Research areas

There are three prioritised areas within the discipline: Ethical theory, Political ethics and human rights, and Practical ethics.

Ethical theory focuses primarily on the question of how moral judgements can be justified. In a Christian context, this can include a critical analysis of various conceptions of the relationship between reason and revelation as sources for moral insight. Contacts: Professor Elena Namli and Professor Per Sundman.

Research in social ethics and political philosophy has long been a particularly important profile of ethics at the Faculty of Theology. The meaning of social justice is one prioritized research object. We study various theories of justice that are related to philosophical analyses of political ethics, critique of rationalism and different religions’ views of society and politics. Great emphasis is placed on studies of particular social ethical theories within Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Contact: Professor Per Sundman.

The study of human rights is another prioritised area. Important issues are: How to understand the principle of equal respect for each and everyone’s human dignity? What are reasonable models for protection of human rights? What is the relationship between law, morality and politics in contemporary discourse about human rights? Can liberal individualism that traditionally characterises the discourse on human rights be reconciled with the emancipatory visions as developed in different post-colonial theories and practices? Several projects within ethics work with these questions and focus particularly on the challenges against traditional Western interpretations of human rights. Contact: Professor Elena Namli.

Studies in practical ethics are in demand both in Sweden and internationally. Researchers in Uppsala are conducting several projects that are highly relevant in contemporary society. A defining feature of our research tradition is the ambition to always relate practical ethics to theoretical reflections within normative ethics and ethical theory. Such an approach challenges explorations within practical ethics and simultaneously secures a well-reasoned theoretical and methodological model for applied studies.

Practical ethics includes areas such as ethics of migration, environmental ethics, and ethics of peace. We also conduct research within ethics and economy, ethics and artificial intelligence (AI), and ethics and literature. We are especially interested in the question of how different religious traditions and various theological efforts contribute to the development of practical ethics. Contacts: Professor Elena Namli and Associate Professor Helen Andersson.