Centre for Aesthetic, Moral and Political Philosophy
Centre for Aesthetic, Moral and Political Philosophy
Interdisciplinary research in aesthetic, moral and political philosophy.
The Centre for Aesthetic, Moral and Political Philosophy's core membership comprises staff and PGRs working on a broad range of issues across value theory. The centre currently has a core membership of 18 research active academic staff who have a significant research focus in CAMP areas and regularly participate in its activities.
The Director of the Centre is Dr Joseph Bowen.
Our research
The Centre for Aesthetic, Moral, and Political Philosophy (CAMP) supports and develops research of the highest quality in practical philosophy at large, with a particular emphasis on foundational questions about normativity, morality, aesthetics, and practical reason.
Topics of current research include:
- the nature of normativity
- analysis of normative and evaluative language and thought
- explanation and justification in normative theory
- moral and aesthetic knowledge and skepticism
- moral psychology (especially blame, moral worth, moral luck)
- moral, aesthetic, and epistemic virtue and vice
- gender and gender identity
- ethics of war and self-defence
- distributive justice
CAMP has a supportive, lively and active research environment. The centre hosts a regular fortnightly research seminar where both its members and invited speakers present work in progress. Members often organise conferences and workshops on themes related to the centre’s research specialisms, as well as the occasional wine and cheese night and research retreat!
The centre is a basin of attraction for researchers far and wide. In addition to CAMP's core membership –comprising staff and PGRs working on a broad range of issues across value theory—it is common for visiting research fellows and staff specialising in other sub-disciplines to participate in the centre’s activities as well.
Inter-Disciplinary Ethics Applied Centre and Centre for Metaphysics and Mind
A close relationship is maintained with the Inter-Disciplinary Ethics Applied Centre (IDEA), particularly around areas of healthcare and environmental ethics, business and leadership ethics, and social and political philosophy. Many of our members work closely with Centre for Metaphysics and Mind (CMM) to foster areas of common interest, including the metaphysics of ethics and art, the analysis of normative language, human agency and its relation to morality, and the nature of moral, aesthetic, and epistemic values and virtues.
Impact and engagement
Earlier work on reasons for action and moral psychology provides theoretical foundations for the work on good judgement, character and integrity done in IDEA.
Jointly this work is making a large impact on ethics in the workplace through consultancy, development of codes of professional conduct and ethics, and engaging professionals and practitioners in ethical reasoning and judgement.
Research by CAMP members on creativity and on art and morality has provided the basis for a wide range of impact activities, including public workshops and talks at places such as Tate Britain, the National Icelandic Visual Arts Awards and Miami Basel Arts Fair. Members have been interviewed in the popular media, have advised on the Channel 4 series Hidden Talent, acted as consultants to the Arts and Humanities Research Council, the Broadcasting Standards Commission and the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment.
Research by CAMP members on gender/gender identity have also yielded impact activities, such as the ‘Stories of Gender in West Yorkshire’ exhibition at Leeds City Museum, which was attended by over 400 people over two days.
Our weekly research seminar
A weekly research seminar is held during term time, where members of the philosophy community at Leeds and visitors from both the UK and abroad present their work in progress. These seminars are open to all interested parties. In addition, CAMP organises regular workshops, sometimes in collaboration with other research centres in the School.
2024-25 Speaker series
Below is CAMP’s speaker series for the upcoming academic year. All talks take place in Botany House, 1.03, from 3-5 unless otherwise stated.
Date |
Speaker |
9th Oct |
Romy Eskens (Utrecht) |
23rd Oct |
Tom Angier (Cape Town) |
6th Nov |
Joe Bowen |
20th Nov |
Rach Cosker-Rowland |
27th Nov (4-5pm, room tbc.) |
Nathan Barrett |
4th Dec |
Simone Gubler (Brown) |
2025 |
|
29th Jan |
Bart Smith-Johnson // Sam Summerfield |
12th Feb |
Carl Fox |
26th Feb |
With CLSR, Karamvir Chadha (Durham) |
12th March |
Gerald Lang |
26th March |
Johann Frick (Berkley) |
7th May |
Pekka Väyrynen |
TBC May |
Rahul Kumar (Queens) |
Our people
Read our staff profiles for more information about our members.
Call for Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action fellowship EoIs 2024
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships open for applications
More on Call for Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action fellowship EoIs 2024Conversational AI's empathetic responses are 'deeply morally problematic', AHC philosopher argues
Philosopher makes case against empathetic conversational AI
More on Conversational AI's empathetic responses are 'deeply morally problematic', AHC philosopher arguesWindow opens for applications to Non-Stipendiary Visiting Fellowships scheme
Window opens for applications to Non-Stipendiary Visiting Fellowships scheme
More on Window opens for applications to Non-Stipendiary Visiting Fellowships scheme