Michael Eigner

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OZSW Annual Conference 2025

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Greetings.

Short-Bio

I am a philosopher at the University of Groningen, currently working on my PhD. My research spans social ontology, moral psychology, and political philosophy, focusing on how individual and collective agents interact and shape one another. I am particularly interested in how we can create, design, or transform collective agents—such as states, corporations, and entire societies—in a sustainable and ethically sound way. This involves examining how individual behavior is influenced by corporate and institutional structures, as well as how we can align collective action with our moral ideals. By exploring the psychological and social mechanisms that drive moral behavior, I aim to understand how institutions and systems can be designed to foster cooperation, solidarity, and ethical responsibility. Ultimately, my work seeks to define what it means to create just and sustainable frameworks that support human flourishing.

Upcoming & Past Events

10/25 I’ll present at the conference “Working Democracy” in Groningen, Netherlands, where I’ll discuss moral dilemmas in the workplace and why we ought to alleviate them for employees.

08/25 I will present the four papers comprising my PhD thesis at the annual SCOOP Conference in Amersfoort, Netherlands.

08/25 I’ll be presenting my paper titled “The Right to Say No – Towards an Ethical Form of the Firm” at the annual conference of the International Social Ontology Society in Dublin, Ireland.

05/25 I present my view on “The Right to Say No – Towards an Ethical Form of the Firm” at the conference “Reconceiving Business Corporations in Times of Political Contestation,” organized as part of Rutger Claassen’s research project “The Business Corporation as a Political Actor” in Utrecht, Netherlands.

03/25 I taught a course on Political Decision-Making and Leadership for the Global Responsibility & Leadership Bachelor at Campus Fryslân. Together with Élise Rouméas, we explored the dilemmas of leaders and citizens in the context of democratic decision-making structures.