Hans Lenk (23 March 1935 – 30 July 2024) was a German

rower Rowing, often called crew in the United States, is the sport of racing boats using oars. It differs from paddling sports in that rowing oars (called blades in the United Kingdom) are attached to the boat using rowlocks, while paddles are ...

who competed for the

United Team of Germany The United Team of Germany () was a combined team of athletes from West Germany and East Germany that competed in the 1956, 1960 and 1964 Winter Olympic Games, Winter and Summer Olympic Games. In 1956, the team also included athletes from a third ...

in the

1960 Summer Olympics The 1960 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad () and commonly known as Rome 1960 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 25 August to 11 September 1960 in Rome, Italy. Rome had previously been awar ...

, and an Emeritus Professor of

Philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

. He was born in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

. In 1960, he was a crew member of the West German boat which won the gold medal in the eights event.

Life and career

Full Professor 1969–2003 (

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT; ) is both a German public research university in Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg, and a research center of the Helmholtz Association. KIT was created in 2009 when the University of Karlsruhe (), founde ...

, KIT = University of Karlsruhe, Germany), then Emeritus. President 2005–2008 (then Honorary President) of the

International Institute of Philosophy The International Institute of Philosophy (''French: ''Institut International de Philosophie'', ''IIP) is an international body of leading philosophers, named by election only, and limited by statute to 115 members. It has counted among its member ...

(I.I.P.), Paris, (i.e., the world academy of philosophers). President of the German Philosophical Society 1991–1993, Vice President 1998–2003 of the

International Federation of Philosophical Societies The International Federation of Philosophical Societies (French: ''Fédération Internationale des Sociétés de Philosophie'', FISP) is a world organization for learned societies in philosophy. Its member-societies arguably include every country ...

(Fédération Internationale des Sociétés de Philosophie, FISP). Visiting and honorary professorships in Argentina; Austria; Brazil, Chile, Hungary, India, Japan, Norway, Russia, Switzerland, Venezuela and the United States, incl. distinguished ones at

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United ...

1973,

University of Massachusetts The University of Massachusetts is the Public university, public university system of the Massachusetts, Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The university system includes six campuses (Amherst, Boston, Dartmouth, University of Massachusetts Lowell ...

1976,

TCU TCU may stand for: Education * Tanzania Commission for Universities, regulatory body for Universities in Tanzania * Texas Christian University, a private university in Fort Worth, Texas ** TCU Horned Frogs, the athletic programs of the school * Tok ...

, Texas, 1987. Studies in

mathematics Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...

philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

sport science Sports science is a discipline that studies how the healthy human body works during exercise, and how sports and physical activity promote health and performance from cellular to whole body perspectives. The study of sports science traditionally i ...

(physical edu.) at the

University of Freiburg The University of Freiburg (colloquially ), officially the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg (), is a public university, public research university located in Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The university was founded in 1 ...

, 1955-7, and until 1961 at the

University of Kiel Kiel University, officially the Christian Albrecht University of Kiel, (, abbreviated CAU, known informally as Christiana Albertina) is a public research university in the city of Kiel, Germany. It was founded in 1665 as the ''Academia Holsator ...

.(there also

sociology Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. The term sociol ...

and

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...

), advanced studies in

cybernetics Cybernetics is the transdisciplinary study of circular causal processes such as feedback and recursion, where the effects of a system's actions (its outputs) return as inputs to that system, influencing subsequent action. It is concerned with ...

Technische Universität Berlin (TU Berlin; also known as Berlin Institute of Technology and Technical University of Berlin, although officially the name should not be translated) is a public university, public research university located in Berlin, Germany. It was the first ...

. – Dr. phil. =

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

at Kiel Univ. 1961. His Dissertation on the modern

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a Multi-s ...

has been the first comprehensive social philosophical study of the modern Olympics in the social sciences. Habilitations (advanced doctorates) at the

1966 (in

) and 1969 (for

), Assoc. Prof. 1969. – Full Professor at Karlsruhe Univ. 1969–2003. Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences 1973-5. Dean 1993–2006 of the European Faculty (now European Academy) of Land Use and Development. Lenk started out with the

philosophy of science Philosophy of science is the branch of philosophy concerned with the foundations, methods, and implications of science. Amongst its central questions are the difference between science and non-science, the reliability of scientific theories, ...

