Kalle Grill

Most of my research so far has dealt with paternalism - to what degree and in what way liberal values such as liberty and autonomy should be respected, both in political contexts and more generally. In particular I have investigated how this question should be understood - if these liberal values have a particular status or if they are values like any other and so should be balanced against them, values such as good health and wellbeing. I have also discussed concrete policy areas where these questions arise, especially in public health.

I also take an interest in quite different issues. I have participated in a philosophical research project on family relationships, a multidisciplinary project on information about hereditary cancer risks, and another one on the potential impact of artificial intelligence on democracy and self-determination. I previously led a small research project on the concept of sustainability and its relationship to future people.

More recreationally, I enjoy philosophizing about almost anything. I like to give lectures and to lead philosophical discussions. I sometimes appear on radio, mainly on Swedish national radio in the program Tankar för dagen (thoughts of the day). You can learn more about this at my private webpage kallegrill.se.

Brief background: I received my Ph.D. from KTH Royal Institute of Technology in 2009 with a dissertation on antipaternalism and public health policy. I worked at the philosophy department of Uppsala University 2010-2012. I was a visiting research fellow at Keele University 2011-2012 (at the Research Centre for Law, Ethics and Society). I was associated with Birmingham University as honorary research fellow 2012-2014 (Medicine, Ethics, Society & History). I came to the department as senior lecturer in 2012. In 2017 I received the Swedish academic title of "docent" in philosophy. In 2018 I was named "qualified teacher" by Umeå university.

I teach ethics, political philosophy and the art of philosophical conversation. I am director of the BA program in philosophy and society (taught mostly in Swedish).