Dr. Ben Cross

Department of Philosophy

Wuhan University

bcro8137@alumni.sydney.edu.au

Area of Specialisation

political philosophy, normative ethics

Areas of Competence

metaethics, philosophy of law, history of political thought, Wittgenstein’s philosophy

Positions Held

2022-Present   Assistant Professor

2016-2022 Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Wuhan University

2013 Lecturer, University of New South Wales

2010-2016 Tutor, University of Sydney

Education

2010-2014 PhD in Philosophy, The University of Sydney.

2007-09 Honours in Philosophy (equivalent to advanced US Bachelor of Arts). University of Sydney.

Selected Publications

“Climate Change and the Politics of Apocalyptic Redirection”, Political Studies Review, forthcoming.  

“How Radical is Radical Realism?”  European Journal of Philosophy, early view.  DOI: 10.1111/ejop.12710

“Deception by Topic Choice: how discussion can mislead without falsehood”, Metaphilosophy 52(5) (2021): 696-709.  

“Apocalypticism as Radical Realism?  On the Benefits and Dangers of Wishful Thinking in Prefigurative Politics”, Political Studies, early view.  DOI: 10.1177/00323217211018407

“Normativity, Morality and Radical Disadvantage in Bernard Williams’ Realist Theory of Legitimacy”, Journal of Value Inquiry, early view.  DOI: 10.1007/s10790-020-09780-z

“Normativity in Realist Legitimacy”, Political Studies Review 19(3) (2021): 450-463.

“Deliberative Systems Theory and Activism”, Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy 24(6) (2021): 866-883.

“Radicalising Realist Legitimacy”, Philosophy and Social Criticism 46(4) (2020): 369-389.  

“Intolerance and Argument Expression”, Social Theory and Practice 45(3) (2019):329-352

“Why Inconclusiveness is a Problem for Public Reason”, Law and Philosophy 38(4) (2019): 407-432. With Thomas M. Besch.  

“Analysing Political Deception: The Virtues of Bernard Williams’ Anti-Tyranny Argument”, European Journal of Philosophy 27(2) (2019): 324-336.

“Naturalist Political Realism and the First Political Question”, Ratio 31(1) (2018): 81-95.

“Public Reason and the Exclusion of Oppressed Groups”, Dialogue 56(2) (2017): 241-265.

“Autonomy and Moral Deference”, South African Journal of Philosophy 36(2) (2017): 278-291.

“Normativity in Chantal Mouffe’s Political Realism”, Constellations 24(2) (2017): 180-191.

“Rawlsian Liberalism, Justice for the Worst Off, and the Limited Capacity of Political Institutions”, Sophia 55(2) (2016): 215-236.

“Moral Philosophy, Moral Expertise, and the Argument From Disagreement”, Bioethics 30(3) (2016): 188-194.  

Journals refereed for

American Political Science Review

Bioethics

Constellations

Contemporary Political Theory

Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy

Dialogue

Ethical Theory and Moral Practice

Ethics and International Affairs

European Journal of Political Theory

Inquiry: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Philosophy

Kennedy Institute for Ethics Journal

Kriterion

Philosophia

Philosophical Psychology

Philosophy and Social Criticism

Polity

Political Studies

Political Theory

Social Theory and Practice

Sophia