Eric Andreas Hilgendorf (; born 3 December 1960) is a German

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...

and

legal philosopher Jurisprudence, also known as theory of law or philosophy of law, is the examination in a general perspective of what law is and what it ought to be. It investigates issues such as the definition of law; legal validity; legal norms and values ...

. He holds the Chair in

Criminal Law Criminal law is the body of law that relates to crime. It proscribes conduct perceived as threatening, harmful, or otherwise endangering to the property, health, safety, and Well-being, welfare of people inclusive of one's self. Most criminal l ...

Criminal Procedure Criminal procedure is the adjudication process of the criminal law. While criminal procedure differs dramatically by jurisdiction, the process generally begins with a formal criminal charge with the person on trial either being free on bail ...

Legal Theory Jurisprudence, also known as theory of law or philosophy of law, is the examination in a general perspective of what law is and what it ought to be. It investigates issues such as the definition of law; legal validity; legal norms and values ...

, and

Information Information is an Abstraction, abstract concept that refers to something which has the power Communication, to inform. At the most fundamental level, it pertains to the Interpretation (philosophy), interpretation (perhaps Interpretation (log ...

and

Computer Science Computer science is the study of computation, information, and automation. Computer science spans Theoretical computer science, theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, and information theory) to Applied science, ...

Law at the

University of Würzburg The Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg (also referred to as the University of Würzburg, in German ''Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg'') is a public research university in Würzburg, Germany. Founded in 1402, it is one of the ol ...

. Hilgendorf is one of Germany's most influential scholars in the field of

criminal law Criminal law is the body of law that relates to crime. It proscribes conduct perceived as threatening, harmful, or otherwise endangering to the property, health, safety, and Well-being, welfare of people inclusive of one's self. Most criminal l ...

, with special focuses on IT law as well as on

artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is the capability of computer, computational systems to perform tasks typically associated with human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, problem-solving, perception, and decision-making. It is a field of re ...

and law.

Academic background

After graduating from high school in

Ansbach Ansbach ( , ; ) is a city in the Germany, German state of Bavaria. It is the capital of the Regierungsbezirk, administrative region of Mittelfranken, Middle Franconia. Ansbach is southwest of Nuremberg and north of Munich, on the river Fränk ...

in 1980, Hilgendorf entered the University of Tübingen, where he studied a range of subjects including philosophy,

modern history The modern era or the modern period is considered the current historical period of human history. It was originally applied to the history of Europe and Western history for events that came after the Middle Ages, often from around the year 1500, ...

, religious studies, and law. He was awarded his BA/MA degree with concentrations in philosophy and history upon submission of his master's thesis entitled the ''History of the Parliamentary

Freedom of Speech Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The rights, right to freedom of expression has been r ...

in Germany''. In 1990 he completed his PhD in Philosophy with submission of the study ''Argumentation in

Jurisprudence Jurisprudence, also known as theory of law or philosophy of law, is the examination in a general perspective of what law is and what it ought to be. It investigates issues such as the definition of law; legal validity; legal norms and values ...

'', and was awarded his second PhD, in the field of Law, for his thesis entitled ''Criminal Production Liability in the Society of Risk''. In 1997 he completed the dissertation for his habilitation ''On the Distinction of Factual Statements and Value Judgments in Criminal Law'', which focused on

, criminal procedure, and

legal philosophy Jurisprudence, also known as theory of law or philosophy of law, is the examination in a general perspective of what law is and what it ought to be. It investigates issues such as the definition of law; legal validity; legal norms and values ...

. Following his habilitation, Hilgendorf was appointed and served as professor of

at the

University of Constance The University of Konstanz () is a university in the city of Konstanz in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Its main campus was opened on the Gießberg in 1972 after being founded in 1966. The university is Germany's southernmost university and is s ...

from 1997 to 2001, serving there as Dean from 1999 to 2001. Since 2001 he has taught at the Julius-Maximilian University of Würzburg, where he holds the Chair in

Criminal Justice Criminal justice is the delivery of justice to those who have been accused of committing crimes. The criminal justice system is a series of government agencies and institutions. Goals include the rehabilitation of offenders, preventing other ...

, Information and

Law. He served as Dean of the Würzburg Law Faculty from October 2010 to September 2012.

Academic career

Hilgendorf's main areas of interest are German and European

medical law Medical law is the branch of law which concerns the prerogatives and responsibilities of medical professionals and the rights of the patient. It should not be confused with medical jurisprudence, which is a branch of medicine, rather than a br ...

, computer- and

Internet The Internet (or internet) is the Global network, global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a internetworking, network of networks ...

criminal law, law and technology and

comparative law Comparative law is the study of differences and similarities between the law and legal systems of different countries. More specifically, it involves the study of the different legal systems (or "families") in existence around the world, includ ...

