Joseph Vogl (born October 5, 1957) is a German

philosopher 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 ...

who has written on

literature Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, Play (theatre), plays, and poetry, poems. It includes both print and Electroni ...

culture Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...

and

media Media may refer to: Communication * Means of communication, tools and channels used to deliver information or data ** Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for advertising ** Interactive media, media that is inter ...

. He is professor of modern German literature, literary, media and cultural studies at the

Humboldt University The Humboldt University of Berlin (, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a public university, public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin, Germany. The university was established by Frederick William III of Prussia, Frederick W ...

of Berlin.

Life and work

After graduating from high school in 1977, Vogl studied German literature, philosophy and history in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

and

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. He completed his M.A. from the

Ludwig Maximilian University The Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (simply University of Munich, LMU or LMU Munich; ) is a public research university in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Originally established as the University of Ingolstadt in 1472 by Duke Ludwig IX of Bav ...

of Munich in 1984, and he earned his doctorate in German literature in 1990. He was awarded a postdoctoral fellowship by the

German Research Foundation The German Research Foundation ( ; DFG ) is a German research funding organization, which functions as a self-governing institution for the promotion of science and research in the Federal Republic of Germany. In 2019, the DFG had a funding bud ...

(Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft) from 1992 to 1994 and a postdoctoral scholarship from 1995 to 1997. In 1999 Vogl became professor of history and theory of artificial worlds at the Faculty of Media of the

Bauhaus University, Weimar The Bauhaus-Universität Weimar is a university located in Weimar, Germany, and specializes in the artistic and technical fields. Established in 1860 as the Great Ducal Saxon Art School, it gained collegiate status on 3 June 1910. In 1919 the s ...

In 2001 he qualified as a professor in the subject German literature at the Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literatures of the

of Munich. Since April 1, 2006, he has held the chair of modern German literature: literary, media and cultural studies at the Humboldt University of Berlin. He has also been visiting professor at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

(2006–2007), at the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

, (2007) and since 2007 he has been permanent visiting professor at the Department of German at Princeton University. One research focus of Joseph Vogl is on the "Poetologies of knowledge" - the interweaving of knowledge and literature. Other priorities include the history and theory of knowledge, the history of risk and danger in the modern era, and the discourse, media theory and literary history from 18th to 20th century. Vogl's work is in the tradition of the post-structuralist philosophy. He is the translator of key works of modern French philosophy such as

Gilles Deleuze Gilles Louis René Deleuze (18 January 1925 – 4 November 1995) was a French philosopher who, from the early 1950s until his death in 1995, wrote on philosophy, literature, film, and fine art. His most popular works were the two volumes o ...

's ''

Difference and Repetition ''Difference and Repetition'' () is a 1968 book by French philosopher Gilles Deleuze. Originally published in France, it was translated into English by Paul Patton in 1994. ''Difference and Repetition'' was Deleuze's principal thesis for the Do ...

'' and

Jean-François Lyotard Jean-François Lyotard (; ; 10 August 1924 – 21 April 1998) was a French philosopher, sociologist, and literary theorist. His interdisciplinary discourse spans such topics as epistemology and communication, the human body, modern art and p ...

's ''The Differend''. In his 2010 published work ''Das Gespenst des Kapitals'' ("The Specter of Capital") Vogl coined the term "Oikodizee", calling for a demystification of traditional conception of financial markets. The powerful faith in the invisible hand of the market in the tradition of Adam Smith "ignores the secularised theodicy the irrational" and the "diabolical dynamics unleashed by money economy. For his book ''Der Souveränitätseffekt'' ("The Sovereignty Effect") Vogl was on the shortlist for the

Leipzig Book Fair Prize The Leipzig Book Fair Prize () is a literary award assigned annually during the Leipzig Book Fair The Leipzig Book Fair () is the second largest book fair in Germany after the Frankfurt Book Fair. The fair takes place annually over four days a ...

2015 in the category of non-fiction.

