Ethics and Political Philosophy Radboud University

Overview

What is the nature of critique in French and/or German critical theory? What are the ethical, societal and political questions of digitalization or AI? How can we best understand various practices of protest and activism? Does post-truth rely on myth-building? What ethical questions do climate change or chronic illness pose? These are examples of the kind of questions that you will explore during this programme.

What makes this programme unique is not only its (non-exclusive) emphasis on continental practical philosophy, but also its engagement with pertinent societal and political issues – such as climate change, protest, disability, racism, post-truth and digitalisation. In this programme you will not only deepen your textual knowledge of ethics and (largely continental) social and political philosophy but also learn to apply it in practical relation to issues of justice, truth, equality, care, and ethical values. In doing so, you will both deepen your philosophical conceptual understanding, as well as your skills in ethical, social and political analysis.

Future career opportunities

Given this programme’s unique emphasis on both 1) ethics and social and political philosophy and 2) urgent societal and political issues, this Research Master Specialization provides you with the skills necessary for an academic career (PhD position) in Philosophy or a related field, as well as more (socially and politically impactful) practical fields of policymaking, journalism, education, government, think tanks, NGOs, and consultancy. Hence, our previous REMA students have both gone on to study PhDs, but also started working as strategists, researchers, or policy makers in a host of other fields. 

In addition to the staff’s professional networks in a range of different social and political fields, the network of Research Master’s alumni and the reputation of the philosophy departments at Radboud University will serve you well, whichever career path you choose. 

Research

Teaching is provided by lecturers who are involved as professional academic researchers in the Radboud Center for Philosophy and Society. The RCPS deals with contemporary social issues from ethical and political philosophical perspectives. Researchers at the RCPS move beyond the classical boundaries of philosophy by engaging with disciplines such as medicine, political science, sociology, anthropology, computer and natural sciences, and by actively engaging with social and political stakeholders, including activists, victims, policymakers, professionals, politicians and NGOs.

The RCPS has 3 lines of research, which are of course also interrelated:  

• The research line ethics and political philosophy is based on empirical ethics and continental political philosophy. It focuses on a range of interrelated topics such as professional ethics, democratic theory, democratic repertoires, protest, activism, racism, (de/post)coloniality, post-truth, myth-making, ableism, health, and political trauma.
• The research line digitalisation investigates the increasing digitisation in various social fields (such as health, education, politics and law) and in particular the consequences for social values such as privacy, inclusion, solidarity and democratic integrity in these domains.
• The sustainability and environment research line explores the challenges of unsustainable developments, including, for example, our relationship with future generations and non-human life, as well as the distribution of the benefits and burdens of environmental policy.

Thus, the RCPS conducts philosophical research that is both philosophically rigorous and socially impactful, contributing to a deeper understanding of contemporary challenges.

Accreditation

This programme is accredited by the NVAO (the Dutch-Flemish accreditation organisation).