The GAP operates and supports a number of working groups on various topics.
Public Philosophy
The working group Public Philosophy includes members from both GAP and DGPhil. It runs the PhilPublica initiative, which aims to promote philosophy in the public sphere. Among other things, PhilPublica organizes workshops on philosophy journalism.
PhilPublica collects contributions by academic philosophers that have appeared in German-language general-interest media. It makes visible, in one central place, how diverse philosophy’s media presence is on topics that are also of interest beyond academia. Read more →
Sustainability
The Sustainability working group is a joint initiative of GAP and DGPhil. Our goal is to make German-speaking academic philosophy more sustainable in the face of the climate crisis and its already visible consequences.
In the working group, we collect and discuss practical ideas, weigh the benefits and potential limitations of specific measures, and connect committed colleagues. We deliberately take a holistic view of sustainability: ecological, social, and international dimensions belong together. Concrete results of the Sustainability working group – such as the Best Practice Guide or the Guide to Using PhilRadar – can be found on the working group’s website.
First-Generation Philosophers
Studying philosophy or even making it a profession requires courage. This is especially true for those of us who come from non-academic backgrounds and are therefore not only less familiar with the academic habitus but often also exposed to a higher risk of financial precarity. At the same time, first-generation academics enrich our traditionally often middle-class-dominated field with important perspectives.
Insofar as analytic philosophy champions clarity and transparency, it should also be measured by this standard with regard to its accessibility for people from all social and family backgrounds. The GAP therefore supports the promotion of first-generation philosophers, as advanced by the #FirstGenPhilosophers initiative in the German-speaking and English-speaking regions.
GAP and Schools
The GAP advocates for strengthening argumentation-oriented philosophy education in schools. This aims not only to impart the core philosophical competencies of reasoning and critical thinking but also the ability to deal rationally with uncertainty. Such philosophy education promotes the competencies and skills we need for a pluralistic and democratic society. In addition, it enables people to experience, already at school age, how to engage with philosophical questions in a scientifically sound manner.
Currently, we pursue this goal through two initiatives:
- As part of the “GAP & Schools” program, we support projects that bring school classes and teachers into contact with academic philosophy.
- As part of the Standing Conference for Philosophy and Ethics Education, the GAP, together with other professional associations (such as the DGPhil, the GPED, the Forum for Didactics of Philosophy and Ethics, and the Philosophy Association), advocates for strengthening philosophy education in schools.