Prof. Dr. Norbert W. Bolz (b. 1953) studied philosophy, German, English, and religious studies. He was assistant to the philosopher of religion, Jacob Taubes. After completing his doctorate under Wolfgang Hübener with a thesis on Adorno’s aesthetics, he habilitated in 1987 with the paper “Philosophischer Extremismus zwischen den Weltkriegen” (“Philosophical Extremism between the World Wars”). Until 1992 he was a lecturer at the Free University of Berlin, and from 1992 to 2002 he was professor of communication theory at the Institute of Art and Design Studies at the University of Essen, focusing on media theory, communication theory, and design science.

From 2002 until his retirement in September 2018, Norbert Bolz was professor at the Technical University of Berlin, at the Institute for Language and Communication in the Department of Media Studies/Media Consulting.

His many publications deal primarily with the changes in modern society caused by phenomena of mass society, media, and an expanding welfare state. In doing so, he notes an increasing uncertainty in postmodernity.

Norbert Bolz is a regular author of the classically liberal debate magazine Schweizer Monat and SWR2. Bolz is also a member of the scientific advisory board of the CDU’s Economic Council.

Selected books:

– Die Helden der Familie. Munich: Wilhelm Fink, 2006.

– Das Wissen der Religion. Betrachtungen eines religiös Unmusikalischen. Paderborn: Wilhelm Fink, 2008.

– Diskurs über die Ungleichheit. Ein Anti-Rousseau. Paderborn: Wilhelm Fink, 2009.

– Profit für Alle. Soziale Gerechtigkeit neu denken. Hamburg: Murmann, 2009.

– Die ungeliebte Freiheit. Ein Lagebericht. Paderborn: Wilhelm Fink, 2010.

– Das richtige Leben. Paderborn: Wilhelm Fink, 2014.

– Zurück zu Luther. Paderborn: Wilhelm Fink, 2016.