Periodic Reporting for period 2 - EXTREME (The Epistemology and Ethics of Fundamentalism)
Reporting period: 2021-07-01 to 2022-12-31
This project brings philosophical concepts, ideas, arguments, and tools to the empirical debate on fundamentalism and closely related phenomena, such as extremism and conspiracy thinking. The purpose is to contribute to developing a full-fledged paradigm across these fields and across various disciplines (psychology, sociology, history, law, etc.). This paradigm has the following constitutive elements: (i) we should work from the so-called ‘normality hypothesis’: we should approach and study extremists, fundamentalists, and conspiracists, as usually relatively normal, healthy, rational (that is, reason-responsive) human beings, albeit with clearly problematic ideas and harmful behaviour; (ii) we should take these individuals’ reasons, beliefs, narratives, and religiosity as indispensable for an explanation of their behaviour. Thus, in qualitative, quantitative, historical, and theoretical research on these phenomena, this first-person perspective ought to be taken seriously. The project bridges gaps between empirical research on the one hand and conceptual and normative research on the other by literature reviews, case studies, conceptual analysis, and ethical methods like reflective equilibrium. This project matters to society, because extremism, fundamentalism, and conspiracy thinking are phenomena that many people find troubling and that can impede democratic processes. Many understandings and explanations of them have fallen short, so it is time to take these individuals extreme beliefs seriously and develop a new paradigm that is both more accurate and more fruitful.
- Recruiting all the team members
- Acquisition of further researchers for the team, such as external PhD's, interns, and associate members
- Supervision of several MA theses
- Setting up the website (www.extremebeliefs.com)
- Various interviews in newspapers
- Completion of the scoping literature review
- Publication of various papers in leading journals and in various books
- Various drafts submitted to leading journals
- Numerous talks and presentations at research groups and conferences
- Bi-weekly research meetings and bi-weekly reading group
- Two book symposia, an international workshop, and a conference session all organised for the fall of 2021
- Various lectures, 6 others schedule for the the first half of 2022
- Various invitations to contribute to special issues
- Achievement of the work packages by the PI, PhD, PD1 and PD2 (see doc)
- Other publications like blogs and op-ed articles
- Various research collaborations with leading international scholars
- Perhaps most important: finishing a book series proposal (7 volumes) to be submitted in December 2021 to OUP
- Acquisition of further researchers for the team, such as external PhD's, interns, and associate members
- Supervision of several MA theses
- Setting up the website (www.extremebeliefs.com)
- Various interviews in newspapers
- Completion of the scoping literature review
- Publication of various papers in leading journals and in various books
- Various drafts submitted to leading journals
- Numerous talks and presentations at research groups and conferences
- Bi-weekly research meetings and bi-weekly reading group
- Two book symposia, an international workshop, and a conference session all organised for the fall of 2021
- Various lectures, 6 others schedule for the the first half of 2022
- Various invitations to contribute to special issues
- Achievement of the work packages by the PI, PhD, PD1 and PD2 (see doc)
- Other publications like blogs and op-ed articles
- Various research collaborations with leading international scholars
- Perhaps most important: finishing a book series proposal (7 volumes) to be submitted in December 2021 to OUP
Progress beyond the state of art: among other things,
- Radically interdisciplinary workshops on fundamentalism, extremism, conspiracy thinking, etc.
- Publications by philosophers in empirical journals on these issues
- Philosophical back-up of a first-person paradigm that takes extreme beliefs seriously
Expected results until the end of the project:
- A larger number of lectures than promised (among other things because many of them are digital and thus cheaper, so that we can have more of them)
- All the work packages including publications, lectures, workshops, op-ed pieces, blogs, etc.
- The aforementioned book series (I can send the proposal as it stands upon request)
- Radically interdisciplinary workshops on fundamentalism, extremism, conspiracy thinking, etc.
- Publications by philosophers in empirical journals on these issues
- Philosophical back-up of a first-person paradigm that takes extreme beliefs seriously
Expected results until the end of the project:
- A larger number of lectures than promised (among other things because many of them are digital and thus cheaper, so that we can have more of them)
- All the work packages including publications, lectures, workshops, op-ed pieces, blogs, etc.
- The aforementioned book series (I can send the proposal as it stands upon request)