Research Fellowships in Philosophy - Method in Philosophical Aesthetics

Two posts are available from 1 September 2010 and will be offered on a fixed-term contract for a period of two years, at a salary of £29,853 per annum. One is available at the University of Leeds, the other at the University of Nottingham.

These posts arise from the Arts and Humanities Research Council funded project, “Method in philosophical aesthetics: the challenge from the sciences.” This project is led by Professor Greg Currie, (Department of Philosophy, University of Nottingham) in collaboration with Professor Matthew Kieran (Department of Philosophy, University of Leeds) and Dr Aaron Meskin (Department of Philosophy, University of Leeds).

This project examines the methods used in the kind of aesthetic theorizing that developed in the English-speaking academy over the last century to see where its methods may be challenged by scientific work. We do not begin from the assumption that traditional notions of art, beauty and aesthetic judgement are to be abandoned. We look instead to examine the proper boundaries and overlaps between reflective and empirical approaches to the arts. Particular themes that will be explored during the two years include “Character, Personality and the Market” and “Mental Processing of Art.”

Over the course of the two years, the Research Fellow will be expected to pursue independent work related to the overall project theme and to work as a research assistant to the PI/CIs. In addition, the Fellow will be expected to be involved in planning and running collaborative activities of the project group (e.g., project meetings, annual workshops and a capstone international conference). The Research Fellow will also be involved in editing a collection of interdisciplinary essays on the project’s theme. There will also be a limited amount of teaching in project-related areas as well as some administrative work associated with the project.

Research Fellows will be expected to take an active role in the overall research life and culture of the department to which they are appointed.

For more information about the project see http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/humanities/aesthetics/index.html

The Leeds position is advertised here, and the Nottingham position is advertised here.

Applicants are welcome to apply to both institutions.

Informal enquiries may be addressed to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Applications sent to any of these email addresses will not be accepted.