Gustav Melichar

Philosopher, Postdoctoral Researcher & Systemic Counselor

I am a postdoctoral researcher at the Section for Phenomenological Psychopathology and Psychotherapy, Heidelberg University Hospital, and a trained philosophical counselor.

I work at the intersection of Aristotelian naturalism, enactivist cognitive science, and transcendental philosophy to develop a non-reductive account of embodied rational capacities. My research addresses the normativity of mental illness, the conditions of autonomy, and the role of trust in social and therapeutic practices, drawing systematically on both the history of philosophy and contemporary cognitive science.

News

New Book: Phenomenology of Emotions (Cambridge University Press)

Our edited volume Phenomenology of Emotions: Perspectives from Philosophy, Psychopathology, and Psychotherapy has been published by Cambridge University Press.

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Workshop: From Life to Mind — The Return of Hylemorphism in Embodied Cognition featured image

Workshop: From Life to Mind — The Return of Hylemorphism in Embodied Cognition

International workshop at the Heidelberger Akademie der Wissenschaften, September 2–3, 2026, co-organized by Gustav Melichar and Simon Schüz.

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My Article: Spitting and Bullshitting. False Statements in Public Discourse featured image

My Article: Spitting and Bullshitting. False Statements in Public Discourse

A new article in the Deutsche Zeitschrift für Philosophie develops the concept of 'spitting' as a distinct form of false speech, different from both lying and bullshitting.

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Publications

Recent Publications

Melichar, H. G. (2026). Verkörperte Vernunft. Kann der Enaktivismus Hegels Psychologie aktualisieren? Internationales Jahrbuch für philosophische Anthropologie, hrsg. von S. Schüz.

Melichar, H. G., Schmidt-Boddy, P., Vespermann, D., and Fuchs, Th. (2026). For real? – Epistemic trust within online environments and the lures of conspiracy thinking. Human Studies.

Melichar, H. G. (2025). Bullshitting und Spitting. Ein Essay zur Sprache im öffentlichen Raum. Deutsche Zeitschrift für Philosophie. https://doi.org/10.1515/dzph-2025-0022

For a full list of publications see the Publications page.