Projects

Abstract

This research project started out a few years ago in search of the persistent meaning of contemporary motherhood. In exploring that issue, other questions came to the surface considering the notions of agency and sense of agency. Motherhood as an institution, the ensemble of normative expectations about who should mother and how, is in feminism often considered as oppressive because it takes away agency from individual mothers. In contrast, mothers are considered to find agency in their mothering practice. However, the underlying assumptions about the meaning of agency are not at all clear. The modern agency interpretation of agency as 'the capacity to act intentionally' exists next to various other interpretations. We propose to explore 'sense of agency' in maternal practice, which signifies the experience of feeling in charge. We will explore the underlying assumptions about sense of agency in theories on motherhood/mothering. In focus groups we will discuss recent books and films on motherhood, the depictions of mothers' sense of agency and how participants relate to those depictions. We will encourage them to express their experience of (lack of) agency in their mothering. Together, we will map the different ways in which sense of agency shows itself in the maternal practice, to come to a rich concept of sense of agency, which we would like to bring into the discussion about tensions between feminism and motherhood, and about the value of contemporary motherhood.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Schaubroeck Katrien

Research team(s)

• Center for Ethics

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

Environmental factors are crucial to physical and mental health—they impact even the expression of our DNA. The study of epigenetics provides better understanding of gene-environment interaction. Environmental influence can come from outside and inside the organism but one environmental factor that is typically overlooked is people's knowledge production and beliefs. PredicGenX responds to the scientific worry that predictions about genes are likely to be reflexive i.e., they impact the eventual outcome. Scholars have raised concerns that beliefs about genetic information affects genetic risk to match that information—a so-called self-fulfilling prophecy not unlike the placebo and nocebo effects. Studies showed that receiving one's genetic risk profile can change physiology independent of actual genetic risk. Moreover, the current trend to focus on risk, biomarkers, and early diagnostics produces 'knowledge' which is inevitably based on undetermined information, given that gene expression is not fixed. Asserting genetic information as determined when the assertion itself has potential impact on genetic expression is especially alarming considering the popularity of direct-to-consumer genetic testing and precision medicine. Understanding the direct impact of genetic predictions on gene-expression, its vulnerability to feedback loops, and their moral implications is crucial, urgent, yet currently lacking. With this project, I aim to fill that knowledge gap. Through qualitative fieldwork and philosophical analysis, I will theorise the different ways in which reflexive (epi)genetic prediction manifests and—while detailing a descriptive account of the different models—offer an analysis of the epistemic and ethical implications of their reflexivity on research and practice, and the meaning for therapeutic intervention.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Hens Kristien
• Fellow: Mertens Mayli

Research team(s)

• Center for Ethics

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

Uni4Equity general goal is to strengthen universities readiness to identify, map and respond to on-line and off-line sexual harassment (SH) at workplace and other relevant settings (classrooms, digital space), with an explicit but not exclusive attention to minority social groups. More specifically, it is aimed: 1) To reinforce universities teams, networks, and units in charge of gender equality issues through structural reforms, improved work processes and the engagement of key stakeholders for the prevention of SH; 2) To promote mutual learning and exchange of good practicesto identify and tackle SH at the university among different target groups; 3) To increase the social awareness about the importance of rejecting all forms of SH and the need to contribute to its prevention and combat among university members; 4) To improve the skills and the capacity of professionals and the availability of tools and resources to address and follow up it; 5) To reduce the exposition to SH risk factors at different levels of relations (interpersonal, institutional and social) for different target groups at the universities, including minority social groups; 6) To minimize the impacts SH may cause on victims; 7) To contribute to the acknowledge of the universities as an asset to prevent and response this problem; and, 8) To address prevention and combat of SH at university as a priority issue for gender equality promotion. Enhancing these aims requires an ecological approach that integrate strategies at different levels of prevention (primary, secondary and tertiary ones). The main target group will be students, teachers and administrative staff at the university, including social minority groups. It is proposed a multi-agency cooperation between universities and other relevant social actors to promote these changes through a mixed-method participative methodology

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Schaubroeck Katrien
• Co-promoter: Hens Kristien
• Co-promoter: Van de Velde Sarah
• Co-promoter: Van Doorslaer Sabine

Research team(s)

• Center for Ethics

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

The overall aim of the REALM project is to create a collaborative framework for regulatory authorities, application developers, healthcare professionals and policy officers to co-create and evaluate software for medical and healthcare use. We propose to create an inclusive platform leading to a transparent ecosystem for evaluation and certification of software in healthcare where both the developers and the regulatory (and Health Technology Assessment) bodies have access to a standardized set of technology stack and data. This will be achieved by first mapping and analyzing regulations, legislative efforts and guidelines from EU, national bodies and around the world on software in healthcare practice. These will guide the roadmap towards building an inclusive, fair and multistakeholder ecosystem. The scaffold for an integrated architecture will be developed in collaboration with DARWIN, based on standardized data models and optimized data driven methodologies for the effective use of real-world data (RWD) in healthcare regulatory practice. The architecture will consist of four components: two technological infrastructures, a living lab and a post-marketing surveillance module. i) a federated cloud-based data resources catalog will be established, to bring together currently available RWD data and synthetic data to facilitate the data needs of the platform. ii) Regulatory Toolbox will be established to bring together standardized tools to train, test, evaluate and monitor medical/healthcare software. iii) Living lab environment for piloting medical/healthcare software technology assessment taking into account human-software interactions as part of the system. iv) Post-marketing surveillance with RWD for ensuring quality standards of the certified software in practice. Finally, building on the proposed architecture, five real Medical Device Software (MDSW) projects are going to be implemented across 3 countries (Netherlands, Belgium and Greece).

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Hens Kristien

Research team(s)

• Center for Ethics

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

Death is a universal experience. Yet how a society deals with dead bodies, and how it bids farewell to the deceased is dictated by cultural values and religion and belief systems, as well as by juridical possibilities, knowledge of environmental impact and shared knowledge about public health hazards. A range of factors is directly relevant to how contemporary societies such as Belgium plan and provide for the deceased, such as the consideration of an ageing population, a pluralistic society, limited land availability for traditional cemeteries, and a sustainable framework for much of our society's social practices. Making the funeral industry responsive to contemporary needs is a continuing challenge worldwide. The Covid-19 pandemic has made the task more urgent. In 2020 and 2021 funeral undertakers in Belgium were confronted with unseen challenges. It sharpened their sense of a need for a better social, juridical and ethical embedding of funeral practices in Belgium. Their sense of urgency corresponds with global developments studied in the fields of law, environmental ethics, cultural sociology and public health science. Awaiting the result of the resubmission of the SBO-proposal in 2022 it will be useful to prepare the comprehensive interdisciplinary research by focusing on 1) the sociological reality and 2) the philosophical motivation driving this research. Therefore two lines of inquiry will be carried out from December 1 2022 onwards: 1) a focus group study with stakeholders (funeral undertakers, citizens belonging to religious minorities, citizens preferring a non-standard funeral method for moral-existential 3 reasons, representatives of governmental bodies) and 2) a philosophical inquiry into the moralexistential reasons for non-standard funeral methods like humusation, resomation and natural burials. The hypothesis is that ecofeminist theory and indigenous philosophies on the interdependence of humans and their natural environment will help to construct a conceptual framework to think about the moral significance of funeral choices.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Schaubroeck Katrien
• Co-promoter: Lenaerts Silvia
• Co-promoter: Van de Velde Sarah
• Co-promoter: Vansweevelt Thierry
• Co-promoter: Verschraegen Gert