and the foundation of

logic Logic is the study of correct reasoning. It includes both formal and informal logic. Formal logic is the study of deductively valid inferences or logical truths. It examines how conclusions follow from premises based on the structure o ...

s (notably his habilitation thesis on the Critique of Logical Constants, 1968) and later on, since 1978, included

epistemology Epistemology is the branch of philosophy that examines the nature, origin, and limits of knowledge. Also called "the theory of knowledge", it explores different types of knowledge, such as propositional knowledge about facts, practical knowle ...

and pragmatic methodology of the social and natural sciences, technology+ economics, neuroscience and the

philosophy of language Philosophy of language refers to the philosophical study of the nature of language. It investigates the relationship between language, language users, and the world. Investigations may include inquiry into the nature of Meaning (philosophy), me ...

in several books on Interpretative Constructs (1993) and Schema Games (1995). Since 1978 he developed his basic epistemological methodology of what he calls “methodological (scheme-)interpretationism” focused on a pragmatic and constructive realism a bit similar to Putnam's internal realism and much earlier and more general than the according recent perspectivism in US philosophy of science. Since then he extended and differentiated

Wittgenstein Ludwig Josef Johann Wittgenstein ( ; ; 26 April 1889 – 29 April 1951) was an Austrian philosopher who worked primarily in logic, the philosophy of mathematics, the philosophy of mind, and the philosophy of language. From 1929 to 1947, Witt ...

’s later conception of “language games” toward “schema games” connecting and activating these with neuroscientific findings and analyses (for neurophilosophy cf. his book Consciousness as Scheme-Interpretation 2004). In

applied philosophy Applied philosophy (philosophy from Greek: φιλοσοφία, philosophia, 'love of wisdom') is a branch of philosophy that studies philosophical problems of practical concern. The topic covers a broad spectrum of issues in environment, medicin ...

he published rather many studies and books on performance and achievement (not only in sport), social responsibility (see, e.g., Mitcham's Encyclopedia on Science, Technology and Ethics (2005, 2015 2nd ed.)), and social

philosophy of technology The philosophy of technology is a sub-field of philosophy that studies the nature of technology and its social effects. Philosophical discussion of questions relating to technology (or its Greek ancestor ''techne'') dates back to the very dawn of ...

. Lately, he turned to several books on Concrete Humanity 1988 and sustainability 2009 and

Philosophical Anthropology Philosophical anthropology, sometimes called anthropological philosophy, is a discipline within philosophy that inquires into the essence of human nature. It deals with questions of metaphysics and phenomenology of the human person. Philosophic ...

2010, 2013. Lenk's autobiographical memorial recollections on

Ratzeburg Ratzeburg (; Low German: ''Ratzborg'') is a town in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is surrounded by Ratzeburger See, four lakes—the resulting isthmuses between the lakes form the access lanes to the town. Ratzeburg is the capital of the distri ...

er Goldwasser (

’s Golden Waters) 2013 and Golden Day at Lago Albano 2015 present a lively overview of his athletic and academic career stages (except the three US visiting professorships). Lenk's academic specializations comprise amongst others:

, methodology and

, incl. social sciences and technology, systems theory, neurosciences,

anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, society, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including archaic humans. Social anthropology studies patterns of behav ...

, theoretical sociology, action theory, philosophy and psychology of creativity, achievement motivation and group dynamics, neuro- and moral philosophy as well as applied ethics, sport science and philosophy of sport. Lenk died in

Karlsruhe Karlsruhe ( ; ; ; South Franconian German, South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, third-largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, after its capital Stuttgart a ...

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg ( ; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a states of Germany, German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million i ...

on 30 July 2024, at the age of 89.Trauer um Hans Lenk

(Honorary) memberships in societies/committees

Professional societies/committees

* Founding president of the bilateral Philosophical Societies with Argentina, Chile, Hungary (−2005), Romania, and the German-Russian Society of the Philosophy of Science and Technology * Founding member 1972 and President (1980–1) of the International Association of Sport Philosophy. * Associate Fellow, American Academy of Physical Education (now known as the National Academy of Kinesiology), USA, 1983. * Member of the Steering Committee member of FISP 1994–2008 * 2003 Member of the

Russian Academy of Science The Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS; ''Rossíyskaya akadémiya naúk'') consists of the national academy of Russia; a network of scientific research institutes from across the Russian Federation; and additional scientific and social units such ...

