Environmental Ethics at The Schweitzer Institute

The Schweitzer Institute for Environmental Ethics, Peterhouse

Salary: Expenses (the ideal candidate may be an academic on sabbatical so he or she would continue to receive their salary)

This Michaelmas Term (Oct-Dec) sees the launch of The Schweitzer Institute’s Research Fellowship. The successful candidate will be accommodated at Peterhouse, the oldest college at the University of Cambridge, as a Research Associate. They will be given full dining rights and membership of the Senior Common Room at Peterhouse throughout the term, and will have access to all the amenities of the wider university. As there is no wage attached to the position, the ideal candidate may be an academic on sabbatical so he or she would continue to receive their salary.

The successful candidate will be expected to pursue their own research and to give a public lecture at Peterhouse. The subject of that lecture is not prescribed but should concern itself with a subject related to environmental ethics. It could be related to the research which the Research Associate is pursuing at that time, or it could be related to other work in progress. Towards the end of November there will be a conference in college on environmental ethics. The Research Associate will be expected to attend that conference and give a brief paper elaborating on the research they are doing at Peterhouse.

About the Institute

Industrially and technologically, the emerging global society is more advanced than any other civilisation in history. But every generation has its moral blindspots, and ours is no exception: we seem to have lost our place in nature. The wholesale exploitation of the planet and its multiple species suggests that we should urgently examine the moral and ethical relationship between humans, non-human animals and the natural environment. Our attitude must evolve from one that values nature solely for its usefulness to human beings, to a relationship that recognises the inherent worth of all living beings, regardless of their instrumental utility to humankind.

The mission of the Schweitzer Institute for Environmental Ethics is to address the spiritual malaise which lies at the root of our problems. To this end, we encourage respect and reverence for the natural world by promoting environmental education, conservation efforts, and sustainable practices; we implement educational programs that teach the principles of spirituality, empathy, and emotional intelligence from an early age; we form collaborative partnerships with like-minded organisations; organise conferences; publish a peer-reviewed journal; finance a Research Fellowship; and with our sister organisations in the US we conduct local, national and international programs that link education, ethics, and voluntarism for the sake of creating a more empathetic, compassionate and sustainable world.

Website: www.schweitzer.institute

The deadline for submissions is 23:55 on 31 May, with interviews taking place in July/August.

Applicants should write to director@schweitzer.institute via the ‘Apply’ button above with an up-to-date CV and a clear statement of the research they wish to undertake as a Research Associate.