Back & Forth

The 25th edition of our research magazine, entitled BACK & FORTH, begins as usual with a discussion among experts. But this time, it is not two researchers from widely different disciplines discussing current questions, but five scholars belonging to the same institution: the Department of Philosophy. This flagship of Heidelberg University – rich in tradition, of worldwide renown and boasting such illustrious thinkers as Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, Karl Jaspers and Hans-Georg Gadamer – has  undergone a fundamental renewal, in terms of both its staff and the direction of its research. At the same time, the five new colleagues view their collaboration as a return to the interdisciplinary nature of philosophy as it was practised in antiquity, making Heidelberg University – a comprehensive university built on interdisciplinarity – an optimal environment for their studies. 

So it’s “Back to the Future” for the Department of Philosophy – coincidentally, this is also the title of an article in the current edition that addresses the ongoing debate over the restitution of cultural assets. Other texts provide insights into the future of democracy in the USA, relapses in people suffering from addiction disorders, tiny back-and-forth movements of celestial bodies, a highly ritualised ceremony at the border between India and Pakistan and the fundamental question of how to differentiate between “back” and “forth” when it comes to time. I wish you insightful reading as you discover the many lines of research at our university in which aspects of BACK & FORTH play an important role. 

Prof. Dr Frauke Melchior
Rector of Heidelberg University