The Frege Prize in Light of the Antisemitic Statements of Its Namesake
Members of the GAP have approached the Presidium with the request to reconsider the namesake of the Frege Prize in light of his antisemitic statements. Below, we provide links to key documents and summarize the most important information.
The GAP Presidium and the entire board are committed to addressing this important yet sensitive issue, weighing the arguments for and against a possible renaming of the "Frege Prize" through rational discourse.
Initial Workshop
As a first step, the two GAP Presidents organized a workshop on August 2, 2024, in Bonn. The event brought together philosophers and experts in antisemitism studies to discuss whether renaming the prize is necessary or appropriate or, as others suggest, an overreaction.
- workshop recordings on the GAP YouTube channel
Member survey (duration: 26 February – 31 March 2025)
In a first round, we asked our members about a possible renaming of the Frege Prize.
We have sent the voting results, comments and all name suggestions that we received to all members anonymously and confidentially.
- A summary of these arguments and a selection of name suggestions can be found here.
Member vote (term: 30 April – 30 May 2025)
After careful consideration of all the arguments, members of the GAP voted online in favour of retaining the name of the award.
- The statistics of this vote are available here.
How the GAP sees itself
The GAP sees itself as a community that not only promotes analytical philosophising, but also takes social responsibility seriously. The anti-Semitic, nationalistic and anti-democratic statements in Frege's diary entries are in clear contradiction to the values of the GAP.
The retention of the name ‘Frege Prize’ can therefore only be justified insofar as there is no direct connection between these problematic views of Frege and his philosophical work – a work that has had a decisive influence on the development of analytical philosophy in Germany and worldwide.
Frege's significant and influential philosophical contributions should continue to be taught and researched. At the same time, his anti-Semitic attitude, as revealed in his diary entries, must not be ignored.
The debate within the GAP about the ‘Frege Prize’ is made transparent in this documentation. After all, transparency and a lively, ongoing discussion are more important for the philosophical community than the result of a single survey or vote.
With this in mind, we invite you to share with us any new insights you may have into Frege. If you cannot find an important argument in our summary, please let us know.
Brief information on Frege's political diary (1924)
Shortly before his death, Gottlob Frege expressed his monarchist, anti-democratic, and German nationalist views in diary-like entries dated March 10 to May 9, 1924. These entries include antisemitic passages and support for the political ideas of Erich Ludendorff. Ludendorff was a prominent figure behind the conspiratorial “stab-in-the-back myth,” a leading member of the far-right “German Völkisch Freedom Party,” and a participant in the 1923 Hitler Putsch. Frege’s writings, later referred to as his "political diary," became widely known following their publication in the German Journal of Philosophy (Berlin 42 (1994) 6, 1057–1066).
Documents
- diary entries
- excerpt on Ludendorff
- slides from the workshop (in German), including quotes from Frege’s diaries and information on the prize's origins within the GAP
- Summary of the pro and contra arguments of the GAP members
- Statistics of the vote