ReseaRch Quality assuRance foR the futuRe a ... - Lund University

Panel 4 – Languages / Philosophy
Serious problems are caused by the shortage of PhD positions in both
linguistics, language subjects and literature (a problem that recurs in the
three philosophical subjects and elsewhere).
Interdisciplinarity is important and it should be fostered institutionally,
but not at the cost of losing discipline strength.
2. Department of Philosophy
The Philosophical Institute comprises three sections or departments
corresponding to as many university subjects - Theoretical Philosophy,
Practical Philosophy and Cognitive Science (which can only be studied at
an advanced level).
The permanent and temporary staff in all three sections adds up to about
20, roughly evenly spread over the three disciplines. (The information
at our disposal gives conflicting numbers and owing to the distribution
of researchers over (part-time) temporary and permanent posts it is not
possible for us to determine the exact figures.) The research achievement
is impressive. In Cognitive Science and Practical Philosophy the research
is guided by world leaders in their respective disciplines (Decision
Theory, Belief Revision Theory, Value Theory). Their status is confirmed
by book publications with prominent international publishing
houses, articles in high level journals, frequent invitations to speak, or
serve on the programme committees, at international conferences, and
memberships in national and international learned societies as well as
Editorial Boards of prominent journals. Lund has long been a home to
distinguished researchers applying formal methods to concepts in value
and decision theory, and such expertise is also present elsewhere in the
University. Thanks to the recent appointment of a professor of Theoretical
Philosophy the application of formal methods within epistemology
will complement the formal approaches to value and decision theory.
All in all, a uniquely strong constellation is present that allows fruitful
cross-fertilization of research, and has also enabled younger researchers
to establish firm international research profiles with publications in top
journals such as Mind and the Journal of Philosophy; indeed, permanent
staff-members all either have, or are close to professorial competence.
The research in theoretical philosophy has an impressively wide scope.
It covers metaphysics and ontology, a welcome addition to Swedish
137