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Emeritus Professor Fred D'Agostino

Emeritus Professor

Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
f.dagostino@uq.edu.au
+61 7 334 67584

Overview

political philosophy, methodology of science, the disciplines

Fred D'Agostino was educated at Amherst College (BA, 1968), Princeton University (MA, 1973), and the London School of Economics (PhD, 1978). He was Research Fellow in Philosophy at the Australian National University from 1978 to 1984, and worked at the University of New England from 1984 to 2004, where he was Associate Professor of Philosophy, Associate Dean of Arts, Head of the School of Social Science, and Member of the University Council. He is now Professor Emeritus of Humanities and was President of the Academic Board and Executive Dean of Arts at The University of Queensland. He has edited the Australasian Journal of Philosophy and PPE: Politics, Philosophy and Economics and has published four books--Chomsky's System of Ideas (Clarendon Press, 1986), Free Public Reason (OUP, 1996), Incommensurability and Commensuration (Ashgate, 2003), and Naturalizing Epistemology (Palgrave, 2010). He is co-editor of the Routledge Companion to Political and Social Philosophy. His current research is on disciplinarity and complexity. He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities.

Research Interests

  • disciplinarity
  • pluralism
    Pluralism is the view that it is both unavoidable and desirable that there should be more than one standard against which options are judged. It is significant in relation to democratic polities and in relation to epistemology.
  • incommensurability
    Incommensurability arises when there are two or more criteria in terms of which to judge options and neither dominance nor settled trade-offs between the criteria. It is vital for cost-benefit analysis, utilitarianism, and in civil litigation.
  • social contract theory
  • social epistemology
    Epistemology seeks norms for enquiry. Social epistemology recognizes that these norms must facilitate certain kinds of interactions and relations among enquirers.

Qualifications

  • Australian Academy of the Humanities, Australian Academy of the Humanities
  • Doctor of Philosophy
  • Masters (Coursework), Princeton University
  • Bachelor (Honours) of Arts, Amherst College

Publications

  • Book Chapter: Hermeneutics, epistemology, and science

    D'Agostino, Fred (2015). Hermeneutics, epistemology, and science. The Routledge companion to hermeneutics. (pp. 417-428) edited by Jeff Malpas and Hans-Helmuth Gander. London, United Kingdom: Routledge.

  • Book Chapter: Social Science, The Idea of

    D'Agostino, Fred (2015). Social Science, The Idea of. International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral Sciences. (pp. 688-694) edited by James D. Wright. Oxford: Elseiver. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-08-097086-8.63083-0

  • Journal Article: Verballed? Incommensurability 50 years on

    D'Agostino, Fred (2013). Verballed? Incommensurability 50 years on. Synthese, 191 (3), 517-538. doi: 10.1007/s11229-013-0288-y

  • Journal Article: Disciplinarity and the growth of knowledge

    D'Agostino, Fred (2012). Disciplinarity and the growth of knowledge. Social Epistemology, 26 (3), 331-350. doi: 10.1080/02691728.2012.727192

  • Journal Article: An analytics of marginality

    D'Agostino, Fred (2012). An analytics of marginality. European Legacy-Toward New Paradigms, 17 (6), 755-768. doi: 10.1080/10848770.2012.715807

  • Book Chapter: Rational agency

    D'Agostino, Fred (2011). Rational agency. The SAGE handbook of the philosophy of social sciences. (pp. 182-198) edited by Ian C. Jarvie and Jesus Zamora-Bonilla. London, United Kingdom: Sage.

  • Book: Naturalizing epistemology: Thomas Kuhn and the 'essential tension'

    D'agostino, Fred (2010). Naturalizing epistemology: Thomas Kuhn and the 'essential tension'. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire, U.K.; New York, U.S.A.: Palgrave Macmillan. doi: 10.1057/9780230251274

  • Journal Article: From the organization to the division of cognitive labor

    D'Agostino, Fred (2009). From the organization to the division of cognitive labor. Politics, Philosophy and Economics, 8 (1), 101-129. doi: 10.1177/1470594X08098873

  • Journal Article: Naturalizing the essential tension

    D'Agostino, Fred (2008). Naturalizing the essential tension. Synthese, 162 (2), 275-308. doi: 10.1007/s11229-007-9192-7

  • Journal Article: Two conceptions of reason

    D'Agostino, Fred (2006). Two conceptions of reason. Economy And Society, 35 (1), 1-21. doi: 10.1080/03085140500465683

  • Journal Article: Kuhn's Risk-Spreading Argument and the Organization of Scientific Communities

    D'Agostino, Fred (2005). Kuhn's Risk-Spreading Argument and the Organization of Scientific Communities. Episteme: A Journal of Social Epistemology, 1 (3), 201-209. doi: 10.3366/epi.2004.1.3.201

  • Journal Article: The doctrine of filial piety: A philosophical analysis of the concealment case

    Bi, Lijun and D' Agostino, Fred (2004). The doctrine of filial piety: A philosophical analysis of the concealment case. Journal of Chinese Philosophy, 31 (4), 451-467. doi: 10.1111/j.1540-6253.2004.00165.x

  • Journal Article: The Legacies of John Rawls

    D'Agostino, Fred (2004). The Legacies of John Rawls. Journal of Moral Philosophy, 1 (3), 349-365. doi: 10.1177/174046810400100308

  • Book Chapter: Pluralism and Liberalism

    D'Agostino, Fred (2004). Pluralism and Liberalism. Handbook of Political Theory. (pp. 239-249) edited by Gerald F. Gaus and Chandran Kukathas. London., Thousand Oaks, New Delhi: Sage Publications.

