Frodo Podschwadek is currently working as Research Associate with a focus on Research Software Engineering / Current Research Information Systems at the Academy of Sciences and Literature | Mainz, where he is involved in the development of software systems used by the German NFDI4Culture project.
Whenever time permits, he is also working on topics of social and political philosophy, with a strong focus on liberalism, democracy, and their intersection with areas like education, technology, and migration. He is also interested in normative ethics, moral philosophy, and the philosophy of artificial intelligence.
In 2025, he is organising a panel on the challenges for democracy in the 21st century at TfPP2025.
Publications
Articles
From Boredom to Authenticity Bubbles: The Implication of Boredom-Induced Social Media Use for Individual Autonomy
Philosophy & Technology
04/2024
publisher link
Inoculation Against Populism: Media Competence Education and Political Autonomy
Moral Philosophy and Politics
09/2019
publisher link
Do Androids Dream of Normative Endorsement? On the Fallibility of Artificial Moral Agents
Artificial Intelligence and Law
09/2017
publisher link
Books
Die Erziehung der Vernünftigen: Politischer Liberalismus und öffentliche Bildung
01/2023
Springer VS Cham
publisher link
Chapters
Grenzkontrollen und digitale Grenzregime
Handbuch Philosophie und Migration
(forthcoming)
Virtuelle Realität und Politische Philosophie
Handbuch Philosophie der Digitalität
07/2025
publisher link
Miscellaneous
From Boredom to Authenticity Bubbles
Recording of impulse talk at PhiDOS Second International Meeting
14/04/2022
publisher link
Das moralische Übel der Genfer Flüchtlingskonvention
Contribution to the philosophy blog prae|faktisch
07/2021
publisher link
Work
Academic
Research Associate
Academy of Sciences and Literature Mainz
11/2021 – now
Research associate for digital humanities with a focus on research software engineering and current research information systems.
Graduate Teaching Assistant
University of Glasgow
09/2015 – 05/2016
Teaching undergraduate tutorial seminars for modules in practical philosophy (ethics, political philosophy, philosophy of religion).
Teaching Assistant
University of Hamburg
05/2011 – 07/2013
Teaching tutorials as part of the introductory modules for political philosophy and ethics.
Professional
Company Director
The Mechanical Butterfly Ltd.
01/2015 – 11/2021
Owner of and developer for The Mechanical Butterfly Ltd.
Freelance Programmer
01/2005 – 12/2014
Freelance full-stack developer for various clients.
Education
PhD Philosophy
University of Glasgow
2014 – 2018
MA Philosophy
University of Hamburg
2011 – 2013
BA Philosophy / Media and Communication Science
University of Hamburg
2008 – 2011
Night school courses to obtain German A-level equivalent (Abitur)
Abendschule Vor dem Holstentor (Hamburg)
2004 – 2007
Talks
Nudging for Democracy: Political Virtues in Times of AI
University of Passau
25/09/2025
Playing Politics: On the Non-Instrumental Value of Democracy in Virtual Game Worlds
University of Glasgow
12/07/2025
Playing Politics: On the Non-Instrumental Value of Democracy in Virtual Game Worlds
University of Passau
20/09/2024
Data Rights Beyond Borders: The Case for a Liberal Approach to Transnational Data Justice
ETH Zurich
13/09/2023
Data Rights Beyond Borders: The Case for a Liberal Approach to Transnational Data Justice
University of Salzburg
02/06/2023
'Niemand schreibt ein Buch allein' – ChatGPT in den Geistes- und Kulturwissenschaften
Academy of Sciences and Literature Mainz
08/05/2023
Ein Liberalismus der öffentlichen Vernunft für Nicht-Bürger:innen
Academy of Sciences and Literature Mainz
14/02/2023
Knowing How to Know in the Public Sphere: Media Competence and Democratic Equality
Paris Institute of Political Studies
28/11/2022
Ethics for Digital Humanists
Academy of Sciences and Literature Mainz
12/10/2022
From Boredom to Authenticity Bubbles
University of Salzburg
30/09/2022
From Boredom to Authenticity Bubbles
University of St. Andrews
10/07/2022
From Boredom to Authenticity Bubbles
PhiDOS Second International Meeting
14/04/2022
Langeweile und Authentizitätsblasen
Academy of Sciences and Literature Mainz
08/02/2022
Public Reason for Non-Citizens
Ruhr-University Bochum
29/10/2019
Poverty, Assimilation, and Justice
University of Salzburg
19/09/2019
Respect for Simulated Persons [cancelled due to illness]
University of Vienna
14/02/2018
Public Reason for Non-Citizens
Manchester Centre for Political Theory
12/09/2017
Inoculation Against Populism: Media Competency and Political Autonomy
University of Salzburg
17/11/2017
Inoculation Against Populism: Media Competency and Political Autonomy
University of Sheffield
28/06/2017
Inoculation Against Populism: Media Competency and Political Autonomy
LMU Munich
26/08/2017
Academic Philosophy - An Expensive Taste
University of Glasgow
06/02/2017
No Endorsement Without Error: Why Full Artificial Moral Agents Must Be Fallible
Jagiellonian University
18/11/2016
Public Reason and the Limits of Responsibility
University of Salzburg
30/09/2016
Public Reason and the Limits of Responsibility
University of Salzburg
30/09/2016
Public Reason and the Limits of Responsibility
Manchester Centre for Political Theory
08/09/2016
Blurred Lines: Ethical and Political Autonomy in Political Liberal Education
Warburg-Haus, Hamburg
21/04/2016
How Playing Violent Video Games Can Make Us Better Citizens
University of Westminster
21/11/2015
How Playing Violent Video Games Can Make Us Better Citizens
University of Pavia
09/09/2015