91̽

University 91̽
  2. About
  3. Find staff
  4. Ragnar Francén

Ragnar Francén

Professor

Philosophy and Logic unit
Telephone
+46 31-786 48 37
Mail
ragnar.francen@filosofi.gu.se
Visiting address
Renströmsgatan 6
41255 Göteborg
Room number
J563
Postal address
Box 200
40530 Göteborg

About Ragnar Francén

Professor of practical philosophy. I did my PhD at the University 91̽ and in 2008 I defended my thesis (”Metaethical Relativism: Against the Single Analysis Assumption”). After that I did a post doc at Stockholm University (2010-2011), after which I returned to Gothenburg.

Research My research mainly concerns fundamental questions about the nature of normative and moral thought and language, but also some more general questions in philosophy of language. What is it to think, for instance, that an act is morally wrong? Examples:

  • In my dissertation and some papers I discuss the plausibility of contextualist and relativist views about moral thought according to which the content of moral beliefs varies from person to person.
  • I have developed and defended a radical version of relativism (metaethical pluralism) to the effect that different metaethical analyses of the content of moral beliefs are correct for the moral beliefs of different persons.
  • Given contextualism, relativism or pluralism about moral beliefs, how can we understand moral disagreement?
  • What is the connection between accepting a moral judgment and being motivated to act in accordance with the judgment? (That is, the issue of motivational internalism vs. externalism.)

Research School NoNo. I'm currently a co-PI of the research school "Norms and Normativity", which is a joint project with Stockholm University (PI: Krister Bykvist) and Uppsala University (co-PI Folke Tersman), funded by the Swedish Research Council. Webpage:

Research projects. From 2024 (until 2027) I am the PI of the research project "Free Will Foundations: Metaethical and Methodological Underpinnings of Free Will Theories" (funded by the Swedish Research Council), with Alva Stråge, Manuel Vargas and Gunnar Björnsson as participating researchers. During 2017-2020 my research project "Metaethical Pluralism" had funding from Riksbankens Jubileumfond. 2013-2016 I was involved in the project "Expressivism Generalized: The Scope of Non-Descriptive Thought and on Talk". 2010-2012 I was involved in the "Moral Motivation: Evidence and Relevance".