenntnis 79(6), 1419–1422.
(2013). Negative Properties, Real and Irreducible. Philosophia Naturalis 50(2), 383–406.
(2013). Omissions as causes – genuine, quasi, or not at all? In: Kahmen, B./Stepanians, M. (eds.), Critical Essays on „Causation and Responsibility". Berlin: de Gruyter, 133–156. (with Dieter Birnbacher)

Contributions to Handbooks and Encyclopedias

Hommen, D. (2024). Anomaler Monismus und psychophysische Gesetze. In: Hoffmann-Kolss, V./Rathgeb, N. (eds.), Handbuch Philosophie des Geistes. Stuttgart: Metzler, 207–216. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-476-05416-6_19
(2017). Handlungen. In: Schrenk, M. (ed.), Handbuch Metaphysik. Stuttgart/Weimar: Metzler, 164–169. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-476-05365-7_21
(2016). G.E.M. Anscombe – „Intention“. In: Arnold, H.L. (ed.), Kindlers Literatur Lexikon. Stuttgart/Weimar: Metzler, 1–2. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-476-05728-0_9450-1. Reprinted in: Bermes, C. (ed.) (2017), Kindler Kompakt: Philosophie 20. Jahrhundert. Stuttgart: Metzler, 131–133. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-476-05539-2_27

Other Publications

(2023). Anerkennen statt tolerieren? Gehirn&Geist 1/23, 26–31.
(2021). Die Krux mit der Willensfreiheit. Gehirn&Geist 6/21, 22–27.
(2020). Toleranz: Tugend mit Schattenseiten. Gehirn&Geist 5/20.
(2019). Von Natur aus gut? Gehirn&Geist 11/19.
(2019). Tugend, Lust und Laster. Gehirn&Geist 5/19, 18–21.
(2018). Die Unlogik des Lebens. Gehirn&Geist 7/18, 12–17.
(2018). Die Wirkung des Nichts. Gehirn&Geist 2/18, 20–25.

Teaching

AS: Einführung in die Wirtschaftsphilosophie: theoretische und ethische Grundlagen (WiSe 2022/23, WiSe 2025/26)
BS: Grundlagen der philosophischen Texterarbeitung (WiSe 2020/21, WiSe 2021/22, WiSe 2022/23, WiSe 2023/24, WiSe 2024/25, WiSe 2025/26)
BS: Wissenschaftliche Arbeitstechniken (WiSe 2025/26)
BS: Modelle sozialer Verteilungsgerechtigkeit (WiSe 2019/20, WiSe 2025/26)
AS: Toleranz oder Anerkennung? Konzeptionen des moralischen Umgangs mit kultureller Diversität (SoSe 2023, SoSe 2025)
AS: Aktuelle Debatten der Angewandten Ethik (WiSe 2015/16, WiSe 2024/25)
AS: Utilitarismus – Positionen und Probleme (WiSe 2020/21, WiSe 2024/25)
BS: Bioethik (WiSe 2016/17, SoSe 2024)
VL: Einführung in die Erkenntnistheorie (SoSe 2024)
BS: Schopenhauer: Die Welt als Wille und Vorstellung (SoSe 2024)
AS: Ethik für Wirtschaftswissenschaftler*innen (WiSe 2023/24)
BS: Philosophie der Musik (WiSe 2023/24)
AS: Wittgenstein: Über Gewißheit (WiSe 2023/24)
BS: Analytische Philosophie der Kunst (SoSe 23)
AS: Sprache und Denken (WiSe 2022/23)
AS: Sprache und Wirklichkeit (SoSe 2022)
BS: Praxis des Argumentierens (SoSe 2018, SoSe 2019, SoSe 2020, SoSe 2021, SoSe 2022)
BS: Theorie des Argumentierens (WiSe 2017/18, WiSe 2018/19, WiSe 2019/20, WiSe 2020/21, WiSe 2021/22)
AS: Gründe vs. Ursachen – philosophische Theorien der Erklärung von Handlungen (WiSe 2021/22)
MS: Metaphysik – neuere Texte (SoSe 2021)
BS: Eine Moral für alle? Universalismus und Partikularismus in der Ethik (WiSe 2018/19)
AS: Metaethik (WiSe 2017/18)
BS: Lesen & wissenschaftliches Arbeiten (WiSe 2017/18)
BS: Historische Philosophie und systematische Philosophie – eine gegenwärtige Methodendiskussion (SoSe 2017)
AS: Philosophie zwischen Analyse und Experiment (WiSe 2016/17)
AS: Aktuelle Debatten zum Verhältnis von Körper und Geist (SoSe 2016)
BS: Aristoteles: Kategorien (WiSe 2013/14, SoSe 2016)
BS: Grundprobleme der Metaphysik (WiSe 2015/16)
BS: Neuroethik (SoSe 2015)
BS: Das Leib-Seele-Problem (SoSe 2012, SoSe 2015)
BS: Utopien und Theorien von Gerechtigkeit (WiSe 2014/15)
AS: Philosophie der Person (WiSe 2012/13, WiSe 2013/14, WiSe 2014/15)
BS: Neurophilosophie (SoSe 2014)
BS: Wittgensteins Philosophische Untersuchungen (SoSe 2014)
AS: Intentionalität und mentale Repräsentation (SoSe 2013)
BS: Ethische Probleme in der Medizin (SoSe 2013)
AS: Theorien der Kausalität (WiSe 2011/12, SoSe 2013)
BS: Schreiben & Präsentieren (WiSe 2012/13)
BS: David Hume: Eine Untersuchung über den menschlichen Verstand (WiSe 2012/13)
AS: Adorno: Ästhetische Theorie (WiSe 2011/12)
AS: Musikästhetik (SoSe 2011)