PRR Project

Summary

NOVA School of Social Sciences and Humanities (NOVA FCSH)  seeks to expand its academic staff by appointing an Assistant Researcher in Ethics, Metaethics and Normativity (Research Chair). The selected candidate will develop a research agenda as an active member of Instituto de Filosofia da Nova (IFILNOVA) and will contribute to the development of NOVA FCSH strategic line on Society and Politics. IFILNOVA’s main purpose is to develop research programs focused upon conceptual analysis of values and construction of values at the ethical, political, and aesthetic levels. The programs aim also to apply philosophical theories to social practices and problems. Given this overall strategic aim of investigating the nature of value and the role of values in human action, specifically the nature of value and normativity, it is crucial for IFILNOVA to hire a candidate with a solid scientific background in the field of ethics. The candidate should have a comprehensive view of the field of ethics and some of its main theories and problems, such as the source of normativity, the status of the moral agent and the problem of the naturalization of values. We are also looking for someone who demonstrates ease and familiarity with the history of ethics but with a strong inclination towards contemporary ethical discussions. This scientific background should include a familiarity with key authors in the history of ethics, such as, to name only a few, Aristotle, Kant, Philippa Foot, John McDowell, Elizabeth Anscombe and Bernard Williams. We are looking for a researcher with a strong background in theoretical ethics and metaethics, proven expertise in issues such as the foundation of ethics, and the nature and status of ethical thinking. The candidate should be capable of contemplating the nature of normativity as a global phenomenon that connects ethics to other evaluative domains, such as aesthetics or politics. Additionally, the candidate should also be able to engage in fruitful dialogues with more applied and socially relevant areas, such as environmental ethics, intergenerational ethics, or education. We thus intend to hire someone who can lead innovative lines of investigation, offering a comprehensive overview of ethical problems, from the metaethical-theoretical to the practical-applied field. Scientific profile We are looking for a candidate with an excellent curriculum devoted to the field of Ethics, Metaethics, and Normativity, who: (i) has a PhD in Philosophy, (ii) has a good and increasingly solid record of international publications in indexed journals, but (iii) who is also concerned with the dissemination of knowledge in Portuguese and to audiences outside academia; (iv) has played an active role in research projects, is or has been part of international projects in the research area described above, and therefore shows that is capable of forming fruitful collaborations with other researchers or institutions, and thus developing research projects in the future, attracting funding; (v) has a solid track record of teaching courses in her area of expertise at different levels, but also demonstrates the ability to teach in related fields; (vi) shows abilities for undertaking managerial or scientific coordination activities, as well as (vii) as engaging in scientific arbitration, evaluation committees and thesis supervision activities, abilities that can be attested by her previous experience. Rationale The recruitment of an Assistant Researcher in Ethics, Metaethics and Normativity is scientifically relevant for both the Research Unit IFILNOVA and NOVA FCSH. IFILNOVA’s main goal is to develop research focused on the philosophical investigation of values. It privileges fundamental research on the history of philosophy — both classical and contemporary — as a tool to address questions concerning the nature of value, the role of values in human existence and their collective constitution in the ethical, political and aesthetic fields. The position of Assistant Researcher in Ethics, Metaethics and Normativity is, thus, perfectly aligned with the institute’s research commitments, and it will consolidate IFILNOVA’s long term investigation on a key dimension of the philosophical question of values.