معرفی
Dr. Garrath Williams is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Politics, Philosophy & Religion at Lancaster University's School of Global Affairs. He specializes in moral philosophy, political theory, and applied ethics with a particular focus on Kantian approaches to contemporary ethical and political challenges. His current work bridges theoretical philosophy with practical applications in public health, corporate ethics, and social policy.
Williams earned his BA in Philosophy and Politics, MA in Health Care Ethics, and PhD (on theory of action in Kant's philosophy) all from Manchester University. Before joining Lancaster University in 2003, he taught Political Theory at Manchester University and philosophy at the Centre for Professional Ethics, University of Central Lancashire. He has held visiting positions at Ruhr University Bochum, the University of Amsterdam, Copenhagen Business School, and the University of St Andrews.
His research focuses on Kant's practical philosophy to address fundamental issues concerning freedom, reason, and responsibility, alongside practical topics including climate damage, complicity, negligence, criminality, poverty, migration, and employment. Recent work explores Kantian approaches to corporations, markets, and transnational business. His forthcoming book Kant Incorporated (2025) offers the first Kantian analysis of corporations as legal persons. His publications span theoretical philosophy, bioethics, and public health ethics, with significant contributions to empirical bioethics through EU-funded projects on childhood obesity.
Williams has been deeply involved in large-scale research initiatives, particularly EU-funded projects I.Family (2012-2017) and IDEFICS (2006-2011) on children's health, diet, and obesity, which involved over 16,000 children across Europe. His current AHRC/DFG-funded project "Using people well, treating people badly" (2023-2026) explores Kantian perspectives on instrumentalization and human dignity. In 2025-26, he will serve as Visiting Professor at the University of Toronto to develop Kantian approaches to transnational business.
- Election to Honorary Treasureship of the Society of Applied Philosophy (2011)
- Treasurer of the British Philosophical Association
- Member of the advisory board of the UK Kant Society
- Former treasurer of the Society for Applied Philosophy (2011-21)
Williams supervises postgraduate research students and welcomes inquiries from potential doctoral candidates interested in Kant's practical philosophy, Hannah Arendt, corporate political theory, responsibility philosophy, and public health ethics (particularly food systems and noncommunicable disease). His teaching includes Philosophical Issues in Politics and Economics (PPR211), Continental Philosophy (PPR302), and Political Ideas (PPR320). His work consistently bridges theoretical philosophy with real-world ethical challenges, particularly in public health policy and corporate responsibility.
