About the platform
First-Gen Philosophers is an initiative focused on philosophers whose parents did not go to university. We aim to provide a platform for sharing the experiences, perspectives and ideas of first-gen philosophers, as well as broader reflections on the first-gen experience, educational and professional equity, and the role of class and social background within academic philosophy.
The ethos of the project is that philosophy benefits not only from greater inclusiveness and the diversity of perspectives this brings, but also from an ongoing critical reflection on the social and educational structures that shape who enters and thrives within the discipline.
Get involved!
We warmly welcome contributions from the community. If you are a first-generation philosopher, we would be delighted to hear your story through a reflective essay. We also invite broader contributions—from anyone interested in the topic—on questions of educational equity, access, and inclusion in philosophy.
You are equally welcome to join the conversation by leaving comments on existing posts. We hope this will become a space for thoughtful discussion, mutual support, and the sharing of experiences.
Interested in contributing? We’d love to hear from you. Click here for more on how to submit a contribution.
Who are we?
We are a group of first-gen philosophers!
Simona Aimar (UCL) and Daniel James (FU Berlin) co-founded this initiative in September 2023. Marcello Fiocco (UC Irvine) joined the advisory board in September 2024, and Carlotta Pavese (Oxford) joined in May 2026.
We are blessed to have Yaqub Eneborg (UCL) as a student assistant for this project.
We are also thankful to Lola Le (for the logo and designing the website), Luke Dawson (for the website structure), and Kirill Semkow (for the pictures).
You can reach us at firstgenphilosophers@proton.me.
You can also find us on X (@FirstGenPhilos) and Bluesky (@FirstGenPhilos.bsky.social)
Where did the idea come from?
This initiative builds on the success of a sister platform for German-speaking academia, launched by Daniel James and Barbara Vetter. It shares the same guiding conviction: that philosophy benefits not only from a diversity of perspectives, but also from an ongoing conversation about educational equity.
Check out our German counterpart here!
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