View all Publications

Grants

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Supervision

View all Supervision

Publications

Featured Publications

  • Hermeneutics, epistemology, and science

    D'Agostino, Fred (2015). Hermeneutics, epistemology, and science. The Routledge companion to hermeneutics. (pp. 417-428) edited by Jeff Malpas and Hans-Helmuth Gander. London, United Kingdom: Routledge.

  • Social Science, The Idea of

    D'Agostino, Fred (2015). Social Science, The Idea of. International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral Sciences. (pp. 688-694) edited by James D. Wright. Oxford: Elseiver. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-08-097086-8.63083-0

  • Verballed? Incommensurability 50 years on

    D'Agostino, Fred (2013). Verballed? Incommensurability 50 years on. Synthese, 191 (3), 517-538. doi: 10.1007/s11229-013-0288-y

  • Disciplinarity and the growth of knowledge

    D'Agostino, Fred (2012). Disciplinarity and the growth of knowledge. Social Epistemology, 26 (3), 331-350. doi: 10.1080/02691728.2012.727192

  • An analytics of marginality

    D'Agostino, Fred (2012). An analytics of marginality. European Legacy-Toward New Paradigms, 17 (6), 755-768. doi: 10.1080/10848770.2012.715807

  • Rational agency

    D'Agostino, Fred (2011). Rational agency. The SAGE handbook of the philosophy of social sciences. (pp. 182-198) edited by Ian C. Jarvie and Jesus Zamora-Bonilla. London, United Kingdom: Sage.

  • Naturalizing epistemology: Thomas Kuhn and the 'essential tension'

    D'agostino, Fred (2010). Naturalizing epistemology: Thomas Kuhn and the 'essential tension'. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire, U.K.; New York, U.S.A.: Palgrave Macmillan. doi: 10.1057/9780230251274

  • From the organization to the division of cognitive labor

    D'Agostino, Fred (2009). From the organization to the division of cognitive labor. Politics, Philosophy and Economics, 8 (1), 101-129. doi: 10.1177/1470594X08098873

  • Naturalizing the essential tension

    D'Agostino, Fred (2008). Naturalizing the essential tension. Synthese, 162 (2), 275-308. doi: 10.1007/s11229-007-9192-7

  • Two conceptions of reason

    D'Agostino, Fred (2006). Two conceptions of reason. Economy And Society, 35 (1), 1-21. doi: 10.1080/03085140500465683

  • Kuhn's Risk-Spreading Argument and the Organization of Scientific Communities

    D'Agostino, Fred (2005). Kuhn's Risk-Spreading Argument and the Organization of Scientific Communities. Episteme: A Journal of Social Epistemology, 1 (3), 201-209. doi: 10.3366/epi.2004.1.3.201

  • The doctrine of filial piety: A philosophical analysis of the concealment case

    Bi, Lijun and D' Agostino, Fred (2004). The doctrine of filial piety: A philosophical analysis of the concealment case. Journal of Chinese Philosophy, 31 (4), 451-467. doi: 10.1111/j.1540-6253.2004.00165.x

  • The Legacies of John Rawls

    D'Agostino, Fred (2004). The Legacies of John Rawls. Journal of Moral Philosophy, 1 (3), 349-365. doi: 10.1177/174046810400100308

  • Pluralism and Liberalism

    D'Agostino, Fred (2004). Pluralism and Liberalism. Handbook of Political Theory. (pp. 239-249) edited by Gerald F. Gaus and Chandran Kukathas. London., Thousand Oaks, New Delhi: Sage Publications.

Book

Book Chapter

  • Complexity

    D'Agostino, Fred (2022). Complexity. The Routledge handbook of philosophy, politics, and economics. (pp. 28-42) edited by C. M. Melenovsky. New York, NY, United States: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9780367808983-4

  • A fragile existence: a transdisciplinary food systems research program cut short

    Bellotti, Bill and D’Agostino, Fred (2021). A fragile existence: a transdisciplinary food systems research program cut short. Interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary failures: lessons learned from cautionary tales. (pp. 62-77) edited by Dena Fam and Michael O'Rourke. Abingdon, Oxon, United Kingdom: Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9780367207045-5

  • Objectivity

    D'Agostino, Fred (2019). Objectivity. Oxford bibliographies. (pp. 1-64) edited by Duncan Pritchard. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/OBO/9780195396577-0221

  • Watkins, John William Neville (1924–99)

    D'Agostino, Fred (2019). Watkins, John William Neville (1924–99). Bloomsbury Encyclopedia of Philosophers. edited by John R. Shook. London, United Kingdom: Thoemmes Continuum. doi: 10.5040/9781350052437-0452

  • The situational logic of disciplinary scholarship

    D’Agostino, Fred (2018). The situational logic of disciplinary scholarship. The impact of critical rationalism: expanding the Popperian legacy through the works of Ian C. Jarvie. (pp. 45-57) edited by Raphael Sassower and Nathaniel Laor. Cham, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing/Palgrave Macmillan. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-90826-7_5

  • Disciplines, the division of epistemic labor, and agency

    D'Agostino, Fred (2016). Disciplines, the division of epistemic labor, and agency. Social epistemology and epistemic agency: decentralizing epistemic agency. (pp. 91-108) edited by Patrick J. Reider. London, United Kingdom: Rowman & Littlefield.

