European Philosophy and Ethics

European Philosophy and Ethics examine a range of issues and traditions in moral philosophy, social and political philosophy, feminist philosophy, the history of European philosophy, the philosophy of education, environmental ethics, business and professional ethics, bioethics, and the philosophy of action. Research in the traditions of European Philosophy and Ethics aims to address perennial philosophical questions, such as the nature of justice, freedom and the good life, while engaging closely with contemporary issues in society and culture.

Over the last decade, members of Philosophy have made significant research contributions to European Philosophy and Ethics, including work addressing the themes of political violence and oppression, post-genocide justice, distributive and procedural justice, democracy and education, bioethics, embodiment and ethics, emotion and agency, relational autonomy, and philosophy as institution. Research groups associated with this field include the European Philosophy Research Group (EPRG), formed in 2003, and affiliated with the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities; Health, Ethics and Law Group (HEAL), formed in 2011; Brisbane Social Philosophy Group, formed in 2014; and The Queensland School for Continental Philosophy, founded in 2015. Recent ARC Discovery grants include Gil Burgh’s ‘Comparative effectiveness of two strategic and meta-cognitive questioning approaches on children’s explanatory behaviour, problem-solving, and learning during cooperative, inquiry-based learning’ (2007–2009) and Marguerite La Caze’s ‘Ethical restoration after political violence and oppression: a philosophical account’ (2015-17). There are currently 34 Research Higher Degree students working in the field, and 28 doctorates have been conferred since 2006.