Les Rencontres Philosophiques de Monaco (The Philosophical Meetings of Monaco), also known as PhiloMonaco, is an intellectual symposium and cultural organization based in Monaco. Founded in 2015, the institution aims to make philosophy available to the general public while emphasizing "playful, joyful, and scholarly knowledge", by organizing workshops, open lectures, debates, dialogues, and cultural seminars that connect classical philosophy with contemporary societal issues.
The organisation's aim is to utilize philosophical methods across disciplines (including medicine, politics, psychoanalysis, literature, and the social sciences) in ways that are considered useful and accessible, and that enhance the culture of the Principality. Every year the events organized by PhiloMonaco are tied to a particular theme, such as love, the body, violence, and "what it means to be human." The organization also oversees the annual Prix PhiloMonaco awards, recognizing meaningful contributions to contemporary thought, by opening up "news ways of approaching and questioning the world."
History The organization was co-founded in 2015 by Charlotte Casiraghi (who serves as president),Fashion: Chanel Explores Female Empowerment. (2021). Wwd, 7. https://www.proquest.com/trade-journals/fashion-chanel-explores-female-empowerment/docview/2569657342/se-2 Charlotte Casiraghi quizzed novelist Camille Laurens about motherhood, stereotypes about aging and the impact of the #Me Too movement. the French philosopher Robert Maggiori, Canadian-French philosopher Joseph Cohen, and the French philosopher Raphael Zagury-Orly. Since 2024, Laura Hugo has been listed in press articles as director of the organization and one of the main spokespeople. The initial goal was to award an essay prize to a writer in the French-language philosophical landscape, however the project evolved into a more ambitious establishment in Monaco, positioning itself ostensibly as an international hub for contemporary philosophical engagement. Operating outside of (but in collaboration with) traditional academic institutions, the main objective of PhiloMonaco has been to make philosophy broadly accessible and culturally beneficial.
The dialogue between students and teachers is a key framework that runs through PhiloMonaco's core history and mission. Casiraghi was a student in Maggiori's philosophy class and as Laura Hugo has emphasized, the organization continues to operate along that fundamental Socratic model. From that core relationship grows an exchange and flow of ideas. In Casiraghi's words, the mission is to "share culture with a wider audience on a larger scale", so promoting the work of the scholars and making their contributions known to more people.
Organization PhiloMonaco is organized in partnership with the Prince's Government and the Department of Education, Youth, and Sport. It is also subsidized by luxury sponsorships like Montblanc and Chanel, as well as the Columbia Global Centers for international research.
Sometimes the media are partners with PhiloMonaco for events, as was the case between the organization and Madame Figaro (Le Figaro's magazine) for Semaine PhiloMonaco in 2024.
At the head of the PhiloMonaco team and its departments: President: Charlotte Casiraghi President of the Jury: Robert Maggiori Founding Member: Raphaël Zagury-Orly Honorary Founding Member: Joseph Cohen Director: Laura Hugo Secretary General: Vanina Mandelli Press officer: Élisabeth Trétiack-Franck
A jury, presided over by Maggiori, consists of "recognizable personalities" in the world of philosophy.
The jury members are: Robert Maggiori Isabelle Alfandary Étienne Bimbenet Charlotte Casiraghi Catherine Chalier Denis Kambouchner Sandra Laugier Claire Marin Géraldine Muhlmann Corine Pelluchon Judith Revel Camille Riquier Patrick Savidan Raphaël Zagury-Orly
Honorary committee members: S.A.R. La Princesse de Hanovre Valerio Adami Henri Atlan Remo Bodei† Albina du Boisrouvray Rémi Brague Jean-Claude Carrière† Hélène Cixous Boris Cyrulnik Souleymane Bachir Diagne Anne Dufourmantelle† Umberto Eco† Ágnes Heller† Julia Kristeva René Major Charles Malamoud Jean-Luc Marion Pierre Nora† Avital Ronell Fernando Savater John Scheid Amartya Sen Michel Serres† Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak
Programs and activities Events are held throughout the year, hosted by one or more of the founding members and honorary members, and organized around the chosen annual theme. Semaine PhiloMonaco (PhiloMonaco Week) occurs in June to promote public engagement directly by taking the conversation onto the streets, to workplaces, to schools, and third spaces. With its emphasis on public participation, Semaine PhiloMonaco aims to provide opportunities for meaningful questions and dialogue between the public, professionals (i.e. medical, media, business, and education) and visiting scholars.
PhiloMonaco holds monthly thematic public workshops () throughout the academic year in Monaco. It hosts the annual PhiloMonaco week (in French: Semaine PhiloMonaco), which features panels, debates, and philosophical educational events co-organized across Monaco and Paris. Live events take place at event venues in the Principality of Monaco, most often at the Théâtre Princesse Grace, but sometimes at other places, like the Fort Antoine Theatre, the New National Museum of Monaco, the Yacht Club de Monaco, and the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco. Round table discussions, jury meetings, and prize ceremonies are often coordinated at La Maison de la Poésie, La Scala, or the Maison des Océans at the Institut océanographique in Paris.
Media The organization communicates with the public via major social media channels, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. Broadly, the username for the organization is designated as @philomonaco. Recorded transmissions are published on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Deezer, and Soundcloud. During the COVID-19 pandemic, social media became an essential tool of communication, with Maggiori, Zagury-Orly, and Cohen doing regular and alternating "#InstantPhilo" lectures using videoconferencing software. That period saw eleven episodes of Les Antivirus Philosophiques (antivirus series), each one hosted by a different scholar connected with the organization and transmitted via the normal social media channels and to the internal Princess Grace Hospital Centre network.