Research team(s)

• Center for Ethics

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

High chronic illness rates and the increased prevalence of comorbidities put the current curative and evidence-based medical model under considerable pressure. In this context, precision medicine (PM) emerges as a novel data-driven approach to medical research and clinical practice. This new paradigm in medicine introduces distinct bio-ethical and (social) epistemological issues. In this proposal I present standpoint epistemology (SPE) as an innovative, potentially fruitful way to explore PM. SPE states that social position plays a role in establishing knowledge, which is therefore partial. SPE is also committed to the epistemic advantage thesis, which states that historically underrepresented perspectives have a distinct advantage in identifying knowledge gaps. In this project, I explore potentially fruitful applications of SPE in PM on three distinct levels, using both empirical (interviews) and theoretical methodologies. First, SPE offers a moral and epistemological incentive to include the perspectives of historically underrepresented groups in PM research (methodological level). Secondly, it motivates us to expand bioethical inquiry and attend to empirically informed bioethics in PM (bioethical level). And finally, based on the situated knowledge thesis, SPE can help us identify moral-epistemological issues in PM (moral-epistemological level). This project intends to further the bioethical debate on PM and PM practice by investigating the usefulness of an SPE approach.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Hens Kristien
• Fellow: Kenis Daan

Research team(s)

• Center for Ethics

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

Individuals with mental health (MH) conditions and their families, especially those with highly prevalent neurodevelopmental diversity (NDDs), are exposed to high levels of discrimination and stigma, which significantly affects their physical and mental well-being. Our world-leading collaborative group at the forefront of research in NDDs will launch a new project - ?Risk, Resilience and Developmental Diversity in Mental Health? (R2D2-MH). We propose a double paradigm shift to improve the wellbeing of people with MH conditions and their families. We will move (i) from risk-focused studies towards understanding and promoting resilience, and (ii) from a diagnosis based approach to a developmental diversity approach that will define wellbeing and functioning across the human lifespan. R2D2- MH aims to identify genetic and environmental protective/resilience factors and how they influence developmental diversity and MH. We will investigate at multiple levels two highly prevalent early risks for MH conditions: prematurity and genetic liability for NDDs. Our project has four main ambitions 1. Provide the largest European multi-scale dataset on early human brain development and MH outcomes; 2 Identify biological mechanisms of resilience to the adverse effects of NDD; 3. Co-develop, with the stakeholders, new digital tools to increase participatory research/medicine and reduce stigma; 4. Establish predictive models to guide personalised interventions. R2D2-MH integratesinterdisciplinary and complementary expertise across Europe, Israel, and Australia that covers ethics, epidemiology, sociology, genetics, cell biology, neuroscience, computational modelling, Information Technology, psychology, and psychiatry. Our research is highly engaged: it embeds participant and patient involvement in research to ensure that our expected outcomes are truly translational, and will help to reduce stigma and burden for individuals with MH conditions.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Hens Kristien

Research team(s)

• Center for Ethics

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

Raising autistic children is not self-evident. Parents of young children with autism are often confronted with daily challenges, resulting in uncertainties regarding their roles and responsibilities in parenthood. By a timely diagnosis and intervention, clinicians may provide some initial guidance: sharing knowledge on autism and adapted parenting practices is key to early intervention. However, lived experience of other parents and insights from neurodiversity theory may give rise to the question of whether such early intervention from professional experts is doing full justice to the many layers of autism as a phenomenon and the diversity of roles and responsibilities of parents in particular. Therefore, this project's central question is how clinicians can support parents of a young child with autism in their multiple roles and responsibilities in an empowering way. First, we aim to gain a layered insight into the roles and responsibilities of parents of young autistic children from different perspectives. Using qualitative methods, we will analyze perspectives from (a) the academic literature on early interventions, (b) parents with lived experience, and (c) neurodiversity scholars. Building on this layered insight, we aim to co-create and test a group-based intervention for parents of young autistic children in collaboration with an advisory group consisting of parents, clinicians and neurodiversity scholars.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Hens Kristien

Research team(s)

• Center for Ethics

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

The way we practice medicine now and in the near future will be different. One the one hand we have the ever decreasing costs of revolutionary technologies such as genomics, proteomics, wearables and miniaturization of laboratory tests such as ELISAs and PCR-based biomarker detection (among many other inventions). On the other hand, there is the trend to apply these technologies on a larger scale and transform medicine in a data-rich science, where high-quality data from large cohorts will be used to gain new insights into diseases. This will lead to better and earlier diagnostics. The ultimate goal is preventing diseases, by taking preventive measures before the onset of a disease. This revolution in data gathering and also poses new ethical questions: First of all, pose these new technologies privacy risk for participants in the study? Second, how do we manage this sometimes sensitive data and who does actually owns it? How do we ask for consent in large cohorts with many different data types? What about incidental findings? The pilot study "I am Frontier" puts us in a good spot to provide answers and recommendations for these questions since we will have will many different data types (from genomics and proteomics to clinical and lifestyle data) of all participants and we can also chart their expectations and experiences. Especially for proteomics, we want to chart the privacy risks of this data type since, for now, it is considered non-personal data.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Hens Kristien
• Co-promoter: Boonen Kurt

Research team(s)

• Center for Ethics

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

BactoHealing interweaves various fields to explore the idea of Kin Tsugi with living matter and research the ethical implications of biotechnology. Inspired by the ancient Japanese craft to mend ceramics with gold or silver, we propose re-evaluating the concept of repair and introducing bioengineering technologies for growing a "scar" of biomatter – with the help of fungus and bacteria – over the cracks. This novel interpretation of Kin Tsugi with biotechnology is called Bio-Kin-Tsugi. Using synthetic biology approaches, novel biological materials as alternative adhesives will be developed. Simultaneously, the project invites a philosophical angle to challenge the relations between biology and technology and genetic engineering ethics. Art is creation, and we expect that the involved biotechnologists will be inspired to look differently at their science and engineering. The Bio-Kin-Tsugi objects, created in the lab, are inspiring artefacts and a point of departure for experience-oriented participatory artistic interventions, e.g., salons and workshops, where complex scientific contexts are communicated transparently. These practices contribute to the emerging and substantial international field of bio-arts and inform audiences to shape their opinions on biotechnologies. The proposal is a daring transdisciplinary collaboration between life sciences, humanities and the arts. Such constellations offer a novel way to interface academia with society.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Schaubroeck Katrien
• Co-promoter: Van Goidsenhoven Leni

