Fritz Breithaupt
Department of Germanic Studies
Expert Bio
Fritz Breithaupt is professor of Germanic studies, comparative literature and cognitive science at IU Bloomington whose research focuses on narrative thinking, empathy and experimental humanities. He has served as interim dean of Hutton Honors College and as been director of West European Studies and co-director of an EU Center of Excellence.
Breithaupt earned his Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University in 1997. Among his books are works on Goethe, on narrative theory and empathy. His latest book, “Dark Sides of Empathy: Nietzsche,” made the German bestseller list. It is forthcoming in English at Cornell University Press.
Areas of Expertise
Germany; empathy and dark sides of empathy; narrative mind; humanities and cognitive science; cultural history of money; history of psychology; Goethe. Topics I can talk about also include: Donald Trump and Germany; Donald Trump and empathy; refugees and empathy; terrorism and empathy.
Other Information
Breithaupt has written more than 70 op-ed pieces and articles and given dozens of interviews, including to Die Zeit, Huffington Post, Chronicle of Higher Education, Sueddeutsche Zeitung, German national radio and Deutsche Welle. He is also a regular contributor in Die Zeit.