, Moscow * Member of the International Academy for the Philosophy of the Sciences 1995 * Internat. Academy for Philosophy 2010 * and the International Institute of Philosophy/Paris (I.I.P.) 1994 * German UNESCO Commission 1983–91 * Honorary membership: 2008 (as Hon. Pres.) of the International Institute of Philosophy * Honorary membership: German Philos. Society * Honorary membership: Philosophy Section of the

Romanian Academy The Romanian Academy ( ) is a cultural forum founded in Bucharest, Romania, in 1866. It covers the scientific, artistic and literary domains. The academy has 181 active members who are elected for life. According to its bylaws, the academy's ma ...

* Honorary membership: World Academy of Letters

Sports societies/committees

* Honorary membership:

International Olympic Academy The International Olympic Academy (IOA) is the main educational and cultural institution for the International Olympic Committee. Established in 1961, the IOA is located near the archeological site of ancient Olympia, Greece. The goal of the IO ...

* Honorary membership: German Rowing Federation *

German Olympic Committee The German Olympic Sports Confederation (, DOSB) was founded on 20 May 2006 by a merger of the ''Deutscher Sportbund'' (DSB), and the ''Nationales Olympisches Komitee für Deutschland'' (NOK) which dates back to 1895, the year it was founded a ...

1965–93 * honorary memberships in various rowing clubs.

Sport achievements

4 German, 9 University and 2 European Championships in rowing (4-, 8+) 1958–60, Olympic Goldmedalist in the eight oar crew (8+) 1960 ( Rome Olympics). Co-founder and coach of 3 German Championships (4+, 8+), 1 European silver medal (4+) and one World Championship (8+, 1966).

Awards and honors (selection)

* Silver Laurel Leaf of the Federal President of Germany 1959, 1960 * Scientific Diem Plaque 1962 * Sievert-Prize (Olympians International) 1972/3 * Noel Baker Research Prize (

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

) 1978 * Outstanding Academic Book Award (USA) 1979 * Elected an Associate Fellow of the prestigious American Academy of Physical Education (now known as the National Academy of Kinesiology), USA, 1983. * Commander's Cross (Großes Verdienstkreuz) from the President of the Federal Republic of Germany 2005 * Ethics Prize from the German Olympic Sports Federation 2010 * International Plato Award 2010 * Hall of Fame of the German Sport 2012 * Distinguished Scholar Award of the International Assoc. for the Philosophy of Sport 1995 * 8 honorary doctor degrees: Cologne 1986 (Sports U.), Córdoba/Arg. 1992 (Nat. U., twice = from 2 depts.), Moscow 1995 (GUGN) and IUÖP 2001, Budapest 1993 (TU), Pecs 1994 (dist., Rostov/Don 2002) * 5 honorary or distinguished professorships abroad (US, Russia, Hungary, Chile).

Publications

Overview

Lenk is the author of about 2500 articles and almost 150 books, incl. in Engl., a.o., Global

TechnoScience In common usage, technoscience refers to the entire long-standing and global human activity of technology, combined with the relatively recent scientific method that occurred primarily in Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries. Technoscience ...

and Responsibility 2007, Grasping Reality 2003, Save Olympic Spirit 2012, Social Philosophy of Athletics 1979, Team Dynamics 1977, Comparative and Intercultural Philosophy (ed.) 2009, Kant Today (ed.) 2006, Land Development Strategies (co-ed.) 2009, Ethics Facing Globalization (co-ed.) 2006, Advances and Problems in the

Philosophy of Technology The philosophy of technology is a sub-field of philosophy that studies the nature of technology and its social effects. Philosophical discussion of questions relating to technology (or its Greek ancestor ''techne'') dates back to the very dawn of ...

(co-ed.) 1997 (US)+2001, Epistemological Issues in Classical Chinese Philosophy (co-ed.) 1993, (Translations of books/articles into 20 languages.)

Selected publications (in German)

* Kritik der logischen Konstanten.

De Gruyter Walter de Gruyter GmbH, known as De Gruyter (), is a German scholarly publishing house specializing in academic literature. History The roots of the company go back to 1749 when Frederick the Great granted the Königliche Realschule in Be ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, 1968, * Werte – Ziele – Wirklichkeit der modernen Olympischen Spiele (2nd Ed.). Hofmann, Schorndorf, 1972, * Leistungssport – Ideologie oder Mythos?