Research team(s)

• Center for Ethics

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

With this project, we want to investigate the hypothesis that reflecting on the challenges and questions raised by epigenetics can shed some light on the current discussions on environmental ethics issues. Specifically, we will focus on whether technological solutions are an adequate response to environmental crises and whether environmental responsibility should be understood as primary an individual or a collective endeavor, or that we have to abandon dualistic thinking about the concept of responsibility itself. As we believe that ethical reflection on responsibility concepts also entails investigation of intuitions regarding responsibility, the project also entails an empirical part. We investigate values and intuitions regarding responsibility of researchers and research participants in two projects about pollution and epigenetics. Hence, our research question is: How does a dynamic concept of human biology influence concepts of moral responsibility towards environmental pollution?

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Hens Kristien
• Fellow: Vulliermet François-Lucien

Research team(s)

• Center for Ethics

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

In contemporary philosophy of mind, it now the rule rather than the exception to assert that cognition is not 'all in the head'. Although endorsed by many, the exact nature of the claim that cognitive processes — perceiving, imagining, remembering — are related to our bodies and world remains the topic of fierce debate. The interdisciplinary research tradition of enactivism takes perhaps the most radical line on this issue. According to enactivists, there is no real way to separate our thoughts, perceptions and actions from the places we are in. Cognition is not a process taking place inside an agent, bearing a relation to something outside of the agent, but an activity arising out of agent-world interactions. Brain, body and environment are said to play equal parts in structuring our experience; they form a 'coupled system' that is constantly updating itself via interactive adaptations, thus giving rise to how we act. Enactivism has proven popular among philosophers and cognitive scientists alike. But as of yet, it has said very little about the moral dimension of cognition. This research project aims to fill that gap. By drawing upon the tradition of American pragmatism, it attempts a systematic inquiry into the nature of moral agency in the enactivist framework. It specifically attempts to answer the question how moral action and knowledge should be seen if we accept that agency and the world in which we act are deeply interconnected.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Schaubroeck Katrien
• Co-promoter: Myin Erik
• Fellow: Schoute David

Research team(s)

• Center for Ethics

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

Current reproductive technologies allow for the sharing of reproductive material and functions between family members. For example, a mother can be a donor for her daughter in case of uterus transplants, or someone can be a sperm donor for their infertile brother. Such sharing of material raises ethical and conceptual questions about the type of kinship that thus comes into being and the rights and duties of family members when it comes to reproduction.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Hens Kristien

Research team(s)

• Center for Ethics

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

Our project sets out to produce better forms of collaboration and more complementary forms of solidarity between faith-based (including humanistic) organisations (FBOs) and secular welfare state institutions (WSIs). It does so by 1° examining the dynamic interaction between FBOs and WSIs in an interdisciplinary way and through a multi-method approach and 2° the co-creation by both FBOs and WSIs of new practices of solidarity and social support. The interdisciplinary and multi-method approach serves to 1° reveal the potentialities and frictions of FBOs in relation to the political standards of secular WSIs and 2° transcend essentialist and dichotomous views so as to understand existing forms of negotiation and mutual adaptation. In concrete terms, the project will map the FBOs active in the field of local social support in five cities (Research Project 1), examine the interaction between FBOs and WSIs from an historical and political-philosophical angle (RP2 and RP3), and create shared insights as well as new procedures and practices through action research (RP4). Building on this, the process of co-creation will involve two related working groups. WG1 will produce a concept and pilot for a dynamic and interactive social map and ICTinterface, proceeding from existing (fragmented, non-dynamic and non-interactive) social maps and the results of RP1 while jointly tackling issues of selection and definition. WG2 will build on the insights generated in the scientific part so as to conceive educational and training modules for 1° volunteers and social workers, 2° local employees (of WSIs) and policy makers, 3° instructors and mentors involved in the integration of newcomers, and 4° future professional social workers. Implementation is ensured through close collaboration with organizations targeting exactly these groups. The method of co-creation fosters implementation because the results will be based on shared concerns, insights and objectives.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Loobuyck Patrick

Research team(s)

• Center for Ethics

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

Video games are sometimes thought to cause aggression, isolation or mental illness, despite the lack of conclusive evidence. The depiction of people with mental illness in video games is also often problematic, as the stereotype of the psychopathic character and of the mental institution as a setting for horror. However, more and more, artists use video games as a way to express their experiences with psychiatric diagnoses. Also, more and more games feature realistic and nuanced characters with a psychiatric diagnosis. With this project we want to investigate, using methodologies from disability studies and empirical philosophy, what we can learn from video games regarding the experience of a psychiatric diagnosis, especially autism, psychosis and depression.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Hens Kristien
• Co-promoter: Van Goidsenhoven Leni
• Fellow: Meinen Lisanne

Research team(s)

• Center for Ethics

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

My project deals with two contested and opposite views concerning moral deliberation. According to the first one, the substance of our deliberation comes from a certain conception of the good, while the second one states that the good is secondary to the procedures of the right. Rawlsian liberal theorists defend the latter, while communitarian inspired philosophers (but not only these philosophers) defend the priority of the good. The philosophers of the first branch often portray our political deliberation as being constituted by our reasonable apparatus and our procedures of thought. That is to say; our reason and reason giving ability is the primary source of our deliberative power. The philosophers on the second branch, however, write that this procedure comes after our rationality is shaped by our embeddedness in culture, history, and society. Therefore, when we talk about political deliberation, we talk about two conflicting theories. My thesis, as it is stated in the name of the project, is dealing with the problem of political deliberation. The main goal of my thesis is to show that the conception of the good, which I take the notion of the narrative to be, can add substance to the constructivist procedure of political deliberation that we find in the contemporary political theory. Within this project, I will work on two main elements of my thesis. On the one hand I will elaborate on what contribute to our understanding of what a narrative is, taken as a substantial view. On the other hand, I will work on constructivism, as far as it can be seen as a formal principle which "guides" and "transforms" our substantial, narrative view. It is the purpose of my thesis to shed some light on the debate on political deliberation. This is seen as one of the more relevant topics in the field of the political philosophy because it deals with the starting position when talking about the morality of institutions. More specifically, I would like to tackle the priority argument (the good vs the right) and propose a view which can, in a way, reconcile the philosophers of the good and of the right. My view is based on the theory of the good, however, it encompasses the deliberative elements from the theory of the right. In the regards to my project, the good, which is taken as a basis for the political deliberation is found in the conception of the socio-historical narrative. However, for that narrative to progress, we would need a regulating factor which is found in the constructivist method which serves as a procedure of the right.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Loobuyck Patrick
• Fellow: Lukic Vladimir

