dr. Alfred Archer

Bio

I completed my PhD at the University of Edinburgh and worked at the University of Bristol before coming to Tilburg University in 2015. 

My main research interests are in moral philosophy, moral psychology and social philosophy. I am currently researching the role that admiration plays in our lives, particularly in relation to morality, culture and politics.  My work in this are has been aided by an NWO Veni grant (2017-2021 to study the Nature and Value of Admiration and a grant from the Moral Beacons Project at Wake Forrest University on Identifying Morally Exceptional People (2016-2017). I am especially interested at the moment on ethical and political issues relating to fame and celebrity. 

I also have active research interests in applied ethics (especially bioethics), aesthetics (especially aesthetic normativity), political philosophy and the philosophy of sport. 

Expertise

- moral philosophy

- moral psychology

- social philosophy

- applied ethics

- political philosophy

- philosophy of sport

Courses

• Ethics (Fall)
• The Intelligence of Emotions

Recent publications

1. Exemplars and expertise - what we cannot learn from saints and heroes

   Archer, A., & Dennis, M. (2023). Exemplars and expertise: what we cannot learn from saints and heroes. Inquiry, 1-23.

2. Foul-weather fandom

   Archer, A., & Mills, G. (2023). Foul-weather fandom. Journal of the Philosophy of Sport, 50(3).

3. Heroic Supererogation

   Archer, A. (2023). Heroic Supererogation. In Encyclopedia of Heroism Studies Springer Cham.

4. On the Uses and Abuses of Celebrity Epistemic Power

   Archer, A., Alfano, M., & Dennis, M. (2023). On the Uses and Abuses of Celebrity Epistemic Power. Social Epistemology.

5. Using Stars for Moral Navigation - An Ethical Exploration into Celebr…

   Archer, A., & Sie, M. (2023). Using Stars for Moral Navigation: An Ethical Exploration into Celebrity. Journal of Applied Philosophy, 40 (2), 340-357.