Genealogy and Topology: A Constellational Comparison of Nietzsche and Heidegger. This research is fundamental in character addressing basic questions about the nature and history of philosophy. It will have direct academic benefits in advancing disciplinary knowledge, in enhancing the reputation of Australian philosophy in Germany and internationally, and in promoting contact between Australian and German philosophers, but is also likely to have longer term benefits in furthering our understandi ....Genealogy and Topology: A Constellational Comparison of Nietzsche and Heidegger. This research is fundamental in character addressing basic questions about the nature and history of philosophy. It will have direct academic benefits in advancing disciplinary knowledge, in enhancing the reputation of Australian philosophy in Germany and internationally, and in promoting contact between Australian and German philosophers, but is also likely to have longer term benefits in furthering our understanding of the nature of concepts, and of conceptual creativity.Read moreRead less
Time and Politics: A Rapprochement of Analytic Political Philosophy and Post-structuralism. The most obvious benefits of this project will be academic, in that it will enrich contemporary political philosophy and advance theoretical work on the post-structuralism of Derrida and Deleuze. I will also be consulting with philosophers across Australia of both analytic and 'European' persuasion, and encouraging such a dialogue contributes to what is an emerging movement to break down the oppositional ....Time and Politics: A Rapprochement of Analytic Political Philosophy and Post-structuralism. The most obvious benefits of this project will be academic, in that it will enrich contemporary political philosophy and advance theoretical work on the post-structuralism of Derrida and Deleuze. I will also be consulting with philosophers across Australia of both analytic and 'European' persuasion, and encouraging such a dialogue contributes to what is an emerging movement to break down the oppositional thinking that has pervaded the Australian philosophical community. Finally, the findings of this project will also be used to instigate new ways of thinking regarding political issues afflicting Australians and the world, particularly in regard to refugees and reconciliation.
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A Buddhist Debate and Its Contemporary Relevance. The aim of this project is to engage with one of the central debates in Tibetan philosophy concerning truth, realism and epistemic justification. It plans to explore the implications of this debate for subsequent Tibetan thought and for contemporary Western analytic philosophy. The project plans to analyse previously unstudied texts and demonstrate the fecundity of a traditional method of collaborative cross-cultural philosophy today in which Tib ....A Buddhist Debate and Its Contemporary Relevance. The aim of this project is to engage with one of the central debates in Tibetan philosophy concerning truth, realism and epistemic justification. It plans to explore the implications of this debate for subsequent Tibetan thought and for contemporary Western analytic philosophy. The project plans to analyse previously unstudied texts and demonstrate the fecundity of a traditional method of collaborative cross-cultural philosophy today in which Tibetan and Western scholars work together to develop joint analyses. It may also demonstrate that the metaphysical and epistemological ideas and arguments developed in these debates can contribute to Western philosophy.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE230101136
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$428,416.00
Summary
Understanding Philosophical Progress. This project aims to develop the first unified account of progress in science and philosophy, by extending the noetic account of scientific progress into an account of philosophical progress. According to this account, progress consists in increased understanding, i.e., in grasping how something depends on, or fails to depend on, something else. Developing a unified account will shed light on the nature of intellectual progress quite generally, as well subst ....Understanding Philosophical Progress. This project aims to develop the first unified account of progress in science and philosophy, by extending the noetic account of scientific progress into an account of philosophical progress. According to this account, progress consists in increased understanding, i.e., in grasping how something depends on, or fails to depend on, something else. Developing a unified account will shed light on the nature of intellectual progress quite generally, as well substantially advancing meta-philosophical debates about (i) the prevalence of philosophical progress; (ii) whether, and the ways in which, expert disagreement would undermine progress; and (iii) which philosophical methodologies promote progress.Read moreRead less
The Role of Naturalism in Ontology and Scientific Methodology. Naturalism is the philosophical doctrine perhaps best described as a respect for the methods of the natural sciences. Although most contemporary philosophers would describe themselves as naturalists, exactly how this important doctrine is spelled out is a matter of much controversy. What is more, many substantial issues in both philosophy of science and in metaphysics depend crucially on how we understand naturalism. This project ....The Role of Naturalism in Ontology and Scientific Methodology. Naturalism is the philosophical doctrine perhaps best described as a respect for the methods of the natural sciences. Although most contemporary philosophers would describe themselves as naturalists, exactly how this important doctrine is spelled out is a matter of much controversy. What is more, many substantial issues in both philosophy of science and in metaphysics depend crucially on how we understand naturalism. This project will investigate the various conceptions of naturalism, looking at both their motivations and their implications for philosophy and scientific and mathematical methodology.Read moreRead less