Research team(s)

• Center for Ethics

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

Arrogance has been understood as an attribute of people and sometimes as an attribute of an act. Within this approach something important is overlooked: whether someone is perceived as arrogant, depends on what their environment allows them to do, and what we allow others is not equally distributed. William F. Buckley once said: "It is not a sign of arrogance for the king to rule. That is what he is there for", but where did the monarchy come from and who has the right to be king? This shows the connection between arrogance and entitlement. While reality shows us that perceived arrogance is connected to our social structures, we are stuck with a concept that is understood as absolute. From this perspective someone is arrogant as a result of their behavior, and not because of the context from which we look at that person. Therefore a new approach to the concept of "arrogance" is needed. First, we might re-evaluate arrogance, by saying that some cases are arrogant but at the same time not problematic. To this end, I will examine in which cases arrogance is problematic. The second way of dealing with this problem of arrogance is by redefining it: taking another principle than someone's attitude or behaviour to say whether something is arrogant might bring us to a more suitable extension. Therefore, I will also research alternative principles to define arrogance.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Schaubroeck Katrien
• Fellow: Roes Suzanne

Research team(s)

• Center for Ethics

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

One of the main goals in feminist theory, and especially within the field of gender metaphysics, is to identify and explain the logic of gender and the mechanism of gender oppression. In the past decades, philosophers have come to understand this task as explaining gender categories through giving application conditions of gender terms. I argue that this approach is mistaken. More specifically, there are historical, metaphysical and political reasons to abandon this theoretical path. In my research, I investigate first and foremost in what ways the framing of philosophical questions already gives rise to theoretical confusion and a misunderstanding of the complex problem that is gender injustice. In the next step, I try to develop a more positive approach of how feminist theory can come to grasp the problems against which it fights in a new and politically more helpful manner.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Malomgré Katelijne
• Promoter: Schaubroeck Katrien

Research team(s)

• Center for Ethics

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

The transition to preventive medicine based on precision data raises several interesting philosophical and ethical questions. First, there is the question of the implications for responsibility. Preventive medicine has the potential to transform the concept of 'being a patient': as more and more risk factors are discovered in genomic and other data, more and more people gain actionable information about their health status. They all become potential patients. This transformation has relevance for how we conceive of responsibility for health. To which extent does more information also imply more individual responsibility for health? To which extent is there a collective responsibility to enable people to take care of their health? Can nudging techniques be employed? Is preventive medicine an individual or collective endeavour? Second, this ties in into the question of the value-ladenness of concepts of health and disease. Existing discussions of personalized medicine often take for granted that the question of what is 'good' or 'healthy' is fixed. Hence, 'personalized' refers to how health can be achieved but does not investigate how the meaning of 'health' is also linked to personal choices and contexts. If the aim of preventive medicine is to allow as many people to live good lives, it may need to include personal choices and contexts into the equation. Third, such a truly personalized approach may help the empowerment of patients. On the one hand, understanding and taking action on one's own health risks may empower people to take up responsibility for their own wellbeing. On the other hand, some people will not take up specific recommendations or consider the idea of preventive medicine an infringement of their autonomy. In this exploratory project, we will make an inventory of existing thoughts and opinions on responsibility, concepts of health and disease and empowerment in the context of precision medicine. This will be done through a study of the existing literature, but also in close engagement with the WeAre-partnership – composed of VITO, Vlaams Patiëntenplatform, Domus Medica, Zorgnet-Icuro and the Koning Boudewijnstichting – which is actively involved in building up an innovation ecosystem for personalized and preventive healthcare solutions, and by means of interviews with relevant stakeholders.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Hens Kristien

Research team(s)

• Center for Ethics

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

B2-InF promotes Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) and public participation in the field of Assisted Reproduction Technologies (ART), in order to align its scientific exercise and dissemination with the knowledge, concerns and expectations of populations (18-30 year-old) in Belgium, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Macedonia, Albania, Slovenia and Kosovo. How? 1) By collecting, analyzing and transferring social scientific knowledge, expectations, and concerns about ART to clinics and policymakers and 2) by improving the scientific information offered by ART clinics to society from sociocultural, legal and gender perspectives through recommendation guidelines. B2-InF's target population is young people aged 18 to 30 who are childless and have not yet considered having offspring or experienced the need for ART, and therefore are not yet conscious of their fertility needs. Members of this population are referred to as "not patients" or "young population." B2-InF defines ART to include every procedure that involves manipulation of gametes to achieve pregnancy in the treatment of infertility. B2-InF also follows World Health Organization's definition of infertility: "lack of conception following one year of unprotected sexual intercourse."

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Hens Kristien

Research team(s)

• Center for Ethics

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

Psychological research has shown that most people have some implicit biases towards some or multiple stigmatised social groups. This means that a person, who would describe herself as not racist, sexist, ageist, xenophobic etc. and who truly believes in the equal treatment of all people, could have biases that she does not directly know of, that can affect her judgement and action, resulting in discriminatory behaviour. For example, imagine a director of a small business who must decide which of three applicants she should hire. She compares their CV's and interviews each applicant, and while she is confident that she has made the right choice, based only on the quality of the applicant, her hiring decision was influenced by the identity features of the applicants. We would then say she has an implicit bias. These findings have raised many questions about how we should think about our moral responsibility for these biases. Are people responsible for having implicit biases and/or their manifestation in behaviour, even if they have limited control over or knowledge of them? If people can be so mistaken about their motives, how should we think about our capacity for selfknowledge? What steps can people take to prevent these biases from influencing their actions? My aim is to answer these questions in a novel way, arguing that bias is a vice, and to show how the innovative moral ecology approach can help to better understand the problem and provide solutions to it.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Schaubroeck Katrien
• Fellow: De Kock Amber

Research team(s)

• Center for Ethics

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

Against the traditional lines of interpretation highlighting the naturalistic and skeptical aspects of Hume's work, recent literature has offered an alternative focus for reading the Treatise on Human Nature and the Enquiry concerning Human Understanding (EHU) as an attempt to show that religious beliefs are deprived of epistemic and moral authority. Less attention has been paid from this angle to Hume's position in his Enquiry concerning the Principles of Morals (EPM), yet his irreligious attitude with respect to morality persists even after, as, at least in some interpretations, his Natural History of Religion (NHR) shows. The present project proposes to explore Hume's stance with respect to the role of irreligion in the EPM and NHR account of morality. The approach proposed here starts from the question left open in EHU 11.29. I defend the idea that in EPM Hume not only advocates a secular foundation of morality, but also gives a perspective to answer this open question in a positive way: religion can indeed support moral behavior under certain conditions. He could not reach this conclusion based on the normative epistemology developed in EHU. But from the natural-historical approach that he advocates in EPM and NHR, Hume develops a set of socio-anthropological concepts, thereby shifting the focus of the role played by psychological mechanisms in Treatise. If one reads EPM and NHR in this way, the irreligious attitude of Hume can receive a milder interpretation.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Lemmens Willem
• Fellow: Dromelet Catherine

