Biography
I am philosopher and practicing psychiatrist. I was born in 1954 and studied medicine (University of Amsterdam; 1981) and philosophy (VU University; 1982; cum laude). I am trained as psychiatrist (1985; University of Amsterdam) and group psychotherapist (1997). My dissertation was titled Concepts of Anxiety and Anxiety Disorders. A scientific and philosophical study(Utrecht, 1991). The dissertation was awarded with the van Helsdingen Award for philosophy and psychiatry (1993). From 1993 – 2009 I had a special chair in Christian Philosophy at Leiden University (Faculty of Philosophy). From 2006 – 2012 I had a chair for philosophy and psychiatry at Leiden University Medical Centre. From 2008 until now I am appointed at the Faculty of Philosophy at VU University Amsterdam (Dooyeweerd chair).
Areas of expertise
Philosophy of Neuro Science, Philsophy of Mind, psychiatry, Herman Dooyeweerd
Research
My research focuses on philosophical questions at the interface between (neuro)science, philosophy, clinical (mainly psychiatric) practice, and religion. I owe much to the philosophical systematic framework of Herman Dooyeweerd, one of the founding fathers of Christian philosophy in the Reformed tradition in Netherlands. Areas of special interest are: theories on self and personhood, the philosophy of anxiety, the nature of evil and forgiveness, the concept of disease, the epistemology of clinical knowledge, and the nature of normative practices.
Publications (selection)
- Angst - beleving, structuur, macht. Meppel/Amsterdam: Boom, 2001
- Churchland, Kandel, and Dooyeweerd on the reducibility of mind states. Philosophia Reformata, jrg. 67 (2002), 148-172.
- The conceptual history of anxiety and depression. In: S. Kaspar, J.A. den Boer & A. Sitsen (Eds.) (2003). Handbook on Anxiety and Depression (second edition, revised and expanded). New York: Marcel Dekker, 1-47.
- Person, personality, self, and identity. The Journal of Personality Disorders, 20 (2006), 126-138.
- Neurowetenschap en de vrije wil. In: C. Dekker, R. van Woudenberg & G. van den Brink (red.) (2007). Omhoog kijken in platland. Over geloven in de wetenschap. Kampen: Ten Have, pp. 221-242.
- Over het psychiatrisch ziektebegrip. In: J.A. den Boer, G. Glas & A.W.M. Mooij (red.) (2008).Kernproblemen van de psychiatrie. Amsterdam: Boom, pp.328-370.
- Christian philosophical anthropology. A reformation perspective. Philosophia Reformata, Vol. 75 [2010], 141-189.
- The thinker and the truth. Bringing Søren Kierkegaard in discussion with reformational philosophy. Philosophia Reformata, Vol. 77 [2012], 155–182.
For more publications you may constult a selected list of my academic publications.
Contact
Additional Information
LinkedIn
CV
