Meeting the President of Germany

On Monday, 12th February 2024, I was invited to attend a meeting with the President of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier. The speakers were either Goethe-Institut employees or past recipients of German scholarships. I was invited as a past recipient of a DAAD scholarship (though I am, as of recently, also an associate of Goethe-Institut, in my professional capacity as academic philosopher. I can’t divulge more information on this at this stage, but I should have something to announce soon).

In my mini presentation to the President, apart from presenting myself, I spoke about the truly international nature of philosophy and its power to fight racism and chauvinism, and referred to international collaborations between philosophers. I mentioned the celebrations of Kant-Jahr (300 years from the birth of Immanuel Kant) throughout the world, and the events being prepared in Cyprus. I also spoke about the soft power of philosophical diplomacy, i.e. about philosophical projects that play a positive role in conflict resolution and the promotion of peace, referring to specific collaborations between Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot philosophers. I also referred to a bicommunal philosophy reading group I had organized at Goethe-Institut a few years ago.