Research team(s)

• Center for Ethics

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

What is a 'woman'? At a time where traditional gender categories are profoundly criticized and rethought, this seemingly easy question generates much debate amongst feminist advocates. On the one hand, any substantive definition inevitably comes with a normative claim of what it means to be a 'real woman'. Since the women's movement tries to show how women come in all shapes and forms and, moreover, how they are capable of doing anything they put their minds to, it goes without saying that feminists should steer clear from imposing new gender norms themselves. However, on the other hand, a complete refusal to define the concept 'woman' leads to the inability of talking about women as a social category, and hence complicates a feminist plea for women's rights. After all, if feminists are incapable of somehow clarifying what a 'woman' is, how can they describe their own mission and target group? It is my aim to enter into the debate and point out that an ordinary language philosophy can shed new light on the matter. I will argue that through this approach, it becomes possible of going beyond the above mentioned dilemma and of reinterpreting the concept 'woman' in a way that it can sustainably deal with the challenges it faces today. In doing so, I will also provide a way of discussing ethical matters concerning gender equality more accurately and face the daunting question whether the conceptual crisis regarding 'woman' irrevocably heralds the end of feminism.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Schaubroeck Katrien
• Fellow: Malomgré Katelijne

Research team(s)

• Center for Ethics

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

As a human faculty, imagination is often linked to the creativity of the mind, as displayed, for instance, by artists or children. This project examines its functional roles in moral reasoning. People often seem to use their imagination in situations where moral problems are at stake. Suppose that you cross the path of a refugee begging for help. You would probably try to imagine several things: the things the other has been through, what your options to help the refugee are, what the repercussions of certain actions will be, and so on. This project investigates how exactly we use our imagination to answer difficult moral questions or to solve pressing situations or dilemmas. This main aim is split up in two sub-aims. First, this research applies a novel moral-psychological approach to distinguish different modes and functions of imagination. As a very general term, 'imagination' can namely refer to different elements of moral reasoning, e.g., metaphorical understanding, empathy, narrative reflection, etc. Having analysed contemporary research results regarding the different relations between imagination and moral reasoning, I will focus on a blind spot in the current debate: the way in which imagination generates specific options for moral action. Thus the second aim is to examine this process of option generation in order to provide an answer to the question why imagination might be necessary to come up with practical solutions to moral situations and dilemmas.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Schaubroeck Katrien
• Fellow: Ratajczyk Yanni

Research team(s)

• Center for Ethics

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

Although a commandment to 'love thy neighbor' is an important feature of most age-old religious traditions, a moral obligation to love seems to be unpopular in contemporary analytic philosophy. In light of recent societal challenges such as polarization and hate for 'out-groups', we might however be in need for a contemporary secular moral call for love, if we have in mind the goal of a peaceful and embracing society. This project investigates whether we can make sense of the argument that we should love one another. It aims to develop an account of love and morality inspired by the ideas of Iris Murdoch to defend that we do, thereby rejecting the widely held claim that love and morality are somehow in tension. The main investigation consists in researching on the basis of which grounds it can be said that we should love everyone. The project also aims to offer a practical guide: what are our exact responsibilities in loving everyone? What difference would such a claim make in comparison with an already widely established and acknowledged moral claim for respect or empathy? The project aims to answer 1) societal challenges such as polarization, 2) skeptics of moral love in contemporary analytical philosophy and 3) feminist worries that could arise with a moral obligation to love. The project will address moral questions of interest to a wide public, because it concerns love on both a personal and political level.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Schaubroeck Katrien
• Fellow: Spreeuwenberg Lotte

Research team(s)

• Center for Ethics

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

In folk psychology and in bioethical discussions, the central dogma of genetics is often taken for granted: humans are seen as defined in a genetic blueprint. The conceptualization of psychiatric conditions as innate or acquired, biological or psychosocial, genetic or environmental, influences the ascription of both capacity responsibility (the capacity to adapt or adjust one's own behavior) and normative responsibility of individuals or the society towards those diagnosed. But findings in the field of epigenetics indicate that the social and physical environment influence how genes are expressed. Indeed, epigenetics may shed a new light on distinctions such as innate/acquired, genetic/ environmental, biological/psychosocial: a far more complex view on neurodevelopmental disorders may emerge, with ethical implications. However, the implications of epigenetics for discussions on the scope and extent of normative responsibility have not been adequately addressed. NEUROEPIGENETHICS aims to investigate the ethical implications of epigenetics for neurodevelopmental disorders. We will use theoretical and empirical methods to investigate how certain concepts (innate/biological/ genetic) affect the ways in which professionals and stakeholders (persons with a neurodevelopmental disorder and their families) conceive of responsibility. We will evaluate how the emerging field of epigenetics alters the ascription of capacity responsibility and normative responsibility. We will research how individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Tourette Syndrome (TS) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)and their families experience the interaction between their condition and their biological and social environment. Finally, we will define moral responsibility in light of the emerging field of epigenetics in the area of neurodevelopmental dis

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Hens Kristien
• Fellow: Hens Kristien

Research team(s)

• Center for Ethics

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

In folk psychology and in bioethical discussions, the central dogma of genetics is often taken for granted: humans are seen as defined in a genetic blueprint. The conceptualization of psychiatric conditions as innate or acquired, biological or psychosocial, genetic or environmental, influences the ascription of both capacity responsibility (the capacity to adapt or adjust one's own behavior) and normative responsibility of individuals or the society towards those diagnosed. But findings in the field of epigenetics indicate that the social and physical environment influence how genes are expressed. Indeed, epigenetics may shed a new light on distinctions such as innate/acquired, genetic/ environmental, biological/psychosocial: a far more complex view on neurodevelopmental disorders may emerge, with ethical implications. However, the implications of epigenetics for discussions on the scope and extent of normative responsibility have not been adequately addressed. NEUROEPIGENETHICS aims to investigate the ethical implications of epigenetics for neurodevelopmental disorders. We will use theoretical and empirical methods to investigate how certain concepts (innate/biological/ genetic) affect the ways in which professionals and stakeholders (persons with a neurodevelopmental disorder and their families) conceive of responsibility. We will evaluate how the emerging field of epigenetics alters the ascription of capacity responsibility and normative responsibility. We will research how individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Tourette Syndrome (TS) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)and their families experience the interaction between their condition and their biological and social environment. Finally, we will define moral responsibility in light of the emerging field of epigenetics in the area of neurodevelopmental disorders and child psychiatric practice.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Hens Kristien

Research team(s)

