Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Arts & Culture
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Arts & Culture

Philosopher Awarded German Order of Merit

Tuesday, December 1, 2015, By Amy Mertz
Share
AwardsCollege of Arts and Sciences

Frederick Charles Beiser, professor of philosophy in the College of Arts and Sciences, has been awarded one of Germany’s highest civilian honors.

Frederick Charles Besier and Brita Wagener

Frederick Charles Besier and Brita Wagener

Last month, he was presented the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (Bundesverdienstkreuz) by German Consul General Brita Wagener at a special ceremony in New York City. The award was given to him in recognition of his lifelong dedication to engaging American students in the study of German philosophy. 

Among those in attendance were Beiser’s wife and daughter; Karin Ruhlandt, dean of A&S and Distinguished Professor of Chemistry; and Zachary Braiterman, professor of religion and director of the Jewish Studies Program.

“Professor Beiser is one of the generation’s leading scholars of the history of modern philosophy,” says Ruhlandt, citing his expertise in German idealism and romanticism, as well as the writings of philosopher Immanuel Kant. “His teaching, research and service have led to a deeper understanding of and respect for German history and culture on both sides of the Atlantic.”

An Arts and Sciences faculty member since 2001, Beiser is also interested in Early Modern and 19th-century philosophy, including the Enlightenment. Prior to Syracuse, he spent more than a decade on the faculty at Indiana University Bloomington, and served brief stints at other institutions, including Harvard, Yale and the University of Pennsylvania.

A common thread throughout Beiser’s career has been the desire to promote German philosophy to English-speaking students. A tireless proponent of study abroad, he says it is important for American students to see, first hand, how Germans approach their own philosophers.

“My aim has been not only to make the field more intelligible, but also to expand it—covering figures whom have been forgotten or neglected,” says Beiser, the author of more than a dozen books, including “The Genesis of Neo-Kantianism, 1797-1880” (Oxford University Press, 2014). “These so-called ‘minor figures’ often have very interesting things to say, although they are overshadowed by major ones.”

Beiser says that receiving the Order of Merit marks the culmination of work that began more than 40 years ago at Oxford, where he earned multiple degrees, including a B.A. and D.Phil. Since then, Beiser has received many accolades, including Harvard Press’ prestigious Thomas J. Wilson Memorial Prize and various teaching awards from IU and the University of Colorado Boulder. He also has been awarded research fellowships from the Guggenheim, Humboldt and Thyssen foundations, as well as the National Endowment for the Humanities.

His current research involves the rise of German anti-Semitism and the ensuing controversy over Jewish emancipation at the end of the 19th century.

  • Author

Amy Mertz

  • Recent
  • Calling All Alumni Entrepreneurs: Apply for ’CUSE50 Awards
    Tuesday, June 24, 2025, By John Boccacino
  • Iran Escalation: Experts Available This Week
    Tuesday, June 24, 2025, By Vanessa Marquette
  • SCOTUS Win for Combat Veterans Backed by Syracuse Law Clinic
    Monday, June 23, 2025, By Vanessa Marquette
  • Syracuse Views Summer 2025
    Monday, June 23, 2025, By News Staff
  • Tiffany Xu Named Harry der Boghosian Fellow for 2025-26
    Friday, June 20, 2025, By Julie Sharkey

More In Arts & Culture

Swinging Into Summer: Syracuse International Jazz Fest Returns With Star Power, Student Talent and a Soulful Campus Finale

Get ready for the sweet summer sounds of jazz in the city and on campus. The University is again a sponsor of the Syracuse International Jazz Fest, a five-day celebration of world-class jazz music and community spirit, taking place June…

Tiffany Xu Named Harry der Boghosian Fellow for 2025-26

The School of Architecture has announced that architect Tiffany Xu is the Harry der Boghosian Fellow for 2025–26. Xu will succeed current fellow, Erin Cuevas and become the tenth fellow at the school. The Boghosian Fellowship at the School of…

Syracuse Stage Concludes 2024-25 Season With ‘The National Pastime’

Syracuse Stage concludes its 2024-25 season with the world premiere production of “The National Pastime,” a provocative psychological thriller about state secrets, sonic weaponry, stolen baseball signs and the father and son relationship in the middle of it all. Written…

Syracuse Stage Hosts Inaugural Julie Lutz New Play Festival

Syracuse Stage is pleased to announce that the inaugural Julie Lutz New Play Festival will be held at the theatre this June. Formerly known as the Cold Read Festival of New Plays, the festival will feature a work-in-progress reading and…

Light Work Opens New Exhibitions

Light Work has two new exhibitions, “The Archive as Liberation” and “2025 Light Work Grants in Photography, that will run through Aug. 29. “The Archive as Liberation” The exhibition is on display in the Kathleen O. Ellis Gallery at Light…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • X
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
Social Media Directory

For the Media

Find an Expert Follow @SyracuseUNews
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2025 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.