History of philosophy is taught nearly exclusively in chronological order with a very narrow canon. This (sexist, racist, eurocentric) “dead white males” canon has come under increasing pressure, but there is no clear consensus about what the new standard should be. In practice, the old canon is mostly still being used, with some ad hoc alternative authors and texts. The goal of the Comenius project “Reverse Engineering the Canon” is to radically change and turn around the traditional approach. This will lead to a new teaching method which will approach the history of philosophy explicitly from within the present.

Aggression is uncommon in everyday life, yet for frontline workers, it is part of the job. Why do encounters between citizens and law enforcement, healthcare, public transport, and service workers become aggressive, and what can be done to prevent and de-escalate such incidents? We unravel how the situation, the persons involved, and the interaction between them drive escalation and de-escalation. We use video analysis of interactions, combined with measures of physiological stress and motives in the interaction. The de-escalation strategies that stem from this analysis is used to equip frontline workers with experimentally validated competencies to become better de-escalators.

In de dagelijkse praktijk houden wij elkaar niet alleen verantwoordelijk voor onze handelingen maar ook voor onze overtuigingen. Dat laatste kan gerechtvaardigd worden als we aannemen dat we controle hebben over onze opvattingen en de reële mogelijkheid hebben iets anders te geloven. Beide aannames worden in de recente literatuur echter vanuit naturalistisch standpunt bestreden. In mijn onderzoek wil ik laten zien dat genoemde twee vooronderstellingen inderdaad noodzakelijke voorwaarden zijn om elkaar daadwerkelijk verantwoordelijk te kunnen houden voor onze overtuigingen. Alleen wanneer wij libertarisch vrij zijn, kan recht gedaan worden aan de menselijke praktijk van het elkaar verantwoordelijk houden voor onze opvattingen.

Imaging techniques such as computed tomography (CT), positron emission tomography (PET), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and functional MRI (fMRI) have revolutionized brain research and medical practice. These methods allow for visualization of the structure or activity of the brain, thereby providing information about and understanding of the brain. Many people interpret the visualizations produced by imaging techniques as straightforward pictures of real brain structures or activity. In reality, however, things are more complicated: the various types of brain imaging techniques rely on theoretical assumptions as well as complex technological and statistical methods, and interpreting the visualizations is not as unambiguous as it appears at first sight. Accordingly, the use of these techniques raises important philosophical questions regarding the nature of scientific observation, interpretation, and understanding. The project’s overall aim is to develop a comprehensive philosophical account of the nature and limits of understanding the brain by using imaging techniques. To achieve this aim the PhD candidate addresses, in collaboration with philosophers and scientific/medical experts, three key issues: (1) What kind of visual models of the brain are produced by imaging techniques? (2) What is the relation between visualization and scientific understanding? (3) Which values play a role in the scientific and medical practices of brain imaging? The results of the project are expected to illuminate the status, function and understanding of brain imaging in scientific and medical practice. The project will not only advance current debates in philosophy of science, but will also be relevant for neuroscientists and medical practitioners.

Juvenile delinquency is a significant problem in our society. In forensic practice, we focus on treatment of juvenile delinquents, in order to reduce the risk of recidivism. Unfortunately, interventions are not yet effective for all forenisc youth. We believe this can be improved by taking into account the neurobiological development of youth. Therefore, in this project we will investigate how the individual neurobiological development of juvenile delinquentsis related to their psychosocial development and the effectiveness of treatment. With this knowledge, we can apply existing forensic interventions and adolescent criminal law more effectively.