• Center for Ethics

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

Psychological research has shown that most people have some implicit biases towards some or multiple stigmatised social groups. This means that a person, who would describe herself as not racist, sexist, ageist, xenophobic etc. and who truly believes in the equal treatment of all people, could have biases that she does not directly know of, that can affect her judgement and action, resulting in discriminatory behaviour. For example, imagine a director of a small business who must decide which of three applicants she should hire. She compares their CV's and interviews each applicant, and while she is confident that she has made the right choice, based only on the quality of the applicant, her hiring decision was influenced by the identity features of the applicants. We would then say she has an implicit bias. These findings have raised many questions about how we should think about our moral responsibility for these biases. Are people responsible for having implicit biases and/or their manifestation in behaviour, even if they have limited control over or knowledge of them? If people can be so mistaken about their motives, how should we think about our capacity for selfknowledge? What steps can people take to prevent these biases from influencing their actions? My aim is to answer these questions in a novel way, arguing that bias is a vice, and to show how the innovative moral ecology approach can help to better understand the problem and provide solutions to it.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Schaubroeck Katrien
• Fellow: De Kock Amber

Research team(s)

• Center for Ethics

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

This project aims at a better understanding of the ideological, cultural and political dimensions of interreligious conflict and its possible solutions and mediations. The hypothesis is that an internal understanding of religious traditions forms a necessary precondition of a reconciliatory dialogue required for conflict prevention and solution.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Lemmens Willem

Research team(s)

• Center for Ethics

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

David Hume (1711-1776) was fascinated by religion and considered it to be a universal feature of the human condition and civilization. In this project we investigate the relevance of Hume's naturalistic-historical explanation of the origins of religion for contemporary Cognitive Science of Religion. We defend that Hume had a keen eye for the historical and praxeological foundations of religious belief. Our hypothesis is that contemporary CSR could profit from this approach and, vice versa, that contemporary CSR could contribute to a better understanding of the historical meaning and relevance, but also the content of Hume's anthropology of religion.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Lemmens Willem

Research team(s)

• Center for Ethics

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

The lived experience of what it means to have a diagnosis of autism has not gained sufficient attention. In this project, I will interview 12 adolescents (14-18 years old) who have received a recent diagnosis of autism. I will query how they experience having a diagnosis, and how they experience 'autism' and 'being different'.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Hens Kristien

Research team(s)

• Center for Ethics

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

The research project "Care for Oneself and Failures of Self-Knowledge" investigates in what way knowledge of who we are and who we want to be guides our deliberations about how to act. An important role is played by practical identities: those roles or identities that we find valuable and that give guidelines as to which actions are valuable for us to undertake. For example, if I value my identity as a parent I find those actions that let my child flourish worthwhile. A question that has raised quite some philosophical interest is how and whether our practical identities should cohere. That they often do not is a common experience. For example, the identity as parent and the identity as teacher can come in conflict if the soccer match of one's daughter is on a Sunday and the deadline for having the papers of the students graded is directly the Monday after. According to a widespread assumption in contemporary philosophical debates our practical identities can only guide practical deliberation about what to do if they are unified into a harmonious and coherent whole. This unification-requirement calls for systematic scrutiny. That this contention can be contested can be illustrated by examples of people who are defined by conflict in their identity: for example, a homosexual man who grew up within the orthodox church might not only experience a strong conflict between his homosexual and orthodox identity, but is as well defined by it. As such, he stays more true to himself by acting on the conflict than by trying to overcome or solve it. This research project will investigate and question the unification requirement in a systematic fashion— thereby already going beyond the state of the art. It will deliver a unique contribution to the current debate in three ways: 1) by laying bare some pre-theoretical commitments inherent in the use of the image of distance-taking as a prerequisite of self-knowledge. This image suggests that we need to divide ourselves in order to get to know ourselves, and that we subsequently need to unify ourselves. A historical analysis will reveal the ubiquity as well as the legacy of the use of the metaphor of distance-taking. 2) by executing a systematic analysis of the contemporary debate along two axes: A) the first axis is defined by the form of unity that is required: contemporary philosophers characterize the required unity respectively as a matter of being wholehearted, of being rational, or of having a life narrative; B) the second axis is defined by the reasons offered in favour of striving for this unity. In the literature one can read justifications invoking I) a psychological necessity (f.e. a condition of happiness), II) a requirement of agency, III) a moral requirement, IV) a necessary condition of self-understanding V) or a necessary condition for being understood by others. None of these justifications will prove sufficient, which frees the way for another approach to self-knowledge and practical deliberation. 3) by proposing an alternative theory of the way in which practical deliberation is guided by practical identities, avoiding the unnecessary and even harmful unification-requirement.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Schaubroeck Katrien
• Fellow: van Gils Henk

Research team(s)

• Center for Ethics

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

The Autism Ethics Network is an international platform that unites researchers and individuals inspired by a desire to understand autism and by the belief that a transdisciplinary and inclusive approach is necessary for an ethical approach to autism and autistic individuals. Striving to surpass reductionist frames of thinking the network brings together researchers from sociology, literary studies, the arts, anthropology, psychology, ethics and philosophy of science. Questions that are central to the project are: what is autism, is autism a mere pathology, what does it mean to be neuro-(a)typical, how does a diagnosis of autism affect a person's self-understanding,...

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Schaubroeck Katrien

Research team(s)

• Center for Ethics

Project website

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

While most moral philosophers concentrate on questions that arise in the public sphere, the majority of people will be confronted with moral questions in their private lives, more particularly regarding their conduct towards the people they love. On a daily basis we make moral choices in the way we react to our friends' favours, our lovers' expectations, our children's needs, our parents' wishes. Yet some moral philosophers think that love in general, and family love in particular, falls outside the moral domain, and is governed by its own rules. They reject moral evaluations of love (as a motive or as an attitude) as overly moralistic. This project starts from the hypothesis that morality does have a bearing on love, and examines the objections against two theses: that it can be true of someone that he has a duty to love a particular person, and that once people love each other, their love can be better or worse in moral regard. After examining the theoretical and conceptual problems that affect the idea of a duty to love and the idea of a morally defect love, the results will be applied to parental love and filial love. Ought parents not only to take care of their children but also to love them? Can they do so in better or worse ways, and can these qualitative differences be spelled out in moral terms? Can they demand that their children love them back? The aspired formulation of an ethics of parental and filial love will fill a lacuna in contemporary moral philosophy, and will address moral questions of interest to a wide public insofar as they are at the heart of family life.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Schaubroeck Katrien
• Fellow: Spreeuwenberg Lotte

Research team(s)

• Center for Ethics

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

This project aims at a better understanding of the ideological, cultural and political dimensions of interreligious conflict and its possible solutions and mediations. The hypothesis is that an internal understanding of religious traditions forms a necessary precondition of a reconciliatory dialogue required for conflict prevention and solution.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Lemmens Willem

Research team(s)

