Month: June 2026

Job: “Aesthetics for Biological Conservation” (Florence, Italy)

Posted on by Alexander Max Bauer

Mariagrazia Portera is offering a fully funded PhD position at the University of Florence, Italy.

The announcement reads:

Are you passionate about bridging the gap between philosophy and the natural sciences? Do you want to investigate how aesthetic values, ecological concepts, and scientific practices intersect to shape our understanding of the living world? We are looking for a highly motivated, brilliant candidate to join our research team at the University of Florence for a fully funded PhD position starting in November 2026.

This PhD project sits at the cutting edge of contemporary philosophical and ecological debate, focusing on Aesthetics and Biodiversity. While the specific dissertation topic will be refined and tailored in collaboration with the selected candidate, the research will explore how aesthetic appreciation, valuation, and representation impact biodiversity conservation, ecological theories, and environmental policy. By joining our lab, you will benefit from an interdisciplinary ecosystem: You will work closely with the ABC-Lab (Aesthetics for Biological Conservation – Interdepartmental Lab), integrating philosophical inquiry with empirical insights.

Your research will be conducted within the framework of active, strategic agreements with the UniFi Department of Biology, offering access to cross-disciplinary expertise, seminars, and scientific networks. We welcome expressions of interest from candidates holding (or about to complete) a Master’s Degree (or equivalent) in Philosophy, Environmental Humanities, or related fields. Ideal candidates should demonstrate strong competencies or a solid background in one or more of the following areas: Aesthetics (Environmental, Evolutionary, or Empirical Aesthetics), Philosophy of Biodiversity / Environmental Philosophy, Philosophy of Biology / Philosophy of Science (with a particular focus on the relationship between “Sciences and Values”).

Fluency in English, excellent writing skills, and a strong propensity for interdisciplinary teamwork are essential. For inquiries and details about the application procedures (call for application will be officially open between the beginning of July and the beginning of August), please reach out to Mariagrazia Portera, mariagrazia.portera@unifi.it.

Job: “Center for Logic, Language, and Cognition” (Turin, Italy)

Posted on by Alexander Max Bauer

The Center for Logic, Language, and Cognition at the University of Turin invites expressions of interest regarding applications for this year’s Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship call.

Applications are possible until September 9, 2026. The announcement reads:

The Center for Logic, Language, and Cognition (LLC) at the University of Turin invites expressions of interest from postdoctoral researchers wishing to apply for a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship (2026 call).

LLC is an interdisciplinary research center that brings together philosophers, logicians, linguists, psychologists, and computer scientists working on reasoning, language, and cognition. Most of its members belong to the Department of Philosophy and Education, ranked among the top 50 philosophy departments worldwide (QS World University Rankings).

We welcome proposals across the full range of the Center’s research, and especially in the following areas (potential supervisors in brackets):

A full list of faculty and their research is available at https://www.llc-philosophy.unito.it/people.

The Center currently hosts two grants that offer a particularly active environment for postdoctoral work: COST-X (ERC Starting, PI Neri Marsili), on communicative norms and online misinformation, and HeaR (FIS, PI Elvira Di Bona), on auditory perception and memory.

Interested candidates are invited to send:

  • a CV, including a list of publications;
  • the name of one or two potential supervisors among the LLC faculty;
  • a description of the proposed project (length at the candidate’s discretion; please indicate whether you intend to apply for a Global Fellowship).

Please send these materials to Luca Borgonovo (luca.borgonovo@unito.it) by 20 June 2026 (soft deadline). The official EC deadline for full proposals is 9 September 2026; we will support selected candidates throughout the process.

Job: “Collective Reflective Equilibrium for Science Translation” (Singapore)

Posted on by Alexander Max Bauer

The Dean-Med-Centre for Biomedical Ethics at the National University of Singapore is looking for a research fellow specialized in quantitative methods.

