Dr Philip Cook
Job Title
Senior Lecturer
Room number
3.30Building (Address)
Chrystal Macmillan BuildingStreet (Address)
15a George SquareCity (Address)
EdinburghCountry (Address)
UKPost code (Address)
EH8 9LDResearch interests
Research interests
My recent work in political philosophy has focused on the moral and political status of children. I am particularly interested in understanding children's claims of justice as equal citizens. I currently focus on issues around justice in schools and education. I have also worked on the ethics of parenting, the ethics of child labour, and argued in defence of child enfranchisement.
Together with Dr. Mihaela Mihai, we co-founded a new University centre called CRITIQUE: Centre for Ethics and Critical Thought. CRITIQUE was launched in September 2020, and aims to bring together staff, students, and external partners with interests in an ethical and critical approach to issues in public affairs.
I am keen to pursue political philosophy in an interdisciplinary context. I am a founding member of the SSPS Education and Society Research Group, and led the Centre for Science, Knowledge, and Policy: SKAPE (Associate Director 2014-17, and Co-Director 2017-18).
I have performed shows at Edinburgh Fringe Festival as part of the Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas: 'Bring Back Child Labour!' and 'Abolish Childhood!' where I discussed how commitments to equality and social justice have radical implications for our approaches to childhood.
I served as Editor-in-Chief of Res Publica - A Journal of Moral, Legal and Political Philosophy between 2012-2020 (together with Dr. Clare Chambers and Dr. Sune Laegaard). Res Publica is published on behalf of the Association for Social and Political Philosophy.
Topics interested in supervising
I am happy to supervise students working in contemporary political philosophy, particularly on topics of social justice, equality, childhood, schooling/education, and family relations
If you are interested in being supervised by Philip Cook, please see the links below (open in new windows) for more information:
Background
I joined the University of Edinburgh in June 2013. Prior to my appointment at Edinburgh, I was a Lecturer in the Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Leicester (2009-13), and LSE Fellow (2006-9).
Qualifications
- Senior Fellow UK Higher Education Academy
- Postgraduate Diploma in Digital Education (University of Edinburgh)
- PhD (LSE)
- MSc Political Theory (LSE)
- BSc (Econ) Government and International History (LSE)
Teaching
My teaching focuses on equality, social justice, and education. In recent years I have convened an Honours Undergraduate Course 'What's Wrong With Inequality?', and a post-graduate version 'Equality and its Critics'. These courses consider recent debates in political philosophy around equality, and relate these debates to social and policy issues. I also convene a course focused on 'Education and Social Justice' that has a particular focus on bringing together debates in recent egalitarian political philosophy and developments in education policy.
Publications
Edited Book
- The Margins of Citizenship, co-edited with Jonathan Seglow, (London: Routledge, 2013)
Journal Articles
- 'Pity the Unready and Unwilling: choice, chance, and injustice in Martin's "The Right to Higher Education"' Theory and Research in Education, 21(1), 2023, pp. 82-87
- 'Against a Minimum Voting Age' Critical Review of Social and Political Philosophy, 16 (3), 2013, pp. 439-458
- 'Two Types of Self-Censorship: Public and Private' (co-authored with Conrad Heilmann), Political Studies, 61 (1), 2013, pp. 178-196.
- 'On the Duties of Shared Parenting' Ethics and Social Welfare, 6 (2), 2012, pp. 168-181.
- 'Fairness, Consensus, and the Justification of the Ideal Liberal Constitution’ Canadian Journal of Law and Jurisprudence, 22 (1), 2009, pp. 165-186.
- ‘An Augmented Buck-Passing Account of Reasons and Value: Scanlon and Crisp on What Stops the Buck’ Utilitas, 20 (4), 2008, pp. 490-507.
Book Chapters
- 'What's Wrong with Child-Labour?' in The Routledge Handbook of the Philosophy of Childhood and Children, Gideon Calder, Anca Gheaus, Jurgen de Wispelaere eds. (London: Routledge, 2018)
- 'Liberalism, Contractarianism, and the Problem of Exclusion' in The Cambridge Companion to Liberalism, Steven Wall, ed. (Cambridge University Press, 2015), pp. 87-111
You can follow my PhilPeople profile here:
Works within
Staff Hours and Guidance
Feedback and Guidance Hours
My Feedback and Guidance hours for Semester 2 2024-25 are:
Mondays 11.30am-1pm, except Monday 10th Feb when I am available 2pm-3.30pm
Please sign up using this form:
Philip Cook Feedback and Guidance Hours Sign-up Form
Please contact me by email if you are unable to make these times and I will do my best to find a suitable alternative.