Adam Etinson

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Profile

I am a Senior Lecturer in the School of Philosophical, Anthropological, and Film Studies at the University of St Andrews.

My work explores topics in ethics, political philosophy, moral psychology, and social epistemology. At the moment, I am thinking about the significance of three common features of our emotional lives: the way that remorse can abate anger; the acceptance of moral imperfection; and the experience of wonder at the everyday.

Alongside my academic scholarship, I also write for public audiences. My writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Times Literary Supplement, and Dissent.

I am a member of the editorial board of The Philosophical Quarterly. Together with Jim Nickel, I co-edit the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy's entry on human rights.

This is a copy of my CV . For a recent interview, click here.

My Twitter handle is @adametinson

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"A lot of writing on human rights is enthusiastic but uncritical, but this collection is seriously and usefully critical not only on questions of fundamental philosophy, but also on knotty questions about specific rights, about principles of legal interpretation, and about the limits of juridification."

- Onora O'Neill, author of Justice Across Boundaries: Whose Obligations? (2016), and winner of the 2017 Berggruen Prize.

"A rich collection of focussed dialogues — a provocative gift for teaching — in which the lively ferment over human rights in recent years is deepened, often by becoming refreshingly interdisciplinary, and exciting new formulations are proposed by a diverse range of leading scholars."

- Henry Shue, author of Basic Rights (1996)

"Those of us whose work is focused on 'applied' human rights in law, politics, or ethics may nevertheless experience a need for fundamental reflection on the 'big' philosophical questions regarding human rights. Such craving can now be satisfied with a single book."

- Eva Brems, Professor of Human Rights Law, University of Ghent

"This collection excellently represents the depth and scope of engagement across discipplinary boundaries that understanding human rights in all their complexity requires. It will be mandatory reading for anyone interested in the past, present, and future of human rights."

- Cristina Lafont, author of Global Governance and Human Rights (2012)