History
Founded in 1981, the Social Philosophy and Policy Center is dedicated to the examination of public policy issues from a philosophical perspective.
The Center is distinctive in its focus upon the ethical aspects of public policy questions. This emphasis reflects the belief that policy questions cannot be adequately addressed by empirical investigation alone. Factual research can reveal the optimal or efficient policy by which certain public ends can be attained, yet the validity of those ends is still open to question from an ethical standpoint.
The methodology of the Center is interdisciplinary, in that ethical analysis is informed by the results of economics, jurisprudence, and political science. Thus, the Center draws upon the work of eminent scholars from a wide spectrum of informed opinion and disciplines in order to broaden the range of political discourse. The Center disseminates the ideas of these scholars through many activities and publications, including scholarly conferences, research fellowships, books, and its interdisciplinary journal.
This website includes descriptions of the Center's journal, Social Philosophy & Policy, and its other publications, as well as information on the Center's conferences, directors and staff, Senior Research Fellows, and Visiting Scholars program.