The job announcement reads:

Job Description

The Centre for Biomedical Ethics (CBmE) at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, invites applications for a Research Fellow (Quantitative Research) position for CREST-SG (Collective Reflective Equilibrium for Science Translation – Singapore). The role is based in Singapore.

CREST-SG is a major national programme focused on empirically grounded, policy-relevant bioethics research across Healthy Longevity, Precision Medicine, Pandemics, and Artificial Intelligence, supported by a cross-cutting legal stream. The programme is led by Prof Julian Savulescu and Dr Sumytra Menon, working with Co-PIs A/P Michael Dunn, A/P Brian Earp, and Asst Prof Owen Schaefer. The successful applicant will report to A/P Brian Earp.

We are seeking an experienced and motivated postdoctoral researcher with expertise in quantitative research and ethical analysis to contribute to research, publications, and policy/practice-oriented outputs, while also supporting programme activities. This is an excellent opportunity for motivated postdoctoral researchers who are able to work independently, manage multiple workstreams, and thrive in an interdisciplinary environment.

Key responsibilities

  • Design, conduct, and analyse quantitative and mixed-methods research, including surveys and questionnaire-based studies
  • Integrate primary quantitative research data with practical ethical analysis
  • Lead the drafting of literature reviews, study materials, analysis, manuscripts, and reports
  • Prepare applications for research ethics review, amendments, and progress reporting, as required
  • Manage own research and administrative activities and coordinate multiple aspects of the work to meet internal deadlines
  • Support the organisation of workshops and meetings, including liaison with the programme administrator on logistics, communications, and event planning

Qualifications

  • PhD specialising in bioethics, or a discipline related to bioethics (e.g., philosophy, sociology, psychology); applicants holding a professional degree in medicine or law must also possess a PhD, together with formal training and demonstrated research experience in bioethics, from a reputable university
  • Strong track record in quantitative research
  • Ability to integrate empirical work with ethical, legal, or policy analysis
  • Peer-reviewed academic publications as sole or first author, relative to career stage
  • Excellent written and oral communication skills in English
  • Strong organisation and project management skills
  • Ability to work both collaboratively and independently

Contract

  • Full-time appointment commencing 1 Oct 2026
  • Initial appointment of 2 years, with the possibility of extension subject to satisfactory performance and funding availability up to 4.5 years

Application

Please submit

  • Cover letter
  • Curriculum vitae with contact details of three referees
  • One writing sample
  • Current and expected salary

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

Talk: “Moral Language and Moore’s Paradox” (Pascale Willemsen and Lucien Baumgartner)

Posted on by Alexander Max Bauer

On June 11 from 16:00–18:00 (UTC+1), Pascale Willemsen and Lucien Baumgartner will talk about “Moral Language and Moore’s Paradox – Challenging Moral Expressivism.” The talk can be accessed via Zoom (Meeting ID: 651 0778 6432, Code: 235823). The abstract reads:

Moore’s Paradox – e.g., “It’s raining but I don’t think it’s raining” – is widely considered infelicitous despite being logically consistent. In this paper, we extend Moore’s Paradox to moral discourse and test whether moral statements like “Murder is wrong but I don’t disapprove of it” elicit similar intuitions. Rooted in moral expressivism, the Parity Thesis predicts that moral assertions express non-cognitive attitudes (e.g., approval/disapproval) in a manner analogous to how descriptive statements express beliefs. In a pre-registered study with 1200 participants, we empirically test this thesis using a mixed design that manipulates moral term type (thick vs thin), evaluative polarity (positive vs negative), perspective (first vs third person), and attitude (belief vs disapproval). The results of our main study and one qualitative follow-up study suggest that while moral statements resemble Moorean Paradoxes in important ways, participants find it largely acceptable to call an action wrong without disapproving of it. As the infelicity of such statements is a core ingredient of Moorean Paradoxes and, as we suggest, the Parity Thesis, we conclude that moral language does not express approval and disapproval like declarative language expresses beliefs.