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Colin Farrelly Curriculum Vitae

Colin is a political theorist and philosopher.

Research Interests

The foundational aspiration of Colin’s research is the advancement of the Enlightenment Project into the 21st century. The themes of reason, science, progress, and optimism inform his curiosity-driven research interests and interdisciplinary focus.

Main research interests are: Ethics and political theory/philosophy, including distributive justice; ideal/non-ideal theory; history of political thought, deliberative democracy; all things virtue-related: virtue ethics, virtue epistemology, and virtue jurisprudence; Analytical Marxism; play; science and justice - especially the biomedical sciences (e.g. genetics, evolutionary biology, “geroscience” and the ethics of human enhancement).

Colin Farrelly is interested in supervising students interested in research projects at the intersection of political theory and advances in the biomedical sciences and/or public health ethics and policy.

Brief Biography

Colin received his Ph.D. from the University of Bristol in England in 1999. Over his 20-year academic career, he has held academic appointments in 10 different departments in Political Science, Philosophy, and Public Policy in England, Scotland, the United States, and Canada. Previous appointments include Visiting Professor in UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs, Fulbright Visiting Research Chair at the University of Manoa in Hawaii, Research Fellow in the Department of Politics and International Relations at Oxford University, Visitor in Oxford’s Program on Ethics and the New Biosciences, as well as permanent academic appointments at Waterloo University, Manchester University and the University of Birmingham. For the past 5 years, Colin has been involved in teaching philosophy to male inmates.

The author and editor of 6 books and approximately 50 journal articles, Colin’s publications include articles in journals in political science, philosophy, feminism, law, science, and medicine. He has published on a diverse array of topics, including the health challenges posed by population aging, the creation and evolution of patriarchy, virtue ethics, virtue epistemology, virtue jurisprudence, play and politics, freedom of expression, judicial review, non-ideal theory, gene patents, deliberative democracy, nanotechnology, sex selection, toleration, a citizen’s basic income, enhancing soldiers and economic incentives.

Colin is currently working on the following three major research projects:

1. a new textbook titled Classics in Political Philosophy for Today(under contract with Hackett Publishing) which covers a range of political thinkers from Plato through to MLK, Jr. The book encourages students to engage with, and critically reflect upon, the contemporary significance of the history of Western political thought.
2. research for a new manuscript on the social significance of “geroscience”- the science of healthy aging. This multi-year project examines the limitations of public health’s “War Against Disease”- covering not only the war against infectious diseases (such as COVID-19), but also the wars against cancer and obesity. It also canvasses the progression of a century of experimental scientific research on modulating aging, from dietary restriction and genetic manipulation in laboratory organisms, to pharmacological interventions in humans.
3. developing an account of a “realistic utopia” that focuses on the developmental potential of play- physical, social, and imaginative play. This project relies on insights from evolutionary biology and positive psychology, as well as philosophy and the history of political thought.

Teaching

For detailed information about political studies courses and instructors, please refer to the Undergraduate and Graduate pages.

Service (2024/2025)

• The Sir Edward Peacock Professor of Political Theory
• Appointments Committee
• Departmental Committee
• Field Convenor (Theory)
• Renewal, Tenure and Promotion (RTP) Committee