Biography and Education
Ran Heilbrunn grew up in Israel and later pursued higher education internationally. His multicultural background and academic training have shaped his global outlook.
Currently based in Munich, Germany, Heilbrunn has taught courses in philosophy, political science, and intellectual history. His teaching experience includes work at Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands and Touro College Berlin.
Philosophical Interests
Heilbrunn’s research focuses on political philosophy and the societal impact of technology. He is particularly interested in how technological ideologies influence governance, security, and culture. He has argued that overreliance on advanced technology — especially in military contexts — can create new vulnerabilities.
Drawing inspiration from thinkers such as Evgeny Morozov, he has critiqued the idea of “internet-centrism,” the belief that digital technologies alone can solve complex social and political problems. Heilbrunn emphasizes the need to balance technological innovation with human judgment and historical understanding.
Publications and Ideas
Although still early in his career, Heilbrunn has contributed to both academic and public discussions. His 2024 essay “The IDF’s Cult of Technology: The Roots of the October 7 Security Disaster” appeared in American Affairs Journal. In it, he examined Israel’s reliance on advanced defense technologies and argued that this approach contributed to unforeseen vulnerabilities during the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.
In 2023, Heilbrunn coordinated a widely discussed open letter in Newsweek, co-signed by more than 75 Israeli academics and activists, including novelist David Grossman and historian Yuval Noah Harari. The letter expressed concern about responses within certain Western progressive circles to the events of October 2023, emphasizing the importance of condemning violence against civilians while also maintaining criticism of occupation policies.
Heilbrunn has also contributed to Der Tagesspiegel, co-authoring an essay with historian Adam Raz that examined international leftist responses to the war. In 2025, he presented a provocative essay titled “Abolish Queer Theory” at a London symposium, where he argued that aspects of contemporary queer theory risk distancing intellectual debate from lived realities.
Public Engagement
Beyond writing, Heilbrunn is active in academic and media forums. He has presented research at international conferences, including a talk on “Land and Nation in the Philosophy of Hannah Arendt and Martin Heidegger” at the Association for Israel Studies conference (2019).
In 2024, he appeared on TheMarker’s podcast, discussing the role of technology in Israel’s defense strategies, and on Israeli television’s Tech Talk, where he analyzed the relationship between the country’s military and its high-tech industry. These contributions reflect his broader interest in making philosophical and political debates accessible to a wider public.