Martin van HeesView profile
Professor
Prof. Martin van Hees is a Full Professor at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam's Faculty of Humanities, specializing in Moral and Political Philosophy. He holds ancillary roles as a board member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) and the Telders Foundation. His research focuses on freedom, moral responsibility, rights, and formal models in ethics. With 84+ publications, his work bridges philosophy with practical policy, exploring topics like immigration ethics, academic freedom, and Kantian ethics. Recent contributions include analyses of amendment arguments, capability frameworks, and collective responsibility. His interdisciplinary approach integrates political theory, legal philosophy, and decision theory. Research Interests: Freedom and autonomy in political systems Moral responsibility for collective outcomes Formal models in ethics and law Capabilities approach to justice Liberalism vs. republicanism Publications Trends: Recent works emphasize legal-political structures (e.g., amendment procedures, immigration debates), while earlier research explored foundational concepts like negative/positive freedom and rights frameworks. His 2020 paper on Kantian optimization exemplifies formal logical approaches to moral imperatives. Advising/Grants: Supervised 2 PhD theses (names unspecified). Active in interdisciplinary research networks, evidenced by frequent collaborations on legal-political topics. No grant details provided in text. Labs/Teams: No specific labs mentioned, but his work engages with interdisciplinary ethics and policy groups at VU Amsterdam.