Works

Books in English *''The Ascendancy of Finance'', John Wiley & Sons, 2017. *''The Specter of Capital.'' Stanford, Stanford University Press, 2014. *''On Tarrying.'' Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 2011. Articles in English
"The Real and the All-Too-Human"
(trans. William Callison), ''Parrhesia: A Journal of Critical Philosophy'' (2015) No. 22: 16–21.
"The Sovereignty Effect: Markets and Power in the Economic Regime"
(trans. William Callison), ''Qui Parle'' (2014) 23(1): 125–155.
"Poetics of Homo Economicus"
(trans. Dennis Schep), ''Continent'' (2014) Issue 4.1: 95–104.
"The Undoing of Functional Differentiation
''October'' (Summer 2014) No. 149: 89–94.
"Taming Time: Media of Financialization"
(trans. Christopher Reid), ''Grey Room'' (2012) No. 46: 72–83.
"Becoming-media: Galileo's Telescope"
''Grey Room'' (2007) No. 29: 14–25. Books in German * With Thomas Anz (Hrsg.): ''Die Dichter und der Krieg. Deutsche Lyrik 1914–1918.'' Hanser, München 1982. . * ''Orte der Gewalt. Kafkas literarische Ethik.'' (=Diss. München, 1990) Fink, München 1990. . Wiederveröffentlicht diaphanes, Zürich-Berlin 2010, . * (Ed.): ''Gemeinschaften. Positionen zu einer Philosophie des Politischen.'' Suhrkamp, Frankfurt am Main 1994. . * (Ed.): ''

Kafka Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) was a novelist and writer from Prague who was Jewish, Austrian, and Czech and wrote in German. He is widely regarded as a major figure of 20th-century literature. His work fuses elements of real ...

-Brevier.'' Reclam, Stuttgart 1995. . * With Friedrich Balke (Ed.): ''Gilles Deleuze. Fluchtlinien der Philosophie.'' Fink, München 1996. , TB Suhrkamp . * With Wolfgang Schäffner (Ed.): ''

Michel Foucault Paul-Michel Foucault ( , ; ; 15 October 192625 June 1984) was a French History of ideas, historian of ideas and Philosophy, philosopher who was also an author, Literary criticism, literary critic, Activism, political activist, and teacher. Fo ...

Herculine Barbin Herculine Adélaïde Barbin, later known as Abel Barbin (November 8, 1838 – February 1868), was a French intersex person who was assigned female at birth and raised in a convent, but was later reclassified as male by a court of law, after an ...

. Über Hermaphrodismus.'' Suhrkamp, Frankfurt am Main 1997. . * (Ed.): ''Poetologien des Wissens um 1800.'' Fink, München 1999. . * Claus Pias, Lorenz Engell u. a. (Ed.): ''Kursbuch MedienKultur.'' DVA, Stuttgart 2000. . * ''Kalkül und Leidenschaft. Poetik des ökonomischen Menschen.'' diaphanes, Zürich-Berlin 2002, . * With Bernhard Siegert (Ed.): ''Europa. Kultur der Sekretäre.'' diaphanes, Zürich-Berlin 2003, . * ''Gesetz und Urteil. Beiträge zu einer Theorie des Politischen.'' VDG, Weimar 2004. . * With Anne von der Heiden (Ed.): ''Politische Zoologie.'' diaphanes, Zürich-Berlin 2007, . * ''Über das Zaudern.'' diaphanes, Zürich-Berlin 2007, . * ''Für alle und keinen. Lektüre, Schrift und Leben bei Nietzsche und Kafka.'' diaphanes, Zürich-Berlin 2008, . * With Sabine Schimma (Ed.): ''Versuchsanordnungen 1800.'' diaphanes, Zürich-Berlin 2008, . * With

Alexander Kluge Alexander Kluge (born 14 February 1932) is a German author, philosopher, academic and film director.(editor) Early life, education and early career Kluge was born in Halberstadt, Province of Saxony (now Saxony-Anhalt), Germany. After growing ...

: ''Soll und Haben. Fernsehgespräche.'' diaphanes, Zürich-Berlin 2009, . *''Das Gespenst des Kapitals.'' diaphanes, Zürich 2010, . *''Der Souveränitätseffekt'' diaphanes, Zürich 2015, . *''Kapital und Ressentiment. EINE KURZE THEORIE DER GEGENWART'' C.H.Beck, München 2021, . Books in Spanish *
El espectro del capital
'' Buenos Aires, Cruce Casa Editora, 2015, .

References

Vogl's
profile at Cruce Casa Editora -Spanish- {{DEFAULTSORT:Vogl, Joseph 1957 births Living people 20th-century German philosophers Academic staff of the Humboldt University of Berlin Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich alumni American academics of German literature German Germanists German philosophers of technology