Rate My Professor Richard Hamilton

Dr. Richard Hamilton is a Senior Lecturer in Philosophy and Ethics in the School of Philosophy and Theology at the University of Notre Dame Australia, Fremantle campus. He holds a PhD in Philosophy from Birkbeck College, University of London (2004), an MPhil with Distinction in Philosophy, a BA (Hons) in English and Philosophy, and a PGCE in Adult, Further and Higher Education. Hamilton began his academic career at the University of Notre Dame Australia shortly after completing his PhD, establishing himself as a key figure in philosophical education and research at the institution. His career encompasses teaching and scholarly contributions in moral philosophy, with a focus on integrating interdisciplinary perspectives.

Hamilton's research specializations include moral and political theory, the role of empirical science in moral philosophy, and foundational questions in professional ethics, particularly role ethics and professional formation. He is currently completing a monograph entitled Natural Citizens: Ethical Formation as Biological Development. His publications feature the co-edited book This Thing of Darkness: Perspectives on Evil and Human Wickedness (Rodopi, 2004) with Margaret Sönser Breen; book chapters such as 'Respecting an Establishment of Religion' in Politics and Religion in the New Century (Sydney University Press, 2010), 'Hitting the Bars with Aristotle: Dating in a Time of Uncertainty' in Dating – Philosophy for Everyone (Wiley-Blackwell, 2010), and 'Ethical Naturalism and the Challenge of Biology' in Truth and Faith in Ethics (Imprint Academic, 2011); and journal articles including 'The Darwinian Cage: Evolutionary Psychology as Moral Science' (Theory, Culture and Society, 2008), 'The Concept of Health: Beyond Normativism and Naturalism' (Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice, 2010), 'Shame and Philosophy' (Res Publica, 2009), 'On Love as a Contested Concept' (Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour, 2006), 'My Role and Its Virtues' (2016), and 'The Frustrations of Virtue: The Myth of Value Freedom in Psychotherapy' (Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice, 2013). He edited a special edition of the Journal of Value Inquiry on virtues and roles. Hamilton teaches Moral and Political Philosophy, Professional and Business Ethics, Bioethics, and History of Philosophy. He held a Visiting Senior Research Fellowship at Rhodes University, South Africa (2015-2016) and has delivered conference papers and keynotes, such as 'Does Science Threaten Meaning?' at Murdoch University (2009), influencing discussions in virtue ethics, evolutionary psychology, and applied ethics across Australasian philosophical circles.