Martin W. Schnell

Chair of Social Philosophy & Ethics in Healthcare

Scientific work: Based on the phenomenology of corporeality and influenced by the philosophy of Paul Ricoeur, Schnell develops a social philosophy of vulnerability. This is critically directed against any ethics that uses autonomy, rationality and other characteristics to determine the value of a living being. Rationalist ethics tend to exclude beings that do not fulfil these characteristics, or do not fulfil them in their entirety, from the scope of ethical protection. Vulnerability, on the other hand, is a characteristic that characterises every living being and forms the basis of a non-exclusive ethic that claims not to exclude anyone from the protective sphere of respect and dignity. This general definition, which is concretised as the ethics of the person, of animals and of nature, leads to a conception of the political which, in the form of democracy, develops the claim of non-exclusivity. As an empirical researcher, Schnell has investigated the topic of vulnerability in many areas of medical and care ethics, as well as with regard to social concepts of life and death. Most recently, he has dealt with processes of the digitalisation of the living world, which attempt to transform the materiality of vulnerable life into quantifiable data.

Ass.-Prof. Christine Dunger, Ph. D
+49 2302 926-809
Research Assistant
Chair of Social Philosophy & Ethics in Healthcare
Christine.Dunger@uni-wh.de

M. A. Lukas Nehlsen
+49 2302 / 926-807
Academic staff
Chair of Social Philosophy & Ethics in Healthcare
Lukas.Nehlsen@uni-wh.de

M. A. Isabella D'Angelo
Faculty of Health (School of Medicine)
Chair of Social Philosophy & Ethics in Healthcare
Research assistant

M. A. Hendrik Watermann
Faculty of Health (School of Medicine)
Chair of Social Philosophy & Ethics in Healthcare
Academic staff member

M. Sc. Christopher Huken
Faculty of Health (School of Medicine)
Chair of Social Philosophy & Ethics in Healthcare
Research assistant

B. A. Maja Ebbert
Faculty of Health (School of Medicine)
Chair of Social Philosophy & Ethics in Healthcare
Secretariat; curriculum planning E&O and applicant management E&O

Student assistant: Célia Kunkel

Training and further education:

1968-1972
Primary school on Bülsestraße in Buer-Scholven

1972-1973
Boarding school at the Dietrich-Bonhoeffer-Gymnasium in Hilden

1973-1982
Albert Schweitzer Grammar School in Marl

1982
Higher education entrance qualification

1982-1983
Civilian service at the 'Westfälische Schule für Körperbehinderte' in Marl

1984-1989
Studied philosophy, sociology and education at the Ruhr University Bochum

1989
Master's degree in philosophy (grade: very good with honours)

1990-1992
Work on a philosophical PhD thesis on the "Phenomenology of the Political". During this time, scholarship recipient under the law for the promotion of the next generation of scholars and artists of the state of NRW

1993
Doctoral studies for a doctorate in philosophy (grade: magna cum laude)

1993-1999
Work on a postdoctoral university lecturing qualification in philosophy on the topic of "Approaches to justice. This side of liberalism and communitarianism"

Since 1996
Member of the "Phenomenology Group" in Vienna

1997
Leader of the conference "Violence" in Vienna (together with R. Giuliani).
Organiser: "Gruppe Phänomenologie" (Vienna) and the research training group
"Hermeneutics and Phenomenology" (Bochum)

1999 
Awarded authorisation to teach philosophy

2000
Guest editor of the "Journal Phänomenologie" (focus: phenomenology and democracy)

2004
Editor of the "Journal Phänomenologie" (specialising in Hans Jonas and phenomenology)

2000-2004
Member of the research group "French Hermeneutics" at the France Centre of the Technical University of Berlin.

Professional experience:

since 1984/5
lecturer in philosophy at the Recklinghausen adult education centre

1986-2000
Lecturer in philosophy at the adult education centre in Duisburg

1989
Research assistant in the Department of Philosophy at the Ruhr University Bochum

1993
Collaboration on a research project "On the structure of the field of reality in people with Bekhterev's disease"

1993-2002
Mentor for philosophy at the distance studies university Hagen

1994-1997
Contract lecturer for social philosophy/ethics at the University of Applied Sciences Düsseldorf

1995
Stay at the University of Vienna as part of the "Phenomenology and Hermeneutics" programme

1995-1997
Collaboration on "The Encyclopedia of Phenomenology" (Ed.: L. Embree et al., Boca Raton/ Fl. USA)

1997-2000
Academic staff member of the research working group "Ethics of Health Care" (area: working group "Human/Person") at Witten/Herdecke University

1997-2000
Contract lecturer in philosophy at Witten/Herdecke University

1998-2004
Collaboration on the "Lexicon of Phenomenology" (ed.: H. Vetter, Vienna/A)

1998
Collaboration on the new curricular design for the field of "Philosophy/Ethics in Nursing" (Witten/Herdecke University)

1998-2000
Responsible for the finalisation and implementation of the curriculum "Philosophy/Ethics in Nursing" (Witten/Herdecke University)

1999-2009
Academic with postdoctoral lecturing qualification in philosophy at the Ruhr University Bochum

2000
Awarded the Venia legendi for the subject of philosophy

2000-2002
Responsible spokesperson for the research working group "Ethical Foundations" at Witten/Herdecke University

