Philosophical Psychology, Morality and Politics Research Unit

Introduction

This project explores psychological assumptions in moral and political philosophy  from classical Antiquity to the Enlightenment.

 The PMP project does not entertain speculative constructions arising from modern  psychological theories. We are interested in the influence of historically situated psychological  conceptions on the disciplines of ethics and politics, as well as in other psychological  assumptions in these texts.

The centre of excellence is chaired by Academy Professor Simo Knuuttila with Virpi Mäkinen and Mikko Yrjönsuuri acting as deputy chairs. The leaders of the four research teams, together with the chair and the academic secretary of the unit, constitute the administrative board. Each research team has senior researchers as well as post-doctoral fellows and doctoral students. The team leaders have university positions and are not, as a rule, paid by the project.   The unit is hosted by the Department of Systematic Theology at the University of  Helsinki. Other institutions involved include the Department of Philosophy at the University of  Helsinki, the Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies, the Department of History and  Ethnology and the Department of Social Sciences and Philosophy at the University of  Jyväskylä, and the Renvall Institute and the Department of History, both at the University of  Helsinki.