Research in Political Philosophy Leuven

RIPPLE, a research group in political philosophy

Social life is a disorderly jumble of actions and words. As political philosophers we aim to understand how through these actions and words (or indeed these words that are actions) a political community is constituted. The emphasis of RIPPLE’s different projects lies on the question of representation in democratic societies. Political communities, made up of men and women wanting to have their say about collective life, are instituted by means of representation. Our research is directed at understanding the meaning and the working of these representative mechanisms.

RIPPLE integrates different approaches, taking our inspiration from philosophy written in French and German as well as in English, from normatively inclined perspectives but also from more descriptive or hermeneutic outlooks. Since studying politics and society is not the prerogative of philosophers, RIPPLE closely cooperates with colleagues from law, the education sciences, sociology and political science. RIPPLE also regularly organizes events aimed at a wider, non-academic audience. 

RIPPLE was established in 2004 at the Institute of Philosophy, the KU Leuven’s long-standing faculty of philosophy (more information about the Institute of Philosophy here). The KU Leuven (Catholic University of Leuven, more information here) is an ideal vantage point for observing politics and society. Dating from 1425, it is today an internationally recognized centre of academic excellence. Moreover, the university is only a thirty minute drive away from Brussels, capital city many times over – housing as it does the NATO-headquarters, the Commission, the Council and the Parliament of the European Union as well as Belgian federal and regional governments and parliaments.

RIPPLE groups five senior researchers, five postdoctoral researchers, and more than fifteen doctoral students coming from all over the world.

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