2001-2008
Deputy Chairman of the Ethics Commission / Institute for Nursing Science (EKIP) at Witten/Herdecke University

2001-2003
Spokesperson of the steering group / Institute for Nursing Science

2001-2004
Member of the curricular working group for the reorganisation of the
medical studies at the Faculty of Medicine at Witten/Herdecke University

2002
Participation in the basic seminar on basal stimulation

2002
Appointment as professor for "Ethics in the health care system" at the Institute for Nursing Science at the Faculty of Medicine at Witten/Herdecke University

2002-2012
Professor for "Ethics in the health care system"

Since 2002
Head of the "Communication-Science-Ethics" training programme in the Medicine model degree programme at Witten/Herdecke University, expanded in 2004 and under the new title "Head of the Integrated Curricula (Communication, Science, Ethics, Health Management)"

2003-2008
Responsible spokesperson for the research working group "Ethics as an area of protection" at Witten/Herdecke University (in cooperation with Dortmund University, responsible Prof. Dr Markus Dederich)

since 2003
Co-publisher/editor of the "Journal Phänomenologie" (A/D)

since 2004
Co-editor of "Wittener Schriften", publications of the Institute for Nursing Science

2004-2005
Implementation of the cross-sections of the new "Medical Licensing Regulations" in the model degree programme in Medicine

2005-2006
Member of the expert panel "Oral nutrition and hydration of people in residential care facilities for the elderly" Witten/Herdecke University and Bonn University, on behalf of BUKO-QS (BM für F, S, F und J)

2005-2007
Member of the project advisory board "Empowering patients with leg ulcers for self-care: Tandem practices as a model of interdisciplinary support" Fac. of Medicine Witten/Herdecke University

2005-2011
Member of the faculty council of the Faculty of Medicine at Witten/Herdecke University

2005-2011
Member of the Senate of Witten/Herdecke University

2005-2008
Member of the scientific advisory board of the "International Association for the Promotion of BASAL STIMULATION"

2006-2008
Head of degree programme with regard to planning and accreditation of the degree programme
"Master of Science - Nursing Science" programme

2006
Founding member of the "Interdisciplinary Centre for Health Services Research - IZVF" at the Private Witten/Herdecke University

Since 2006
Member of the state examinations office for the subject "Philosophy at
grammar schools and comprehensive schools"

2006-2021
Member of the scientific advisory board of the journal "Pflegen: Dementia"

2006-2008
Scientific director of the area "Coordination and cooperation of nursing science with medicine"

since 2007
Liaison officer of the "Heinrich Böll Foundation"

2007
Winner of the Peter Bartholmes Teaching Award of the University Association

2007-2019
Director of the "Institute for Ethics and Health Communication"

since 2008
Guest lecturer at the "Theological-Philosophical University" Vallendar

since 2009
Member of the scientific advisory board of the journal "Pflegen: Palliativ"

since 2009
Guest lecturer at the "Paracelsus Medical University" Salzburg

2009-2010
Advisor to the Faculty of Sociology at the University of Vienna regarding the
establishment of an ethics committee

2009-2014
Federal chairman of the "Ethics committee of the German Society for
Nursing Science e.V."

2009-2011
Member of the working group "Charter for the care of seriously ill and dying
dying people" (BÄ, DGP, DHPV), Berlin

2009-2011
Lecturer for ethics and law at the "Mathias University" in Rheine

2010-2013, 2017
Reviewer of the "Agency for Quality Assurance through Accreditation of
degree programmes" (AQAS)

2010
Founding member of the "Centre for Didactics and Educational Research in the
Health Professions", Fac. For Health, Witten/Herdecke University

2011-2012
Chairman of the examination board of the degree programme "Bachelor of Arts:
Innovative Nursing Practice" programme

since 2012
Co-editor of the book series "Research and Palliative Care" (Springer, VS
publishing house)

2012-2014
Lecturer and project mentor in the "Forschungswerkstatt
Palliative Care" of the Robert Bosch Foundation

2012
Appointment as Chair of "Social Philosophy and Ethics", Faculty of Cultural Reflection, Witten/Herdecke University

2012-2019
Chair for "Social Philosophy and Ethics"

since 2012
Member of the commission for the PhD programme of the School of Nursing Science

since 2013
Project collaborator at the Department of Nursing Science at Paracelsus Medical University Salzburg

2013-2020
Member of the "Habilitation Commission" of the Faculty of Cultural Reflection

2014-2016B
Advisor to the University of Osnabrück on the construction and establishment of an ethics committee

2016-2017
Advisor to the University of Health in Bochum on the construction and establishment of an ethics committee

2016-2020 
Supervisory Board of the "Centre for Clinical Studies" at the University of
Witten/Herdecke University

since 2017
Advisory Board of the Institute for Applied Health Research (IAG) of the
University for Health in Bochum

2017-2020
Study programme representative "Master of Philosophy and Cultural Reflection"
Witten/Herdecke University

since 2019
Head of the "Cross-sectional Area 2: History, Theory and Ethics of Medicine", Witten/Herdecke University

since 2019
Chair for "Social Philosophy and Ethics in the Health Care System",
Witten/Herdecke University

since 2020
Deputy Head of the Master's programme "Ethics and Organisation" at the
Faculty of Health, Witten/Herdecke University

since 2020 
Chairman of the Examination Board of the Master's programme "Ethics and
Organisation"