18 November 2024
Safeguard Polish Philosophical Scholarship: Open Letter Demanding Fair Evaluation of IFiS PAN

Dear Minister of Science and Higher Education,

We, the undersigned members of the international academic community, write to express our deep concern regarding the situation of the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IFiS PAN) and the evaluation results of its philosophy and sociology disciplines.

As scholars committed to the pursuit of truth and the advancement of knowledge, we are profoundly disappointed by the lack of respect for the rule of law and transparency in decision-making processes that we had hoped would improve with the change in government. The fact that, after an independent court ruled the Ministry's evaluation of IFiS PAN's scientific output to be flawed and unconstitutional, the Ministry continues to delay resolution of this matter, is deeply troubling.

The Ministry’s decision to file a cassation appeal to the Supreme Administrative Court, rather than conducting a prompt and fair re-evaluation, is not only unjustified but harmful. This protracted legal process may well extend beyond the next evaluation period, severely hampering IFiS PAN's ability to function, particularly in terms of international cooperation and the training of young scholars.

We must remind you that the previous government deliberately used flawed and ambiguous legal regulations to undermine IFiS PAN's scientific results for political reasons. The imperfections of the data entry system for the ministerial database should not be used as a pretext to restrict the scientific and educational activities of this renowned institution.

Therefore, we urgently appeal to you, Minister, to take the following immediate actions:

Only such actions will restore the academic community's trust in the integrity of the procedures carried out by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, while clearly demonstrating your rejection of the detrimental practices of the past.

We, as members of the global academic community, stand in solidarity with our colleagues at IFiS PAN. We urge you to take swift action to rectify this situation, ensuring that one of Poland's premier research institutions can continue its valuable contributions to Polish and international scholarship without undue hindrance.

The international academic community eagerly awaits your response, Minister. We trust that you will make the right decision, one that upholds the principles of academic freedom, fairness, and the pursuit of knowledge that we all hold dear.

Respectfully,

Doroteya Angelova, Institute of Philosophy and Sociology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences

José Luis Bermúdez, Professor of Philosophy and Samuel Rhea Gammon Professor of Liberal Arts, former Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, former Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Texas A&M University

Lisa Bortolotti, Professor of Philosophy, University of Birmingham

Judith Butler, Distinguished Professor, Department of Comparative Literature and

the Program of Critical Theory at the University of California, Berkeley.

David Chalmers, University Professor of Philosophy and Neural Science and co-director of the Center for Mind, Brain, and Consciousness, New York University

Tony Cheng, Director, Center for Phenomenology, NCCU, Taiwan

Carl F. Craver, ​Professor of Philosophy and Philosophy-Neuroscience-Psychology, Washington University in St. Louis

Mladen Dolar, Senior Research Fellow, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia; Professor of Philosophy, The European Graduate School / EGS.

Mircea Dumitru, Vice-president of the Romanian Academy of Sciences

Uljana Feest, Professor of Philosophy of Social Science and Social Philosophy, Institut für Philosophie, Leibniz Universität Hannover

Axel Honneth, Jack B. Weinstein Professor of the Humanities, Department of Philosophy, Columbia University

Daniel Kostić, Research Fellow in Humane AI, Institute of Philosophy, University of Leiden

Beate Krickel, Dean of the Faculty for Humanities and Educational Sciences, Professor for Philosophy of Cognition, Technische Universität Berlin

Martin Kusch, Professor of Philosophy of Science and Epistemology, University of Vienna

Ernie Lepore, Board of Governors Professor, Philosophy Department, Rutgers University - New Brunswick

Edouard Machery, Distinguished Professor, Director of the Center for Philosophy of Science,

Past President of the Society for Philosophy and Psychology, University of Pittsburgh

Tomas Marvan, Head of the Department of Analytic Philosophy, Institute of Philosophy, Czech Academy of Sciences

Alex Miller, Postgraduate Coordinator, Philosophy Programme, University of Otago

Juliet Mitchell, Emeritus Professor, University of Cambridge and UCL

Vincent C. Müller, A. v. Humboldt Professor, Philosophy & Ethics of AI Director, Centre for Philosophy and AI Research, Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU)

Gualtiero Piccinini, Curators’ Distinguished Professor, Department of Philosophy, University of Missouri

Federica Russo, Professor of Philosophy and Ethics of Techno-Science & Westerdijk Chair, Freudenthal Institute, Utrecht University; Honorary Professor, University College London, Department of Science and Technology Studies