. He is also active in basic

legal research Legal research is "the process of identifying and retrieving information necessary to support legal decision-making. In its broadest sense, legal research includes each step of a course of action that begins with an analysis of the facts of a prob ...

including work in the subfields of

legal theory Jurisprudence, also known as theory of law or philosophy of law, is the examination in a general perspective of what law is and what it ought to be. It investigates issues such as the definition of law; legal validity; legal norms and values ...

bioethics Bioethics is both a field of study and professional practice, interested in ethical issues related to health (primarily focused on the human, but also increasingly includes animal ethics), including those emerging from advances in biology, me ...

, history of legal thought, the history of criminal law, and

human dignity Dignity is a human's contentment attained by satisfying physiological needs and a need in development. The content of contemporary dignity is derived in the new natural law theory as a distinct human good. As an extension of the Age of Enlighten ...

. He is regarded as a pioneer in the field of

e-learning Educational technology (commonly abbreviated as edutech, or edtech) is the combined use of computer hardware, software, and educational theory and practice to facilitate learning and teaching. When referred to with its abbreviation, "EdTech" ...

in law and from 2005 to 2009 was a member of the Commission on Virtual Higher Education in Bavaria. Among his distinctions, Hilgendorf is a member of the Association of Criminal Law Teachers (professors) and the

European Society for Analytic Philosophy European, or Europeans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe and other West ...

, a correspondent of the

Hans Kelsen Hans Kelsen (; ; October 11, 1881 – April 19, 1973) was an Austrian and later American jurist, legal philosopher and political philosopher. He is known principally for his theory of law, which he named the " pure theory of law (''Reine Rechts ...

Society in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

, and a member of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the

Giordano Bruno Foundation The Giordano Bruno Foundation (, abbreviated: gbs) is a Germany-based non-profit foundation under public law that promotes evolutionary humanism and the enlightenment. It was founded by entrepreneur Herbert Steffen in 2004 and was named after G ...

. In addition, he is a member of the Deutsche Akademie für Technikwissenschaften (Acatech) (German Academy for Technological Sciences). Hilgendorf has been called upon several times to advise the

German Parliament The Bundestag (, "Federal Diet") is the lower house of the German federal parliament. It is the only constitutional body of the federation directly elected by the German people. The Bundestag was established by Title III of the Basic Law for ...

and

federal government A federation (also called a federal state) is an entity characterized by a political union, union of partially federated state, self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a #Federal governments, federal government (federalism) ...

on matters of criminal law,

, and Internet crime. Since 2014, Hilgendorf has served as co-editor of the renowned ''JuristenZeitung''. Professor Hilgendorf has also been a spokesperson for

Würzburg Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is, after Nuremberg and Fürth, the Franconia#Towns and cities, third-largest city in Franconia located in the north of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. It sp ...

's Center for Foundational Legal Research. He heads the

’s project "Global Systems and

Intercultural Cross-cultural communication is a field of study investigating how people from differing cultural backgrounds communicate, in similar and different ways among themselves, and how they endeavor to communicate across cultures. Intercultural communi ...

Competence" (GSIK), which focuses on teaching students of all faculties how to recognize, analyze, and resolve intercultural conflict. This program has included a number of sub-projects focusing on international

. He was one of the organizers of an international team of researchers at the Center for Interdisciplinary Research (ZIF) in Bielefeld, Germany. Hilgendorf is involved in the field of international legal development through his cooperation with universities in

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

, the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprising parts of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus Mountains, i ...

(mainly

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...

Latin America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...

, and

East Asia East Asia is a geocultural region of Asia. It includes China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan, plus two special administrative regions of China, Hong Kong and Macau. The economies of Economy of China, China, Economy of Ja ...

(China, Korea and Japan), for example establishing a strong working relationship with Peking University Law School. In 2010, together with Professor Genlin Liang of the

Peking University Peking University (PKU) is a Public university, public Types of universities and colleges in China#By designated academic emphasis, university in Haidian, Beijing, China. It is affiliated with and funded by the Ministry of Education of the Peop ...

, he founded the Chinese-German Federation of Criminal Law Professors (CDSV), whose goal is to promote academic exchange between the two countries. Since then, the CDSV has become one of the most important academic platforms for cooperation in criminal law between Germany and China. In 2013, Hilgendorf was invited as visiting professor at the Law Faculty of the Peking University. Peking University has awarded him the title of honorary professor. Since 2018, he is member of the "Global Faculty" of Peking University Law School. In the same year. he received an honorary professorship from Renmin University Law School. In 2014, he was a guest professor at

Hebrew University The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; ) is an Israeli public research university based in Jerusalem. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Chaim Weizmann in July 1918, the public university officially opened on 1 April 1925. It is the second-ol ...

