Gerben Bakker is a trained philosopher and security ethicist. His challenge at HCSS: to aim for critical understanding of threats and phenomena, while simultaneously reaching for contributions with practical and durable value.
Bakker obtained his PhD at Erasmus University Rotterdam on the work of Hannah Arendt and her relevance for security governance. He wrote multiple articles and several books on security-related themes: Ethiek en veiligheid (2015), Over politieke correctheid (2018, together with G.J. Geling), Dansen met de hydra (2022). Essentially dealing with questions such as: ‘what should we strive for in securing society?’ and ‘how can we secure ourselves in a responsible way?’
Gerben Bakker regularly publishes for EW magazine and provides commentaries as a member of the ‘philosopher’s panel’ of newspaper Trouw.