Hans Lenk


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

Life and career

Full Professor 1969–2003, now Emeritus. President 2005-8 of the International Institute of Philosophy, Paris, . President of the German Philosophical Society 1991-3, Vice President 1998–2003 of the International Federation of Philosophical Societies.
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.
Studies in mathematics, philosophy, sport science at the University of Freiburg, 1955-7, and until 1961 at the University of Kiel., 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 at the Technical University of Berlin 1966 and 1969, 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 of Land Use and Development.
Lenk started out with the philosophy of science and the foundation of logics 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 and Schema Games. Since 1978 he developed his basic epistemological methodology of what he calls “methodological 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.
In applied philosophy he published rather many studies and books on performance and achievement, social responsibility, 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 2013 and Golden Day at Lago Albano 2015 present a lively overview of his athletic and academic career stages.
Lenk's academic specializations comprise amongst others: epistemology, methodology and philosophy of science, incl. social sciences and technology, systems theory, neurosciences, anthropology, theoretical sociology, action theory, philosophy and psychology of creativity, achievement motivation and group dynamics, neuro- and moral philosophy as well as applied ethics, sport science and philosophy of sport.

(Honorary) memberships in societies/committees

Professional societies/committees

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

Awards and honors (selection)

Overview

Lenk is the author of about 2500 articles and almost 150 books, incl. in Engl., a.o., Global TechnoScience and Responsibility 2007, Grasping Reality 2003, Save Olympic Spirit 2012, Social Philosophy of Athletics 1979, Team Dynamics 1977, Comparative and Intercultural Philosophy 2009, Kant Today 2006, Land Development Strategies 2009, Ethics Facing Globalization 2006, Advances and Problems in the Philosophy of Technology 1997 +2001, Epistemological Issues in Classical Chinese Philosophy 1993,

Selected publications (in German)