Martin Brecher is an academic staff member at the Chair of Philosophy II at the University of Mannheim. He studied philosophy with the minor subjects psychology and modern German literature at the University of Bonn (M.A., 2010) and philosophy at the University of St Andrews (M.Litt., 2008). From October 2010 to June 2020 he was a doctoral student at the University of Bonn. After research stays in Göttingen (summer 2013) and at Brown University (winter 2013/
His research focusses on the philosophy of Immanuel Kant, Gottfried Achenwall, and Thomas Reid as well as on early-modern moral, legal, and political philosophy, in particular on Enlightenment natural law. In his doctoral dissertation, Martin Brecher has prepared a comprehensive study on Immanuel Kant's marriage law (supervision: Prof. Dr. Christoph Horn, Bonn). He is also interested in the philosophy of antiquity and in current practical philosophy.
His teaching covers diverse topics in the history of philosophy (Kant, Hobbes, Ancient Philosophy, Pufendorf, Reid, Descartes, Hume, Thomas Aquinas), in practical philosophy (theories of justice, theories of punishment, discourse ethics, population ethics, sexuality, gender theories), and in Enlightenment philosophy of religion.
During his studies, Martin Brecher was supported by the German National Academic Foundation (Studienstiftung) and during his doctorate by the Cusanuswerk. For his master's thesis on the moral philosophy of Thomas Reid he received the ‘Kant Award’ of the Department of Philosophy at the University of Bonn in 2010.
In addition to his teaching and research activities, Martin Brecher is responsible for academic advising and serves as departmental manager of the Department of Philosophy.
Forthcoming Publications and Work in Progress
- Brecher, M. (forthcoming 2022). Vernunftrecht und Verdinglichung. Eine Rekonstruktion von Kants Eherecht. Berlin/
Boston: de Gruyter (Kantstudien-Ergänzungshefte). - Brecher, M./Moran, K. (forthcoming). Immanuel Kant. Doctrine of Right. A German-English Edition. Übers. v. Mary Gregor. Neubearb. u. hrsg. v. Martin Brecher u. Kate Moran [work in progress].
Publications
- Brecher, M. (2021). „Eine Art von Verbotsgesetz: Zur normenlogischen Stellung des Erlaubnisgesetzes in Kants Schrift Zum ewigen Frieden“. In: The Court of Reason. Proceedings for the 13th International Kant Congress. Berlin/
Boston: de Gruyter, pp. 1705–1714. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110701357-170 - Brecher, M. (2021). „Gottfried Achenwall“, in: Mikkel Munthe Jensen (ed.): Natural Law 1625-1850: Database, https://naturallawdatabase.thulb.uni-jena.de/item/natlaw_188
- Brecher, M./Hirsch, P.-A./Klingner, S. (2020). „Göttinger Naturrecht. 300 Jahre Gottfried Achenwall (1719–1772) – eine Einführung“, Rechtsphilosophie – Zeitschrift für Grundlagen des Rechts (RphZ), 6, no. 4, pp. 311–324. https://doi.org/10.5771/2364-1355-2020-4-311
- Brecher, M./Hirsch, P.-A./Klingner, S. (2020). Compilation of issue topic, „Göttinger Naturrecht – 300 Jahre Gottfried Achenwall“, Rechtsphilosophie – Zeitschrift für Grundlagen des Rechts (RphZ), 6, Nr. 4. https://doi.org/10.5771/2364-1355-2020-4
- Brecher, M. (2018). „Ehelicher Geschlechtsgebrauch und Fortpflanzungszweck in §7 der Tugendlehre“. In V. L. Waibel et al. (eds.): Natur und Freiheit: Akten des XII. Internationalen Kant-Kongresses, Berlin/
Boston: de Gruyter, pp. 1761–1768. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110467888-161 [Abstract] - Brecher, M. (2018). „Ein Zwangsrecht auf Geschlechtsverkehr? Das kantische Vernunftrecht und die ‚eheliche Pflicht‘“. Aufklärung: interdisziplinäres Jahrbuch zur Erforschung des 18. Jahrhunderts und seiner Wirkungsgeschichte, 30, pp. 93–118.
- Brecher, M. (2012). „Zum Problem der inneren Rechtspflicht bei Kant“. In A. Kaniowski et al. (eds.), Rechtsstaatlichkeit: Kant. Lódz: Wydawn. Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego (Łódz University Press), pp. 77–85.
- Brecher, M. (2011). „Die normative Redundanz unspezifischer Rechte“. XXII. Deutscher Kongress für Philosophie: Sektionsbeiträge (Online-Publication of the lecture manuscript). https://doi.org/10.5282/ubm/epub.12618
- Translation (together with Corinna Mieth) of Abraham Roth: „Handlungserklärungen durch Gründe: kausal, singulär und situativ“, in: Christoph Horn and Guido Löhrer (eds.): Gründe und Zwecke. Texte zur aktuellen Handlungstheorie. Berlin: Suhrkamp 2010, pp. 139–190.