Publications (Workshops) (Love) Authors: , , Monique Canto-Sperber, Marc Crépon, Anne Dufourmantelle, , , , Nicolas Grimaldi, Denis Kambouchner, Ruwen Ogien, Giulia Sissa, and Frédéric Worms (Humanity) Authors: Étienne Bimbenet, Monique Canto-Sperber, Catherine Chalier, Alain Ehrenberg, , , , Philippe Lançon, Corine Pelluchon, , Judith Revel, and Francis Wolff (Violence) Authors: , , , Marc Crépon, Caroline Dayer, , Jean-Pierre Dupuy, Markus Gabriel, Donatien Grau, Frédéric Gros, , , Simon Lemoine, , Jacques de Saint-Victor, and (Body): Authors: Bernard Andrieu, Renaud Barbaras, Marie-Aude Baronian, , , Jean-Michel Besnier, Anne Gotman, Xavier Guchet, , Claire Marin, Catherine Millet, Yves Panis, Corine Pelluchon, , , Catherine Rioult, Georges Vigarello, and
(Notebooks) no.1 no.2 no.3 no.4 . In partnership with the Prince Pierre Foundation.
Interview and conference transcripts () (mad or foolish love): clinical psychologist Sarah Chiche, writer Yannick Haenel, and writer Paul Audi Marcel Conche: ("We had to embrace a little bit") Marc Crépon: (Verticality of power and democracy) Boris Cyrulnik: (Childhood and violence) Éric Fiat: (Modesty put to the test by care) Julia Kristeva: (Maternal eroticism and its meaning today) Jean-Luc Marion: (Philosopher between theology and ontology) Jean-Claude Milner: (The rejection of idols) Michel Serres: (The traveling philosopher)
("What is philosophy?" series) This was a lecture series ultimately compiled in a work under the same title, co-directed by Raphaël Zagury-Orly with Isabelle Alfandary and Sandra Laugier and published by Librairie philosophique J. Vrin.
Contributors to this series include: Serge Audier, Étienne Bimbenet, Jean-Baptiste Brenet, Emanuele Coccia, Vincent Delecroix, Manon Garcia, and Marie Garrau.
Select bibliography Michel Blay. La communication et le parler à l'ère du numérique. Rencontres philosophiques de Monaco, 7 June 2017, Monaco]. ⟨hal-03724406⟩. Pierre-Antoine Chardel. Le temps file. Temps et accélération. Les Rencontres philosophiques de Monaco, 14 November 2019], Monaco. (hal-03121173⟩. Pierre-Antoine Chardel. Ethique de la parole vive et asymétrie de l’intersubjectivité. Les Rencontres philosophiques de Monaco. 29 November 2019, Paris. (hal-03121924). Julia Kristeva. "Le corps maternel." Les Rencontres philosophiques de Monaco, Friday, 27 avril 2017. Bertrand Quentin. « Le poumon, vous dis-je ! » ou les signaux faibles d’un faux positif, pp.83-90. Le Cahier du (dé)confinement, March-June 2020, Monaco, Les Rencontres Philosophiques de Monaco. ⟨hal-03195466⟩.
Prizes and Awards Each year during its June symposium, the organization presents its jury-selected awards, to honor contributions to French-language philosophical text and publishing, bridging theory and real-world applications to key issues.
Prix PhiloMonaco de l'Essai (The Essay Prize) Awarded to a recent book that offers new perspectives on major contemporary issues while at the same time balancing academic standards with broad accessibility without oversimplifying.
Winners of the Essay Prize 2026 Title: Author: Estelle Ferrarese
Publisher: Payot & Rivages Year of Publication: 2025
2025 Title: Author: Franck Fischbach
Publisher: Éditions du Seuil Year of Publication: 2024 [2, 7, 8, 9]
2024 Title: Author: Pierre Guenancia
Publisher: Éditions du Cerf Year of Publication: 2023
2023 Title: Author: Jean-Baptiste Brenet
Publisher: Éditions Rivages Year of Publication: 2022
2022 Title: Author: Manon Garcia
Publisher: Éditions Flammarion / Climats Year of Publication: 2021
2021 Title: Author: Serge Audier
Publisher: La Découverte Year of Publication: 2020
2020 Title: Author: Vincent Delecroix
Publisher: Payot & Rivages Year of Publication: 2019
2019 Title: Author: Marie Garrau
Publisher: CNRS Éditions Year of Publication: 2018
2018 Title: Author: Étienne Bimbenet
Publisher: Éditions du Seuil Year of Publication: 2017
2017 Title: Author: Emanuele Coccia
Publisher: Payot & Rivages Year of Publication: 2016
2016 Title: Author: Vinciane Despret
Publisher: La Découverte Year of Publication: 2015
Prix PhiloMonaco de l'Éditeur (The Publisher's Prize) Honors a French-language publishing house that has distinguished itself through the circulation of philosophical thought and the encouragement of new authors and ideas. A selection of works from the winning publisher is then donated to Monaco's Médiathèque Caroline ("Caroline Media Library") as a part of the prize's goal toward the dissemination of knowledge. From 2016 to 2024, the award was designated as a .
List of winners Éditions Jérôme Millon: Winner in 2026. CNRS Éditions: Winner in 2025. Éditions Érès: Winner in 2024. , Éditions Gallimard: Winner in 2023. This collection was founded and directed by Éric Vigne. La Découverte: Winner in 2022. , : Winner in 2021. Éditions Galilée: Winner in 2020. Les Belles Lettres: Winner in 2019. , Éditions Flammarion: Winner in 2018. Éditions de l'éclat: Winner in 2017. Librairie philosophique J. Vrin: Winner in 2016.
Prix de la Principauté (The Principality Prize)