Kohlhammer Verlag W. Kohlhammer Verlag GmbH, or Kohlhammer Verlag, is a German publishing house headquartered in Stuttgart. History Kohlhammer Verlag was founded in Stuttgart on 30 April 1866 by . Kohlhammer had taken over the businesses of his late father-in-la ...

, Stuttgart 1972, 1974 (2nd Ed.), * Pragmatische Philosophie. Hoffmann & Campe, Hamburg 1975, * Zur Sozialphilosophie der Technik.

Suhrkamp Suhrkamp Verlag is a German publishing house, established in 1950 and is generally acknowledged as one of the leading European publishers of fine literature. Its roots go back to the "arianized" part of the S. Fischer Verlag. In January 2010, ...

, Frankfurt/M 1982 * Eigenleistung. Fromm, Osnabrück-Zürich, 1983, * Die achte Kunst – Leistungssport – Breitensport. Fromm –Interfrom, Osnabrück-Zurich, 1985, * Zwischen Wissenschaft und Ethik.

, Frankfurt a. M., 1992, * Interpretationskonstrukte. Zur Kritik der interpretatorischen Vernunft.

, Frankfurt a. M., 1993, * Philosophie und Interpretation.

, Frankfurt a. M., 1993, * Interpretation und Realität.

, Frankfurt a. M., 1995, * Schemaspiele.

, Frankfurt a. M., 1995, * Einführung in die angewandte Ethik – Verantwortlichkeit und Gewissen. Kohlhammer, Stuttgart, 1997, * Einführung in die Erkenntnistheorie. UTB (Fink), München, 1998, * Konkrete Humanität.

, Frankfurt a. M., 1998, * Praxisnahes Philosophieren. Kohlhammer, Stuttgart, 1999, * Erfassung der Wirklichkeit, Königshausen & Neumann, Würzburg, 2000, * Kreative Aufstiege. Zur Philosophie und Psychologie der Kreativität.

, Frankfurt a. M., 2000, * Albert Schweitzer: Ethik als konkrete Humanität. LIT, Münster, 2000, * Das Denken und sein Gehalt. Oldenbourg, München, 2001, * Denken und Handlungsbindung, Karl Alber, Freiburg, 2001, * Kleine Philosophie des Gehirns. Wiss. Buchges. Primus, Darmstadt, 2001, * Erfolg oder Fairness? (2nd Ed.). LIT, Münster, 2010, * Natur – Umwelt – Ethik (with M. Maring). LIT, Münster, 2003, * Bewusstsein als Schemainterpretation. Mentis, Paderborn, 2004, * Verantwortung und Gewissen des Forschers. Studienverlag, Innsbruck, 2006, * Bewusstsein, Kreativität und Leistung. Wiss. Buchgesellschaft, Darmstadt, 2007, * Das flexible Vielfachwesen. Einführung in die moderne philosophische Anthropologie zwischen Bio-, Techno- und Kulturwissenschaften. Velbrück Wiss., Weilerswist, 2010, * Ratzeburger Goldwasser – vom Lago Albano bis Lambarene. Projektverlag, Bochum/Freiburg, 2013, * Transkulturelle Logik – Universalität in der Vielfalt (with G. Paul). Projektverlag, Bochum/Freiburg, 2014, * Goldtag am Lago Albano. Projektverlag, Bochum/Freiburg, 2015,

Originally English works (selection)

* Team Dynamics, Stipes, Champaign IL, 1977, * Social Philosophy of Athletics: A Pluralistic and Practice-Oriented Philosophical Analysis of Top Level Amateur Sport. Stipes, Champaign IL, 1979, * Grasping Reality. World Scientific, Singapore, 2003, * Global TechnoScience and Responsibility. LIT, Berlin, 2007, * S.O.S. Save Olympic Spirit. Agon Sportverlag, Kassel, 2012,

References

External links

*
Website of the L'Institut international de philosophie
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lenk, Hans 1935 births 2024 deaths Rowers from Berlin Olympic rowers for the United Team of Germany Rowers at the 1960 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for the United Team of Germany Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Olympic medalists in rowing 20th-century German philosophers 21st-century German philosophers Foreign members of the Russian Academy of Sciences West German male rowers Recipients of the Silver Laurel Leaf German male writers Medalists at the 1960 Summer Olympics European Rowing Championships medalists Philosophers of sport Technische Universität Berlin alumni