• Center for Ethics

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

Although it is reasonable to accept that those parents who are not genetically linked to their children have equal parental status and rights and obligations as those who share their genes with their children, the meaning of the genetic contribution for the resulting children is less straightforward. A practice in which the importance of the genetic link for offspring has been much discussed in the media recently is that of artificial reproduction, through artificial insemination or IVF, with donor gametes or embryos. However, a systematic study of values and opinions of donor conceived children is missing. The aim of this study is to investigate how do persons conceived through artificial reproduction techniques (ART) using donor gametes think about parenthood and the importance of genes, by means of focus groups. An evaluation of the role and significance of genetics and biology in relation to parenthood has important consequences for the way we conceive parenthood in philosophy and law, as it may, by reevaluating what makes one a parent, put into question the often deployed distinction between 'biological' and 'social' parenthood. With this study we want to add to the ongoing debate on parenthood, genetics and biology by interviewing those who are acutely confronted with such questions in their lives, the children that have been conceived through artificial reproduction with donor gametes. We aim to map opinions and lived experiences of donor conceived adults, as a first effort to elucidate on a more conceptual level the meaning of genetics and biology in the context of parenthood and kinship. On the basis of this mapping, a philosophical analysis of ethical and legal implications of anonymous vs. non-anonymous sperm donation could be fruitfully developed.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Hens Kristien

Research team(s)

• Center for Ethics

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

This project is part of the international RE research agenda wherein the next question is central: to what extent should 'teaching into religion' be replaced/complemented by 'teaching about religions' and 'learning from the study of religions', citizenship education and (moral) philosophy? This project will focus on this 'paradigm shift' from a philosophical and a religious-studies based point of view and is therefore original. There are two research fields: 1. An ethical reflection on the possibilities and limitations of RE in a liberal, post-secular society. Here, particular attention will be given to the Habermasian perspective of post-secularism and its implications for the place of religion, ethics and citizenship in compulsory education programs. The core question is how RE can at best be in accordance with the principles of liberal neutrality, (post) secularism, and with the fact of religious diversity. 2. A religious-studies based reflection on the process of deconfessionalizing RE, with special attention to the experience of Québec, where a general, compulsory subject éthique & culture religieuse (ECR) was introduced in 2008. The project will focus here on methodological questions such as: How is "religion" conceptualized, presented and studied in ECR? What is the approach towards and place of eastern and secular worldviews in ECR? How can religious texts be used within a methodologically a-religious subject? What kind of 'impartiality' is required for teachers?

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Loobuyck Patrick
• Fellow: Franken Leni

Research team(s)

• Center for Ethics

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

Universities and other higher education institutions are paying considerable attention to the integration of sustainable development within their core functions: education, research, outreach and campus operations. Within education, the focus is set on competences for sustainable development, necessary to enable students to cope with the complexity and uncertainty of sustainability issues in society. These competences are defined in numerous projects and publications, and usually comprise elements of systems thinking, future thinking (or anticipatory competence), interpersonal competence, normative competence and strategic competence. The integration of these competences requires specific conditions in the curriculum, one of which is the role of research competences and their possible contribution towards acquiring competences for sustainable development. Other specific conditions are oriented towards policy development and assessment of higher education study programs. This doctoral project has a threefold ambition: (1) analyse the definition and integration of competences for sustainable development in higher education curricula; (2) explore the interrelations between competences for sustainable development and research competences; (3) analyse the implications of the integration of these competences for policy development in higher education, with specific focus towards sustainability assessment and change management approach

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van Liedekerke Luc
• Co-promoter: Van Petegem Peter
• Fellow: Lambrechts Wim

Research team(s)

• Center for Ethics

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

This project deals with the question of responsibility of pregnant women towards their child. As such, there is a need to investigate also the perspective of women themselves, a perspective that is sometimes overlooked in philosophical discussions on this theme. I will explicitly also investigate the ideas and theories of feminist philosophers and their viewpoints on responsibility, pregnancy and difference, and investigate the viewpoints of women in the qualitative part of the research to avoid gender bias.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Lemmens Willem
• Fellow: Hens Kristien

Research team(s)

• Center for Ethics

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

This is a fundamental research project financed by the Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO). The project was subsidized after selection by the FWO-expert panel. The objective of the FWO's Research projects is to advance fundamental scientific research.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Van Liedekerke Luc

Research team(s)

• Center for Ethics

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

This project aims to come to grips with the rich philosophy of Charles Taylor by focusing on his concept of 'strong evaluation'. I argue that a close examination of this term brings out more clearly the continuing concerns of his writings as a whole. I trace back the origin of strong evaluation in Taylor's earliest writings, and continue by laying out the different philosophical themes that revolve around it. I further distinguish the separate arguments in which strong evaluation is central, uncovering several methodological conflicts in Taylor's strategies. Arguing against most of his commentators, I suggest that a distinction should be drawn between the philosophical anthropological, moral, and ontological implications of strong evaluation.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Lemmens Willem
• Co-promoter: Vanheeswijck Guy
• Fellow: Meijer Michiel

Research team(s)

• Center for Ethics

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

Love and morality guide many of our actions, but the relationship between these two sources of normativity is complicated. In preparation for a major grant-application current philosophical ideas about this relation will be collected and discussed, primarily through the organisation of a Symposium in Antwerp and participation to international conferences. The guiding hypothesis is that morality is not in tension with but rather presupposes love.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Schaubroeck Katrien

Research team(s)

• Center for Ethics

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

This project will investigate, first of all, how trust forms a necessary personal and collective attitude to stabilize human cooperation in the sphere of tax governance. Secondly, it will flesh out the conditions that threaten the relation between TP and TA and makes distrust to proliferate. And thirdly, it examines the hypothesis that the quality of the trust relation within the sphere of taxation derives necessarily from and mirrors the deeper trust in the quality of political governance within a given political society.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Lemmens Willem
• Co-promoter: Peeters Bruno
• Co-promoter: Van Liedekerke Luc

Research team(s)

• Center for Ethics

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

The research project I propose will contribute to ongoing discussions on this matter in academic and popular writing. It sets itself the task of examining the central problem more comprehensively than has been done to date. I will start by clarifying the concept of 'conscience'. Building on this, I will investigate whether, and to what extent, a person is justified to act on her conscience, irrespective of what her conscience holds. In addition, I will discuss cases in which following conscience becomes problematic in the light of other moral demands.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Lemmens Willem
• Fellow: Vanhaute Liesbet

Research team(s)

• Center for Ethics

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

The topic of moral pluralism has become an important issue within secular, post-modern societies. However, in the struggle to deal with conflicting values, the philosophical reflection has come up with strategies that undervalue, avoid or simply neglect the tensions within contemporary moral culture. Against this background, this project intends to develop a philosophical understanding of morality which does recognize the felt 'cross pressures,' the permanent tensions between competing values within Western culture. First, by reconstructing Charles Taylor's view on contemporary moral culture through a close examination of the concept of 'strong evaluation'. Second, by exploring the potential of Nietzsche's diagnosis of nihilism for Taylor's analysis.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Lemmens Willem
• Co-promoter: Vanheeswijck Guy
• Fellow: Meijer Michiel

