Law, Ethics & Institutional Reform: Finding Philosophy, Displacing Ideology

Abstract

In this inaugural professorial lecture, the author retraces his steps in his intellectual journey which led him from developing a theory about the disorder of law, into the realm of applied philosophy, particularly his belief in the value of applying philosophy to public affairs. He discusses some areas in which applied philosophy can make a contribution, such as legal education and business and professional ethics, and suggests a role for philosophy in helping reform Australian institutions and in confronting the biggest question for western democracies: where to after the Cold War? He highlights, as a potential danger of applied philosophy, its ready degradation into simplistic ideology.