Out of Breath: Towards a politics of breathability Facing ecological crises requires that we turn our attention to the breathability of humans, nonhumans and our (immediate) environments. By imagining ourselves to be air- and breathindependent, we lost sight of practices of care towards our environments and each other - and thus find ourselves in a society out of breath. In this dissertation, these breathability practices inform a future-oriented politics of care for facing the ecological crisis. The nitrogen and biodiversity crisis will function as case studies.

Migrants are often faced with humiliations of their dignity. Apart from clear violations of human rights, they are confronted with more subtle experiences of hostility, disrespect, and marginalization. Of being denied one’s place as a fully accepted member of a society. In our project, we combine fundamental philosophical analysis with an engaged research approach. Together with migrant communities we will analyze undignified experiences and investigate how to create places, where dignity is realized. We will develop a more inclusive and comprehensive understanding of dignity and experience-based ethics of “dignity in place”. We formulate concrete normative demands for migration with dignity.

Public Safety is vital for the functioning of societies: Without safety there is no freedom, no happiness, and no prosperity. The public good of safety matters to all of us, and therefore needs to be jointly shaped and maintained by all societal partners. Data generated by multiple agents play an increasingly important role in the prevention, preparedness and mitigation of harm or disaster. The development of an ecosystem of trust regarding AI assisted public safety promotion is central to this ELSA Lab application. In a variety of use cases benefits and safeguards are analyzed against the private-public-machine agency backdrop.

Neanderthal research often highlights the exceptionality of modern humans, seen as decisively different and truly human. Encounters between ‘superior’ humans and ‘inferior’ Neanderthals allegedly resulted in the latter’s demise, both in research and in Neanderthal movies and novels. Current perspectives shift towards more dynamic and inclusive views of deep history, acknowledging that Neanderthals and modern humans coexisted for thousands of years. This has repercussions for how we see ourselves. We explore the contemporaneity of Neanderthals and modern humans in what is now Europe, emphasise interaction and (genetic and cultural) exchange rather than competition and assess the impact on self-understanding today.

This doctoral research aims to enhance our understanding of peripartum psychosis, utilizing the philosophical perspective of phenomenology. Through philosophical analysis of existing literature and qualitative research involving women who have experienced this condition, this project seeks to uncover the essential characteristics of peripartum psychosis. The primary objective is to explore better ways of understanding peripartum psychosis and contribute to improved recognition and treatment strategies.