Research team(s)

• Center for Ethics

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

The project challenges the idea that Hume's account of superstition exemplifies a typical radical enlightenment approach of religion. While Hume without doubt defends a profound and major critique of the religious fanaticism that stands forward in monotheism and Christendom, he defends at the same time that religion is a product of the passions and imagination and as such forms an ineradicable part of the human condition. For Hume, the major question is not how reason could replace superstition, but how a politics of religion could help to alleviate the excesses of religious passions, while at the same time fostering the sense of morality. Thus Hume's precutionary conservatism is compaticle with the acceptance of a moderate form of superstition as constitutive dimension of human sociability and civil society. This project defends that this nuanced and pragmatic position of Hume can be reconstructed on the basis of his essays and the History of England. At the same time this project wants to elucidate the relation between Hume's religious scepticism and his practical critique of superstition.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Lemmens Willem

Research team(s)

• Center for Ethics

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

The second half of the twentieth century saw, especially through the work of Alasdair MacIntyre, a rehabilitation of classical virtue ethics, which is now considered to be one of the most influential ethical paradigms. But because the virtue ethics MacIntyre rehabilitates risks being too classical to find proper application in our times, it needs to be confronted with a strongly modern ethics. In this research project the virtue ethics MacIntyre rehabilitates is, for that reason, confronted with the ethics of Søren Kierkegaard. This confrontation will focus on their respective conceptions of the good, that is to say: it will focus on their views on the nature of virtue, on which virtues are important, and on what the virtuous or good life consists of. But because MacIntyre and Kierkegaard share an assumption of the relevance of a Christian conception of the good for contemporary virtue ethics – an assumption that is almost naïve in our post-Christian culture – this research project will challenge this assumed relevance, by asking whether the classical theological virtues faith, hope and love could in fact have any relevance for a post-Christian culture.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Taels Johan

Research team(s)

• Center for Ethics

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

This project provides, for the first time, a confrontation between Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900), the herald of nihilism who claimed that all previous foundations of morality have been undermined, and Charles Taylor (*1931), the advocate of strong evaluation and the inevitability of meaning. The basic thought, however, is not the clash between Nietzsche and Taylor, but rather the idea that, despite several differences, there is an important level of agreement between both thinkers as well. Central to this discussion is the morally pluralistic context of post-modern Western society. How do Nietzsche and Taylor understand and evaluate the post-modern moral context, and in what respects does the dialogue between them allow for a normative account on how to move among the cross pressures of morality? Can Nietzsche's and Taylor's positive moral views be viewed as adopting a 'third' position between fundamentalism and moral relativism? This question is explored by focussing on one of the most important moral ideals of post-modernity: authenticity.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Lemmens Willem
• Co-promoter: Vanheeswijck Guy
• Fellow: Meijer Michiel

Research team(s)

• Center for Ethics

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

This project investigates from the perspective of political philosophy and ethics the possibilities to reconcile religiously divided societies. In such societies, pluralism can hardly be framed into a framework of reasonableness. However, this project argues that an agreement among people is possible even in these societies. It defends that a culture of civility can provide a non-institutional consensus that enables citizens to reciprocate on the basis of some fundamental liberal values.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Lemmens Willem

Research team(s)

• Center for Ethics

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

This project aims to compare the social and political views of Spinoza and Hume. Both historically and conceptually, such a comparison can be valuable. A social order is always a fragile equilibrium, Spinoza and Hume agree, determined by historical constructs such as the political system and religion. Politics must operate and look for reform within these constructs, and not on the basis of abstract principles. I will argue that the reason for this shared socio-political outlook can be found in Hume's and Spinoza's views of human nature. They regard humans as tiny parts of an impersonal natural order. Our finitude makes us very dependent on our surroundings. Therefore, our thoughts and emotions cannot be understood without taking into account their interrelations with those of other people. Now a stable social order is only possible when there is a sufficient degree of emotional harmony among a people. For such harmony, the historical constructs mentioned are indispensable. A way of thinking of these constructs is as 'narratives', i.e. as consisting of both reality-based and fictitious components, which bring a people's hopes and fears together. In both Spinoza and Hume, I will finally argue, the religious narrative holds a peculiar place. Though it may have a perverting effect on the human passions, it may also, when stripped from superstition, stimulate a social disposition.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Lemmens Willem
• Fellow: Bijlsma Rudmer

Research team(s)

• Center for Ethics

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

This research project develops a systematic interpretation of the relation between Hume's strictly philosophical theory of the passions and his more rhetoric-essayistic evaluation of the religious passions. The objective is to gain a better understanding of Hume's shift towards a more moderate appreciation of religious passions in his later essays and the congruence of this shift with his naturalistic account of the passionate origin of religion and religious fanaticism as such.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Lemmens Willem

Research team(s)

• Center for Ethics

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

The relationship between religions (and worldviews) and the political community is not fixed, but always in evolution. The questions, central in this research project, are 1. What kind of recent evolutions challenge the relationship between religions (worldviews) and the political community in Belgium? 2. What kind of historical and philosophical perspectives are developed in the past, to guide these evolutions and challenges? 3. What are the relevant normative arguments and reflections, if we want to 'choose' a particular model or perspective?

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Loobuyck Patrick
• Co-promoter: Overbeeke Adriaan
• Co-promoter: Van Herck Walter

Research team(s)

• Center for Ethics

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Taels Johan
• Co-promoter: Lemmens Willem

Research team(s)

• Center for Ethics

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

This project is situated at the intersection of philosophical anthropology and the study of spirituality. It aims at the investigation of the role of passions and emotions in religious attachment(s) and identification(s). The working hypothesis is that the recent developments in the philosophical theory of the emotions, in particular moral phychology, can be assimilated and integrated in the hermeneutics of the following aspects of religion and spirituality: (i) the role of passions and emotions in religious symbolism and incarnation; (ii) the purification and/or cultivation of passions and emotions in spiritual experience; (iii) the passional attachment to the absolute and the development of an attitude of religious trust.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Lemmens Willem
• Co-promoter: Mommaers Paul
• Co-promoter: Taels Johan
• Co-promoter: Vanheeswijck Guy
• Co-promoter: Van Herck Walter

Research team(s)

• Center for Ethics

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

The work of the american ethicist Martha Nussbaum offers a masterful analysis of greec tragedies, especially of the narrative ethics that is included in them. We would like to reflect further on the following questions a) what kind of ethics is implied in the tragic choices of Greek tragedy and b) how can this type of ethical discernment be actualised in our time, taking into account the difference of world view between us and ancient Greeks?

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Taels Johan
• Co-promoter: Lemmens Willem

Research team(s)

• Center for Ethics

Project type(s)

• Research Project