Deliberative Democracy and Citizenship: A Study of Deliberative Polling and Participatory Budgeting in China. The result of this research will enhance Australian democracy-promotion activities overseas, foster Chinese learning from Australian deliberative democratic experiences, as well as benefiting Australian governmental agencies such as AusAID and Australian NGOs working in this field. The project will also strengthen cooperation between Australian researchers and their counterparts in China ....Deliberative Democracy and Citizenship: A Study of Deliberative Polling and Participatory Budgeting in China. The result of this research will enhance Australian democracy-promotion activities overseas, foster Chinese learning from Australian deliberative democratic experiences, as well as benefiting Australian governmental agencies such as AusAID and Australian NGOs working in this field. The project will also strengthen cooperation between Australian researchers and their counterparts in China. The lessons learned from this Chinese experiment can be used to improve the quality of citizen participation and to develop more effective means of public participation and consultation in Australia. The project will contribute to the Australian government's dialogue approach to human rights issues in China since 1989.Read moreRead less
Western Theory of Deliberative Democracy and Chinese Practice of Participatory and Deliberative Institutions. This project is aimed to study how various participatory and deliberative institutions are pursued and promoted by peasants and residents in local governance in China. It is the first study that builds a bridge between Western theory of deliberative democracy and Chinese deliberative practice, adding to our knowledge of local participatory institutions in local China, contributing to a b ....Western Theory of Deliberative Democracy and Chinese Practice of Participatory and Deliberative Institutions. This project is aimed to study how various participatory and deliberative institutions are pursued and promoted by peasants and residents in local governance in China. It is the first study that builds a bridge between Western theory of deliberative democracy and Chinese deliberative practice, adding to our knowledge of local participatory institutions in local China, contributing to a better design of, and improvement of, these institutions, and developing lessons and policy implications that will be broadly applicable not only to most parts of China, but also to other developing countries and beyond.Read moreRead less
Place, Commonality and the Human: Towards a New Philosophical Anthropology. This project proposes a new philosophical vision of what it means to be human. Combining historical and conceptual approaches, the project aims to develop a new philosophical anthropology that centres on understanding human beings in terms of both place and commonality. This account is designed to provide the basis for a rethought conception of the ethics that are bound to human life and that understands the ethical as e ....Place, Commonality and the Human: Towards a New Philosophical Anthropology. This project proposes a new philosophical vision of what it means to be human. Combining historical and conceptual approaches, the project aims to develop a new philosophical anthropology that centres on understanding human beings in terms of both place and commonality. This account is designed to provide the basis for a rethought conception of the ethics that are bound to human life and that understands the ethical as essentially a matter of judgment rather than prescriptive rule. Given the centrality of the concept of the human to any thinking about our contemporary situation, the project would have both applied and interdisciplinary relevance.Read moreRead less
A Philosophical Investigation into Conditions of Conceptual Creativity. Australia as a young and striving society depends heavily on innovation and the integration of creative forces. Yet creativity can only be understood through a close analysis of its conditions. This philosophical project can contribute directly by investigating paradigm cases of successful groupings of individuals around specific clusters of related problems. It aims at exploring the nature of such structures and conditions ....A Philosophical Investigation into Conditions of Conceptual Creativity. Australia as a young and striving society depends heavily on innovation and the integration of creative forces. Yet creativity can only be understood through a close analysis of its conditions. This philosophical project can contribute directly by investigating paradigm cases of successful groupings of individuals around specific clusters of related problems. It aims at exploring the nature of such structures and conditions that determine the emergence and flourishing of conceptual creativity. Understanding the nexus between creativity, innovation and these groupings is of central importance to the promotion and maintenance of modern societies. It is central to the dynamics of societal processes and enhances creative responses in the realm of e. g. conflict solving.Read moreRead less
Methods of Topology: Boundary, Surface and the Inner/Outer in Kant and Wittgenstein. Ways of 'inclusion' vs. 'exclusion' are of basic and pivotal significance in social and political scenarios, e.g. of establishing identities and conducting intra- and transnational discourses. At the root of these discourses lies a vague and implicit 'metaphysics' of the nature of the 'internal', of distinction and discrimination, fostered by intuitions of alleged privileged access to the 'inner'. The project ha ....Methods of Topology: Boundary, Surface and the Inner/Outer in Kant and Wittgenstein. Ways of 'inclusion' vs. 'exclusion' are of basic and pivotal significance in social and political scenarios, e.g. of establishing identities and conducting intra- and transnational discourses. At the root of these discourses lies a vague and implicit 'metaphysics' of the nature of the 'internal', of distinction and discrimination, fostered by intuitions of alleged privileged access to the 'inner'. The project has direct impact on the de-mystification of these socially central notions, its institutional misapprehensions and cultural implications. The project is a paradigm case of how thorough philosophical analysis can yield concrete results, contributing to an understanding of personal, social and political boundaries and demarcations.Read moreRead less