Junior Professor Dr. Manon Garcia - Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Prizewinner 2025
Practical Philosophy, FU Berlin
What does it mean to be free – to make free choices and act freely? When and why do people choose to give up their freedom? And how does the distinction between women and men play into this? Manon Garcia addresses these fundamental questions from a new perspective within the field of practical philosophy. In her doctoral thesis, she authored one of the most important works on the philosophy of Simone de Beauvoir, offering an original feminist view: she interprets women’s submission not only as external oppression but also as a conscious decision – made out of habit or even desire.
Garcia also examines questions of consent in the context of sexual activity. Her research shows that rape is far more common than public discourse often acknowledges. How can this be – and what does it reveal about our society? This means that Manon Garcia’s philosophical work is of outstanding social and political relevance.