Eric Scarffe

Eric Scarffe is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Florida International University (FIU), with a PhD from Boston University (2020). He is actively engaged in teaching, research, and academic service, including serving as President and lead negotiator of the United Faculty of Florida's FIU chapter from 2022 to 2024.

Areas of Specialization:

• Philosophy of Law
• Social and Political Philosophy
• Biomedical Ethics
• International Law
• Value Theory

His research explores human rights, particularly gay and abortion rights, dignity in law and ethics, the philosophy of biology, and the conceptual foundations of disease in medicine. He critically engages with legal theory, constitutional interpretation, and the role of values in science and healthcare.

His recent publications span journals such as Journal of Medical Ethics, American Journal of Bioethics, Journal of Applied Philosophy, and Philosophy of Science. Themes across his work include the moral and institutional dimensions of law, the critique of quantification in higher education, and the epistemology of social knowledge as seen in pop culture. His scholarship demonstrates a strong interdisciplinary orientation, bridging philosophy, law, and social justice.

Selected Scientific Contributions:

• Critical analysis of Justice Kennedy’s jurisprudence of dignity
• Development of a dignity-based account of international law
• Amended hybrid theory of disease in medicine (with Russell Powell)
• Exploration of collective bargaining and the rule of law in academia

Eric has also contributed to public discourse through articles on liberal arts education and philosophical interpretations of cultural phenomena. He has no listed scientific awards or formal advisees in the provided texts. He is affiliated with the College of Arts, Sciences & Education at FIU and continues to publish on pressing ethical and philosophical issues in contemporary society.