Ethos and Topos: A Philosophical Investigation of the Ethics and Politics of Place. This project will contribute to the public and academic understanding of the way our sense of place relates to our sense of who we are, and the ethical implications of that relation. The outcomes of the project will have an application to a wide range of applied and policy areas in which questions of identity and belonging are at issue. It will connect directly with ongoing public discussion about a number of cr ....Ethos and Topos: A Philosophical Investigation of the Ethics and Politics of Place. This project will contribute to the public and academic understanding of the way our sense of place relates to our sense of who we are, and the ethical implications of that relation. The outcomes of the project will have an application to a wide range of applied and policy areas in which questions of identity and belonging are at issue. It will connect directly with ongoing public discussion about a number of critical contemporary issues relating to ideas of nationhood and community, our connection to land and environment, and our sense of identity and belonging.Read moreRead less
Between the Outback and the Sea: The Place of Cosmopolitanism in Contemporary Australia. 'Place' is an increasingly contested and problematic notion. In contemporary Australia, it arises as a central issue in relations between the indigenous and the 'settled'; between the refugee and the citizen; between the regional and the international. By focusing on the idea of the 'cosmopolitan' as it arises in the Australian context, and particularly with respect to the built environment (often neglected ....Between the Outback and the Sea: The Place of Cosmopolitanism in Contemporary Australia. 'Place' is an increasingly contested and problematic notion. In contemporary Australia, it arises as a central issue in relations between the indigenous and the 'settled'; between the refugee and the citizen; between the regional and the international. By focusing on the idea of the 'cosmopolitan' as it arises in the Australian context, and particularly with respect to the built environment (often neglected in favour of the concepts of 'land' or 'wilderness'), the project will enable a reconfiguration of the significance and meaning of place for ideas of citizenship and identity.
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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
A narrative theory of ethics. The project aims to conduct a detailed investigation into a narrative approach to ethics. Narrative is an increasingly popular but relatively under-theorised concept. Taking as its basis work in narrative theory and ethics by Paul Ricoeur, the project aims to provide an innovative conceptual scheme which incorporates recent philosophical accounts of selfhood, emodiment, autonomy, action, and pluralistic conceptions of the good. The project will result in a major con ....A narrative theory of ethics. The project aims to conduct a detailed investigation into a narrative approach to ethics. Narrative is an increasingly popular but relatively under-theorised concept. Taking as its basis work in narrative theory and ethics by Paul Ricoeur, the project aims to provide an innovative conceptual scheme which incorporates recent philosophical accounts of selfhood, emodiment, autonomy, action, and pluralistic conceptions of the good. The project will result in a major contribution to scholarship in philosophy and ethics, as well as to the articulation of notions such as identity, subjectivity, trust, rights, obligation and accountability, across the social sciences.Read moreRead less
The republic of the demiurge: textual community and the commentary tradition in late antique Platonism. This project will add to our understanding of the content and purpose of philosophy within 'higher education' in the eastern Roman Empire in the period 300-500 CE. Since there are many ways in which the late Empire resembles our own time, this understanding illuminates the place of philosophy in what we call higher education.
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
Plato's myth voice: the identification and interpretation of 'inspired speech' in plato. This project uses recent discoveries about the language of ancient myths, oracles and allegories to understand similar discourse in Plato and the Platonic tradition. It attempts to render such discourse intelligible to those who may not hear myths in the same context or share the same cultural background as Plato's listeners.
Social futures and life pathways of young people in Queensland: waves 4 and 5 of a longitudinal study. This project assesses the impact of globalisation on the attitudes, behaviors, and life pathways of a cohort of over 7000 young Queenslanders, first surveyed when they were aged 12 and 13. Participants will be followed up when they are aged 19 and 20 and 20/21 to examine their experiences of the transition from school to work, family and social life.