Ruth Hagengruber

Ruth Hagengruber (born 1958 in Regen) is a German philosopher, currently professor and head of philosophy at the University of Paderborn.

Hagengruber was born in 1958 in Regen. She earned her PhD in philosophy from Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich and taught at the philosophy department at the University of Koblenz and Landau and the University of Cologne before coming to Paderborn to be professor and head of philosophy. She is director of the research areas "History of Women Philosophers and Scientists" and "EcoTechGender".

The "History of Women Philosophers and Scientists" aims at renewing the tradition of women philosophers.

In April 2015 the first Master Erasmus Joint Programme dedicated to the Study of the History of Women Philosophers was established in cooperation between the University of Paderborn and Yeditepe University in Istanbul.

Hagengruber has edited various books on the history of women philosophers

• (cf. 2015 The MONIST 98/1 ed. Barry Smith; Advisory Editors: Karen Green & Ruth Hagengruber:
• THE HISTORY OF WOMEN’S IDEAS, Oxford University Press).

Hagengruber's research focuses on the philosopher Emilie du Châtelet. In 2006 she founded the Teaching and Research Area: EcoTechGender

Hagengruber defines economics, technology and gender as the challenging and decisive factors of the future. "EcoTechGender" at the University of Paderborn is dedicated to the philosophical analysis of the relation between these topics.

Hagengruber is an honorary member of the International Association for Computing and Philosophy (IACAP) and member of the Advisory Board of the Munich Center for Technology in Society (MCTS) at the Technische Universität München.

In 2016 Hagegengruber gave one of two keynote speeches at the 16th Symposium of the International Association of Women Philosophers in Australia.

• Hagengruber, Ruth, Riss, Uwe. (Eds.). 2014. Philosophy, Computing and Information Science. London: Pickering & Chatto;
• Hagengruber, Ruth, Ess, Charles. (Eds.). 2011. The Computational Turn: Past, Presents, Futures? Münster: MV-Wissenschaft;
• Hagengruber, Ruth, 2000. Nutzen und Allgemeinheit. Zu einigen grundlegenden Prinzipien der Praktischen Philosophie. Sankt Augustin: Academia.

History of Women Philosophers and Scientists

The Teaching and Research Area "History of Women Philosophers" headed by Hagengruber aims at renewing the long-lasting tradition of women philosophers. Ruth Hagengruber started her lecture "2600 Years History of Women Philosophers" in 2011.

Philosophy in the Media

With the project “Philosophy in the Media“ the philosophy in Paderborn breaks new grounds. It was launched by Hagengruber (philosophy), Gerhard E. Ortner (dramatic staging), Ulrich Lettermann (music), and Bernhard Koch (filming) to present women philosophers’ thoughts via student performances to the wider public. These performances feature women philosophers and scientists including Emilie du Châtelet (1706-1749), Ada Lovelace and Elizabeth of Bohemia (1618-1680). The past event “Philosophy On Stage” focused on Elizabeth of Bohemia’s influence on René Descartes. In December 2014, the project won the Advancement Award for Innovation and Quality in Teaching 2014 of the University of Paderborn.