Michael Schmitz, Privatdozent, University of Vienna

Oron Shagrir, Vice-President for International Affairs, Schulman Chair in of Philosophy,

Professor of Philosophy and of Cognitive and Brain Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Nicholas Shea, Professor of Philosophy, Institute of Philosophy, School of Advanced Study, University of London

Joel S. Snyer, Professor of Psychology, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Mark Sprevak, Senior Lecturer, Philosophy at the School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences (PPLS), University of Edinburgh

Amie Thomasson, Daniel P. Stone Professor of Intellectual and Moral Philosophy, Dartmouth College, USA

Timothy Williamson FBA, FRSE, MAE, IHMAAAS, Senior Research and Teaching Fellow in Philosophy and Emeritus Wykeham Professor of Logic at the University of Oxford, Whitney Griswold Visiting Professor at Yale University

Michael Wheeler, Professor of Philosophy, University of Stirling

Frédérique de Vignemont, Deputy Director, Jean Nicod Institute, CNRS

Alenka Zupančič, Professor, The European Graduate School & University of Nova Gorica; Research advisor and Professor, Institute of Philosophy, Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts.

102
signatures
96 verified
  1. Krzysztof, professor, Myself, Wroclaw
  2. Marco Facchin, Postdoctoral Fellow, Antwerpen Universiteit, Antwerp
  3. Krzysztof Jaskulowski, professor, Myself, Wroclaw
  4. Bartłomiej Skowron, Assistant Professor, Warsaw University of Technology, Warsaw
  5. Alfredo Vernazzani, Researcher, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Bochum
  6. Paweł Gładziejewski, professor, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Toruń
  7. Manolo Martínez, Professor of Philosophy, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona
  8. Martin Zach, researcher, Institute of Philosophy, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague
  9. Przemyslaw Tomalski, Assoc professor of psychology, Institute of Psychology, Polish Academy of Science, Warsaw
  10. Antonio Lieto, Professor of Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence, University of Salerno and ICAR-CNR, Salerno
  11. Wanja Wiese, Researcher & Lecturer, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Bochum
  12. Nikolai Shurakov, Junior Research Fellow, University of Tartu, Tartu
  13. Jakub Mihalik, researcher, Institute of Philosophy, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague
  14. Joachim Horvath, Professor of Philosophy, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum
  15. Fintan Mallory, Assistant Professor, Durham University, Durham
  16. Bartosz Radomski, Lecturer, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum
  17. Richard Moore, Associate Professor of Philosophy, University of Warwick
  18. Tobias Schlicht, Professor of Philosophy, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Bochum
  19. Huw Price, Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, University of Cambridge, Cambridge
  20. Piotr Sadzik, Assistant Professor (Faculty of Polish Studies), University of Warsaw, Warsaw
  21. Marco Viola, Tenure-Track Assistant Professor, University of Roma Tre, Rome
  22. Mateusz Kusio, Academic, KU Leuven, Leuven
  23. Piotr Kieżun, Literary Rebiew Editor, 'Kultura Liberalna' magazine, Warsaw
  24. Łukasz Łachecki, Editor, journalist, Krytyka Polityczna, Warsaw
  25. Mikołaj Starzyński, Newsweek Polska, Warszawa
  26. Karolina Prochownik, Senior Researcher, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum
  27. Krzysztof Majer, Assistant Professor, University of Lodz, Lodz
  28. Paweł Mościcki, Professor, Institute of Literary Research Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw
  29. Karolina Szymaniak, maîtresse de conférences, Sorbonne Université, Paris
  30. Patryk Szaj, assistant professor, University of the National Education Commission, Krakow, Kraków
  31. Karolina Sztandar-Sztanderska, Sociologist, Institute of Philosophy and Sociology, Polish Academy of Science, Warsaw
  32. Sofiia Rappe, Postdoctoral Researcher, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum
  33. Piotr Makowski, Reader, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast
  34. Weronika Sobczyńska, student, Uniwersytet Warszawski, Warszawa
  35. Magdalena Dorobińska, Warsaw
  36. Jacek Olender, Research scientist, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY
