Rate My Professor Philip Matthews

Philip Matthews is Adjunct Professor in the School of Philosophy and Theology at the University of Notre Dame Australia, Fremantle. He earned a Graduate Diploma in Theology from Baptist Theological College of Western Australia in 1985, a Bachelor of Theology from Murdoch University in 1986, and a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Notre Dame Australia in 2009. His doctoral thesis, Moral Enquiry in a Pluralist Society: From Contention to Conversation, critiques decision-making protocols in practical ethics and proposes models of consensus drawing on Alasdair MacIntyre's philosophy of practices.

Matthews served as Director of the Bioethics Teaching and Research Unit at Curtin University's School of Public Health from 1993 to 1997. At Notre Dame, he progressed from Lecturer (1997-2002) to Associate Dean (2003-2015) and Dean (2015-2020) of the School of Philosophy and Theology. He has taught at Murdoch University and Edith Cowan University. His teaching covers moral philosophy, professional ethics, epistemology, ancient philosophy, and philosophy of science, including units such as Ethics, Moral Philosophy, Introduction to Philosophy, and Cosmology and Philosophy of Science. Research interests include ethics in pluralist societies, cosmology, and philosophy of science. Key publications include co-editing Faith and Freedom: Christian Ethics in a Pluralist Culture (ATF Press, 2004) with David Neville, from the journal he edited (1992-1998); “Justice: Thin Pragmatism between Thick Practices” in The Bible, Justice and Public Theology (Sheffield Phoenix Press, 2014); “Friendship and the common life: Aristotle's contribution for a modern utilitarian society” (An Anthology of Philosophical Studies, 2011); and “Dying with dignity: Questions and more questions - The philosophical perspective” (2008). He presented papers on euthanasia, cloning ethics, stem cells, and terrorism. Matthews served on the Reproductive Technology Council of Western Australia (1999-2005), research ethics committees at the University of Western Australia and Curtin University, and is affiliated with the Australasian Association of Philosophy and Athens Institute for Education and Research.