
Overview
Background
political philosophy, methodology of science, the disciplines
Fred D'Agostino was educated at Amherst College (BA, 1968), Princeton University (MA, 1973), and the London School of Economics (PhD, 1978). He was Research Fellow in Philosophy at the Australian National University from 1978 to 1984, and worked at the University of New England from 1984 to 2004, where he was Associate Professor of Philosophy, Associate Dean of Arts, Head of the School of Social Science, and Member of the University Council. He is now Professor Emeritus of Humanities and was President of the Academic Board and Executive Dean of Arts at The University of Queensland. He has edited the Australasian Journal of Philosophy and PPE: Politics, Philosophy and Economics and has published four books--Chomsky's System of Ideas (Clarendon Press, 1986), Free Public Reason (OUP, 1996), Incommensurability and Commensuration (Ashgate, 2003), and Naturalizing Epistemology (Palgrave, 2010). He is co-editor of the Routledge Companion to Political and Social Philosophy. His current research is on disciplinarity and complexity. He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities.
Availability
- Emeritus Professor Fred D'Agostino is:
- Available for supervision
- Media expert
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Bachelor (Honours) of Arts, Amherst College
- Masters (Coursework), Princeton University
- Doctor of Philosophy, Institution to be confirmed
- Australian Academy of the Humanities, Australian Academy of the Humanities
Research interests
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disciplinarity
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pluralism
Pluralism is the view that it is both unavoidable and desirable that there should be more than one standard against which options are judged. It is significant in relation to democratic polities and in relation to epistemology.
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incommensurability
Incommensurability arises when there are two or more criteria in terms of which to judge options and neither dominance nor settled trade-offs between the criteria. It is vital for cost-benefit analysis, utilitarianism, and in civil litigation.
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social contract theory
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social epistemology
Epistemology seeks norms for enquiry. Social epistemology recognizes that these norms must facilitate certain kinds of interactions and relations among enquirers.
Works
Search Professor Fred D'Agostino’s works on UQ eSpace
2005
Conference Publication
Rituals of cosmopolitanism
D'Agostino, F. B. (2005). Rituals of cosmopolitanism. Sites of Cosmopolitanism Conference, Brisbane, Australia, 6-8 July 2005. Brisbane, Australia: Griffith University Centre for Public Culture & Ideas.
2005
Book Chapter
The legacies of John Rawls
D'Agostino, Fred (2005). The legacies of John Rawls. The legacy of John Rawls. (pp. 195-212) edited by Thom Brooks and Fabian Freyenhagen. New York, NY, United States: Continuum.
2004
Conference Publication
From the organization to the division of cognitive labor
D'Agostino, Fred (2004). From the organization to the division of cognitive labor. Politics, Philosophy and Economics Workshop, New Orleans, USA, 27-28 March, 2004.
2004
Conference Publication
Wisdom as an attribute of knowledge work
Rooney, D., McKenna, B. and D'Agostino, F. B. (2004). Wisdom as an attribute of knowledge work. International Conference of Knowledge Management in Asia Pacific (KMAP), Taipei, Taiwan, 7-8 December, 2004. Taipei. Taiwan: National Taiwan University.
2004
Other Outputs
The Sinews of a Free Society: Autonomy, Democracy, and Education
D'Agostino, Fred (2004). The Sinews of a Free Society: Autonomy, Democracy, and Education.
2003
Book
Incommensurability and commensuration: The common denominator
D'Agostino, Fred (2003). Incommensurability and commensuration: The common denominator. Aldershot, Hampshire, England: Ashgate.
2001
Journal Article
Rituals of Impartiality
D'Agostino, Fred (2001). Rituals of Impartiality. Social Theory and Practice, 27 (1), 65-81.
2000
Journal Article
Incommensurability and commensuration: Lessons from (and to) ethico-political theory
D'Agostino, Fred (2000). Incommensurability and commensuration: Lessons from (and to) ethico-political theory. Studies in History and Philosophy of Science, 31A (3), 429-447. doi: 10.1016/S0039-3681(00)00013-3
1995
Journal Article
Value pluralism, public justification, and post-modernism: The conventional status of political critique
D'Agostino, F. (1995). Value pluralism, public justification, and post-modernism: The conventional status of political critique. The Journal of Value Inquiry, 29 (3), 351-366. doi: 10.1007/BF01206988
1995
Journal Article
The ethics of social science research
D'Agostino, F. (1995). The ethics of social science research. Journal of Applied Philosophy, 12 (1), 65-76.
1993
Journal Article
The necessity of theology and the scientific study of religious beliefs
D'agostino, Fred (1993). The necessity of theology and the scientific study of religious beliefs. Sophia, 32 (1), 12-30. doi: 10.1007/BF02773077
1991
Journal Article
Some modes of public justification
D'Agostino, Fred (1991). Some modes of public justification. Australasian Journal of Philosophy, 69 (4), 390-414. doi: 10.1080/00048409112344851
1990
Journal Article
The aimless rationality of science1
D'Agostino, Fred (1990). The aimless rationality of science1. International Studies in the Philosophy of Science, 4 (1), 33-50. doi: 10.1080/02698599008573344
1989
Journal Article
Adjudication as an epistemological concept
D'Agostino, F (1989). Adjudication as an epistemological concept. Synthese, 79 (2), 231-256. doi: 10.1007/BF00869625
1984
Journal Article
Language, Creativity and Freedom
D'Agostino, F. (1984). Language, Creativity and Freedom. Philosophy of the Social Sciences, 14 (2), 251-262. doi: 10.1177/004839318401400208
1984
Journal Article
Chomsky on creativity
D'Agostino, F (1984). Chomsky on creativity. Synthese, 58 (1), 85-117. doi: 10.1007/BF00485363
1982
Journal Article
Symbolism and literalism in anthropology
D'Agostino, FB and Burdick, HR (1982). Symbolism and literalism in anthropology. Synthese, 52 (2), 233-265. doi: 10.1007/BF00869195
1982
Journal Article
Mill, paternalism and psychiatry
D'Agostino, F (1982). Mill, paternalism and psychiatry. Australasian Journal of Philosophy, 60 (4), 319-330. doi: 10.1080/00048408212340721
Funding
Supervision
Availability
- Emeritus Professor Fred D'Agostino is:
- Available for supervision
Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.
Supervision history
Current supervision
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Doctor Philosophy
Digital ethics in a big data age: the challenges of privacy and consent
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Honorary Professor Andrew Crowden
Completed supervision
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2023
Doctor Philosophy
Public Deliberation and the Intellectual Dark Web: An Immanent Socio-Epistemic Critique
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Kath Gelber
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2012
Doctor Philosophy
Memory: Ethics and Rhythmanalysis
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Aurelia Armstrong
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2022
Doctor Philosophy
Assessing the response of academic fields to external crises: The case of urban planning research and the environmental crises
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr David Wadley
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2021
Doctor Philosophy
A Sympathetic Critique of Gaus's The Order of Public Reason
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Julian Lamont
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2011
Doctor Philosophy
A Philosophical and Economic Inquiry into Corporate Executive Salaries
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Julian Lamont
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Media
Enquiries
Contact Emeritus Professor Fred D'Agostino directly for media enquiries about:
- Democratic theory
- Ethics - professional
- Incommensurability
- Professional ethics
- Public reason
- Social epistemology
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