, Jerusalem. In 2010, Hilgendorf founded the ''Forschungsstelle Robotrecht'', a well-known research centre addressing legal issues related to autonomous systems in industrial processes, transport and private life. Autonomous driving raises questions of civil and criminal liability, protection of privacy and matters of registration for road use. From 2013 to 2017, he was head of the pan-European legal research group of AdaptIVe, an EU-funded research project on the development of autonomous vehicles. In 2016, he was appointed by Federal Minister of Transport and Digital Infrastructure

Alexander Dobrindt Alexander Dobrindt (; born 7 June 1970) is a German politician of the Christian Social Union in Bavaria (CSU) who has been serving as the Federal Minister of the Interior in the government of Chancellor Friedrich Merz since 2025. From 2017 to ...

to serve on the German government's Ethics Commission on Autonomous Driving. Since 2019, Hilgendorf has been co-director of the newly founded Bavarian Research Institute for Digital Transformation (BIDT) situated in Munich. Moreover, he was member of the European High Level Expert Group on Artificial Intelligence (EU HLEG on AI). Hilgendorf is also the chairperson of the Juristen ALUMNI Würzburg, the University of Würzburg Law Faculty's alumni relations program.

Publications

Hilgendorf is the author of numerous books, essays, and annotations. Many of his works have been translated into other languages such as English, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Turkish and Greek. Among his works are (with English translation): *''Argumentation in der Jurisprudenz. Zur Rezeption von analytischer Philosophie und kritischer Theorie in der Grundlagenforschung der Jurisprudenz'' (Argumentation in Jurisprudence: On the Reception of Analytical Philosophy and Critical Theory in the Basic Research of Jurisprudence), Tübingen, Univ., Diss., 1990, Duncker & Humblot Berlin 1991 *''Die Entwicklungsgeschichte der parlamentarischen Redefreiheit in Deutschland'' (Historical Development of the Parliamentary Freedom of Speech in Germany), Peter Lang Frankfurt am Main 1991 *''Hans Albert zur Einführung'' (Hans Albert: an Introduction), Junius, Hamburg 1997 (Zur Einführung, 143) *''Wissenschaftlicher Humanismus. Texte zur Moral- und Rechtsphilosophie des frühen logischen Empirismus'' (Scientific Humanism: Essays on the Moral- and Legal Philosophy of early Logical Empiricism), Haufe Verlag, Freiburg 1998 (Haufe-Schriftenreihe zur rechtswissenschaftlichen Grundlagenforschung, Bd. 12) *''Fallsammlung zum Strafrecht. (Casebook on Criminal Law: General and Special Parts), 3 Vols., 2020'' *''dtv - Atlas Recht Bd. 1. Grundlagen, Staatsrecht, Strafrecht'' (dtv - Atlas of Law Vol. 1. Foundations of Constitutional and Criminal Law), Deutscher Taschenbuchverlag, Munich 2003, 2. Ed. 2008 *''dtv - Atlas Recht Bd. 2 Verwaltungsrecht, Zivilrecht'' (dtv – Atlas of Law Vol. 2 Administrative Law, Civil Law), Deutscher Taschenbuchverlag, Munich 2008 *''Strafrecht Besonderer Teil'' (Criminal Law Special Part), Gieseking Verlag, 4. Ed. Bielefeld 2021 (together with author Bernd Heinrich) *''Die deutschsprachige Strafrechtswissenschaft in Selbstdarstellungen'' (German Criminal Legal Science as it Sees Itself), Vol. 1, 2010, Vol 2, 2018 (Editor) *''Ostasiatisches Strafrecht'' (East Asian Criminal Law), Tübingen 2010 (Editor) *'' Handbuch des deutschen Strafrechts'' (Handbook of German Criminal Law), Vols. 1 -9, Heidelberg 2018 - 2023 (editor, together with co-editors Hans Kudlich and Brian Valerius) *''Medizinstrafrecht'' (Medical Criminal Law), 2. Ed. 2019 *''Lehr- und Praxiskommentar Strafrecht'' (Commentary on Criminal Law for Teachers and Practitioners of Law''), 9. Ed. 2021

References

External links

Literature from and on Professor Eric Hilgendorf
in the catalogues of the

German National Library The German National Library (DNB; ) is the central archival library and national bibliographic centre for the Federal Republic of Germany. It is one of the largest libraries in the world. Its task is to collect, permanently archive, comprehens ...

Department of Criminal Law, Criminal Justice, Legal Theory, Information and Computer Science Law
at the

Full list of publications

Project Homepage of Global Systems and Intercultural Competence

Homepage of the Juristen ALUMNI Würzburg
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hilgendorf, Eric 1960 births Living people Jurists from Stuttgart German legal scholars 20th-century German lawyers Academic staff of the University of Würzburg 21st-century German lawyers Critical rationalists Members of German Academy of Science and Engineering Acatech