  • Hermeneutics, epistemology, and science

    D'Agostino, Fred (2015). Hermeneutics, epistemology, and science. The Routledge companion to hermeneutics. (pp. 417-428) edited by Jeff Malpas and Hans-Helmuth Gander. London, United Kingdom: Routledge.

  • How can we collectivise a set of visions about social epistemology?

    D'Agostino, Fred (2015). How can we collectivise a set of visions about social epistemology?. The future of social epistemology: a collective vision. (pp. 3-10) edited by James H. Collier. London: Rowman and Littlefield.

  • Social Science, The Idea of

    D'Agostino, Fred (2015). Social Science, The Idea of. International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral Sciences. (pp. 688-694) edited by James D. Wright. Oxford: Elseiver. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-08-097086-8.63083-0

  • Rational agency

    D'Agostino, Fred (2011). Rational agency. The SAGE handbook of the philosophy of social sciences. (pp. 182-198) edited by Ian C. Jarvie and Jesus Zamora-Bonilla. London, United Kingdom: Sage.

  • Legitimacy in a Pluralistic Context

    D'Agostino, F. B. (2005). Legitimacy in a Pluralistic Context. Legitimation and the State. (pp. 15-29) edited by Graham Young and Graham Maddox. Armidale: Kardooair Press.

  • The Sinews of a Free Society: Autonomy, Democracy and Education

    D’Agostino, Fred (2005). The Sinews of a Free Society: Autonomy, Democracy and Education. A Passion for Politics: Essays in Honour of Graham Maddox. (pp. 99-109) edited by Tim Battin. Frenchs Forest, NSW, Australia: Pearson Education Australia.

  • The legacies of John Rawls

    D'Agostino, Fred (2005). The legacies of John Rawls. The legacy of John Rawls. (pp. 195-212) edited by Thom Brooks and Fabian Freyenhagen. New York, NY, United States: Continuum.

  • Pluralism and Liberalism

    D'Agostino, Fred (2004). Pluralism and Liberalism. Handbook of Political Theory. (pp. 239-249) edited by Gerald F. Gaus and Chandran Kukathas. London., Thousand Oaks, New Delhi: Sage Publications.

Journal Article

Conference Publication

  • Reply to Muldoon

    D'Agnostino, Fred (2022). Reply to Muldoon. Social Contract Theory for a Diverse World, Online, 22 March - 12 April 2022. Eugene, OR United States: Syndicate.

  • What Counts as a Gain to Trade?

    D'Agnostino, Fred (2022). What Counts as a Gain to Trade?. Social Contract Theory for a Diverse World, Online, 22 March 2022 - 12 April 2022. Eugene, OR United States: Syndicate.

  • Convening a university program or major: Curriculum leadership or career suicide?

    D'Agostino Fred and O'Brien Mia (2007). Convening a university program or major: Curriculum leadership or career suicide?. Higher education research and development society of Australasia (HERDSA) inc annual conference, Adelaide, South Australia, 8-11 July 2007. HERDSA Website: HERDSA.

  • Rituals of cosmopolitanism

    D'Agostino, F. B. (2005). Rituals of cosmopolitanism. Sites of Cosmopolitanism Conference, Brisbane, Australia, 6-8 July 2005. Brisbane, Australia: Griffith University Centre for Public Culture & Ideas.

  • From the organization to the division of cognitive labor

    D'Agostino, Fred (2004). From the organization to the division of cognitive labor. Politics, Philosophy and Economics Workshop, New Orleans, USA, 27-28 March, 2004.

  • Wisdom as an attribute of knowledge work

    Rooney, D., McKenna, B. and D'Agostino, F. B. (2004). Wisdom as an attribute of knowledge work. International Conference of Knowledge Management in Asia Pacific (KMAP), Taipei, Taiwan, 7-8 December, 2004. Taipei. Taiwan: National Taiwan University.

Other Outputs

Grants (Administered at UQ)

PhD and MPhil Supervision

Current Supervision

  • Digital ethics in a big data age: the challenges of privacy and consent

    Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor

    Other advisors:

  • Investigating the disconnect between perception, rhetoric and reality of the value of the Humanities in Australian higher education: a case study of Brisbane universities

    Master Philosophy — Associate Advisor

    Other advisors:

Completed Supervision

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Democratic theory, Social epistemology, Public reason, Professional ethics, Incommensurability, Ethics - professional

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ORCID: 0000-0001-5725-5723

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Google Scholar ID: JQEB1tcAAAAJ

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