Humanism and Social Resilience - place for four external PhD candidates

Field of Research:  a) Humanism and artistic imagination 

Since the Renaissance, Western humanism also occurs as an artistic tradition of visual and performing arts, literature, and music. The arts teach us many things about man and culture, in different ways than philosophy or the social sciences do. Numerous paintings, sculptures, and works of architecture, pieces of theatre and music bear witness of both the grandeur and beauty of human being as well as the vulnerability and transiency of human existence. Literary works explore anthropological and cultural-philosophical subjects and motives, as well as philosophical questions. In today's visual culture, artistic imagination provides an indispensable complement to scientific knowledge on human nature and culture. 

1. How can artistic imagination respond to the challenges and insecurities in our 'late modern times? 

2. How can artistic imagination play a formative and transformative role towards a more humane society, not just for the individual, but also for the community and society at large? 

3. How have artists responded to, visualized or appropriated questions, raised by specific humanistic traditions (for instance Renaissance humanism, modern humanism, eco humanism)? 

 1 external PhD student 

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Field of Research:  b) Humanity, human rights and human dignity in times of change

Humanity is a key moral pillar in societies across the world. People are believed to hold fundamental rights simply because they are human. Yet, why all human beings and only human beings hold this special moral status is a controversial issue. Biologists suggest that animals have many of the qualities that historically were believed to be uniquely human. Human-accelerated climate change jeopardises the well-being of all on earth, challenging people’s desert of an elevated moral position. Rapid developments in artificial intelligence render it conceivable that artificial forms of personhood require rights of their own, while advances in genetic technology may undermine the basic equality between human beings that often underpins a claim to equal human status. Philosophical and ethical research into the implications of these developments for our understanding of humanity, human rights and human dignity is needed to contribute to developing a critical humanism fit for the 21st century. 

1. How can we re-conceptualise humanity as a moral notion without engaging in speciesism towards animals and/or AI?

2. Do developments in the field of biology/gen technology/AI require a revision of our understanding of human rights? If so, what should this revision look like?

3. Which contribution can humanism make to revisioning humanity, human rights, and/or human dignity in the 21st century? 

 1 external PhD student

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Field of Research:  c) Social resilience within the Dutch police

The normative concept of social resilience needs to be explored within the organisation of the Dutch police. Police officers often conduct moral work, they often decide and act on morally sensitive domains. In order to investigate how police exercise their moral agency, research up until now has primarily focused on individual police officers and their (moral) resilience. But in this way critical challenges are not addressed sufficiently. Morally sensitive issues such as racism (in relation with society) and exclusion (within the organization) persist. This issue needs a system perspective, in which moral resilience and moral agency is understood from a system or organization perspective. 

1. What concepts and/or models of resilience and moral agency can be used to investigate moral resilience on a systemic level of the Dutch police?

2. How can moral resilience of the Dutch police be understood, using these concepts?

3. How can the police organisation stimulate responsible moral agency on individual and system level?   

 1 external PhD student

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Field of Research:  d) Humanism and Social Resilience

Existing theories about Islamic radicalization provide various explanations for the existence and growth of radicalism and terrorism among Muslims. These views are broadly related to various factors such as economic, political, and social factors; the role of group dynamics and cognitive processes, identity development and the emotional vulnerability of the persons concerned. 

Seeing the complexity of radicalization and deradicalization studies, ethnographic research of the narrative experiences of deradicalized Muslim youths within the western context is needed. Since the study of deradicalization programs in the West is a young field, this research attempts to build a bridge between deradicalized Muslim youths and considerations of modern psychology on the role of mental and emotional resilience. This study will utilize critical theories as a conceptual framework to examine the narrative experiences of deradicalized Muslim youths. Therefore, the critical issues of deradicalization programs in the West are required to develop valid measurement tools for deradicalization initiatives.

1. How do deradicalized Muslim youths experience their deradicalization trajectories? 

2. What are the effects of deradicalization programs on the mental and emotional resilience of radical youths?  

3.  How can these narrative experiences contribute to the enhancement of deradicalization programs in the West?

 1 external PhD student

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