  37. Wojciech Engelking, historian of ideas and writer, University of Warsaw, Warszawa
  38. Maria Poprzęcka, Art historian, Warsaw University
  39. Filip Niemczyk, lawyer, KN Adwokaci s.c., Warszawa
  40. Krzysztof Katkowski, journalist, sociologist, University of Warsaw, Warsaw
  41. Bartosz Wójcik, Assistant Professor, Institute of Political Studies, PAS, Warsaw
  42. Maria Potrzsaj, IKP UW, Warsaw
  43. Jan Czarnecki, dr phil., Lecturer, Universität zu Köln, Cologne
  44. Michal Krzykawski, University Professor, University of Silesia, Institute of Philosophy, Katowice
  45. Antoni Zając, PhD Student, University of Warsaw, Warsaw
  46. Lilia Gurova, Professor, New Bulgarian University, Sofia
  47. Jacob Beck, York Research Chair in Philosophy of Visual Perception, York University, Toronto, Canada
  48. Anna Michnicka, Psychologist, Fundacja Złote Serce, Pińczów
  49. Grzegorz Uzdański, Writer, Warsaw
  50. Philipp Steinkrüger, Akademischer Rat, Ruhr University Bochum, Bochum
  51. Anna Roza Burzynska, academic teacher, Jagiellonian University, Kraków
  52. Aleksander Kopka, assistant professor, University of Silesia in Katowice, Łaziska Górne
  53. Marzena Adamiak, Assistant Professor, IFiS PAN, Warszawa
  54. Agata
  55. Łukasz Żurek, assistant professor, University of Warsaw, Warsaw
  56. Piotr Szczepański, Warsaw University of Technology, Warsaw
  57. Maciej Stroinski, translator, Jagiellonian University, Kraków
  58. Barbara Sadurska, Writer, Jagiellonian University, Kraków
  59. Jan Winczorek, Academic, University of Warsaw, Warszawa
  60. Tomáš Marvan, philosopher, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague
  61. Karol Wilczyński, Assistant Professor, Jagiellonian Center for Migration Studies, Kraków
  62. Peter Milne, Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, University of Stirling, Edinburgh
  63. Krzysztof Dołęga, Postdoctoral Fellow, Université libre de Bruxelles, Brussels
  64. Hannes Leitgeb, Professor, LMU, Munich
  65. Aneta Głowacka, University Professor, University of Silesia in Katowice, Chorzów
  66. Marek Wilczyński, Professor, American Studies Center, University of Warsaw, Poland, Gdańsk
  67. Jakub Ryszard Matyja, Researcher, SWPS University, Warsaaw
  68. Kala Dobosz, sociologist, Doctoral School in the Social Sciences, Jagiellonian University, Kraków
  69. Magdalena Hutny, Krakow
  70. Franciszek Cudek, DPhil Candidate, University of Oxford, Oxford
  71. Mark Alfano, Professor, Macquarie University, Sydney
  72. Barry Allen, University Professor, McMaster University, Hamilton CANADA
  73. Trey Boone, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, University of Virginia
  74. Pawel Piszczatowski, Professor, Environmental Humanities Center, Uniwersity of Warsaw, Warsaw
  75. Tomasz Steifer, IPPT PAN & Universidad Católica de Chile, Warszawa
  76. Paulius Rimkevičius, Associate Professor, Vilnius University, Vilnius
  77. Slawomir Wacewicz, researcher, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Toruń
  78. Michal Klincewicz, Assistant Professor, Tilburg University, Tilburg
  79. Michał Koza, Assistant Professor, Jagiellonian University, Kraków
  80. Ruta Śpiewak, reasercher, Institute of Rural and Agricultural Development,, Warsaw
  81. Elizabeth O'Neill, Assistant Professor, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven
  82. Mateusz Szymczycha, Warsaw
  83. Bożena Shallcross, Ptofessor, The University of Chicago, Chicago
  84. David Papineau, Professor, King's College London, London
  85. Olga Żyminkowska, PhD student, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań
  86. Sven Walter, Professor of Philosophy of Mind and Cognition, Osnabrueck University, Institute of Cognitive Science, Osnabrueck
  87. Hajo Greif, Assistant professor, Warsaw University of Technology, Warsaw
  88. Marcin Moskalewicz, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Warsaw
  89. Eric Olson, Professor of Philosophy, University of Sheffield, Sheffield UK
  90. Juraj Hvorecky, researcher, Institute of Philosophy, Prague
  91. Milena Z. Fisher, Ph.D, Philosopher, The Creativity Post, Austin, Texas
  92. Giuseppe Flavio Artese, Doctoral Candidate, University of Kassel, Kassel
  93. Markus Eronen, Assistant professor, University of Groningen, Groningen
  94. Maria Spychalska, Researcher, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, KRANENBURG
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