Walther Zimmerli

Short CV

Walther Ch. Zimmerli, born 1945 in Zuerich, is a philosopher and Honorary Professor at Humboldt-Universitaet zu Berlin. He studied at Yale College and the universities of Goettingen and Zuerich where he completed his doctorate in 1971 and was habilitated in 1978. Between 1978 and 1998 he held chairs of philosophy at TU Braunschweig, the University of Bamberg (shared with the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg) and the University of Marburg. From 1999 to 2002 he was president of Witten/Herdecke Private University, from 2002 to 2007 member of the topmanagement of Volkswagen AG, founding president of AutoUni as well as member of the management of Volkswagen Coaching GmbH. From 2007 to 2013 he served as president of Brandenburg Technical University BTU in Cottbus. 2013 he was appointed Friedrich Endowded Professor and 2016 Honorary Professor at Humboldt-Universitaet zu Berlin. Since 2017 he was (and still is) Distinguished Fellow at different research institutions in Europe.

Additionally he held visiting positions at universities in Austria, Hungary, Germany, USA, Japan, Australia, and South Africa. He is member of different national and international academies, including acatech and the Swiss Academy of Technical Sciences. At present he serves as member of the Executive Committee of the Inter University Center (IUC) Dubrovnik and as president of the German Startup Cup (GFFT and United Innovations).

Selected Awards

• 2024, CST Fellowship and Visiting Professorship AI in the Human Context, University of Bonn
• 2021, Honorary Membership Gesellschaft zur Förderung des Forschungstransfers (GFFT)
• 2022, FRIAS External Research Fellowship, Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies
• 2020, DSI Research Fellowship, Digital Society Initiative University of Zuerich
• 2019, IWM Research Fellowship, Institut für die Wissenschaften vom Menschen, Vienna
• 2017, Marie Curie Award EURIAS Senior Research Fellowship Collegium Helveticum ETH Zuerich
• 2016, Honorary Professorship Humboldt-Universitaet zu Berlin
• 2003, Honorary Professurship TU Braunschweig
• 2002, Honorary doctorate Dphil h.c. University of Stellenbosch, South Africa
• 1996, Humboldt South Africa Research Award

Research Interests

Philosophy of Science and Technology, Epistemology, Ethics, Artificial Intelligence, History of (Modern) Philosophy

Selected Publications

• Zimmerli, W.Ch. (2025). Artificial Intelligence – Hype or Myth? Philosophical aspects of an entrepreneurial success story. In: Hoffmann, C.H. (ed.), Artificial Intelligence, Entrepreneurship and Risk. Springer (in print)
• von der Osten-Sacken, V./Zimmerli, W.Ch. (eds. 2023), Energeia. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht: Göttingen.
• Zimmerli, W.Ch. (2022). Der analoge Mensch im digitalen Zeitalter. Drei Essays. In: Kovce, P./Priddat, B. (eds.), Selbstverwandlung. Das Ende des Menschen und seine Zukunft. 2^nd ed.Metropolis: Marburg , 415-427.
• Zimmerli, W.Ch. (2021). Unterwegs zu sich. Menschsein im Spiegel von Digitalisierung und Künstlicher Intelligenz. In: Diesner, Th./Hummel, A./Ketting, M./Scupin, O. (eds.), Das Konzept des Biopsychosozialen im gegenwärtigen Wissenschaftsdiskurs, Logos: Berlin, 69-79.
• Zimmerli, W.Ch. (2021). Künstliche Intelligenz oder postanaloges Menschsein. Entstehung, Entwicklung und Wirkung eines realen Mythos. In: Strasser, A./Sohst, W./Stepec, K./Stapelfeldt, R. (eds.), Künstliche Intelligenz. Die große Verheißung. Xenomoi: Berlin, 193-219.
• Zimmerli, W.Ch. (2021). Analog oder digital? Philosophieren nach dem Ende der Philosophie. In: Hauck-Thum, U./Noller, J. (eds.), Was ist Digitalität? Metzler: Stuttgart, 9-33.
• W.Ch. Zimmerli (2020). Deus Malignus. The Digital Rehabilitation of Deception. In: Goecke, B.P./Rosenthal-von der Pütten, A. (eds.), Artificial Intelligence.Reflections in Philosophy, Theology, and Social Sciences, Brill mentis: Paderborn, 15-35.
• Zimmerli, W.Ch. (2018). Kant 'Behind our Backs'? Time and (Time-)Conciousness - Today. In: Falduto, A./Klemme, H.F. (eds.), Kant and his Critics, Georg Olms: Hildesheim etc., 260-273.
• Zimmerli, W.Ch. (2018). Technologisierung und Pluralisierung – ein Januskopf? In: Friedrich, V. (ed.), Technik denken. Philosophische Annäherungen. Steiner: Berlin, 21-30.
• Folkers, G./Zimmerli, W.Ch. (eds. 2017). Innovation – die letzte Meile, Collegium Helveticum 15. Zürich.