Biopolitics This CNPq-certified research group critically investigates contemporary issues at the intersection of power, knowledge, and life through ethical, political, and decolonial lenses. It is structured around two core research lines: Hospitality and Culture explores cultural phenomena through the ethical-political implications of hospitality, particularly concerning the condition of refugees and stateless individuals; Ethics and Political Philosophy engages an expanded conception of biopolitics grounded in Michel Foucault's thought, while dialoguing with Achille Mbembe, Frantz Fanon, Emmanuel Levinas, Hannah Arendt, Henri Bergson, Vilém Flusser, and Josué de Castro.
Faculty Coordinator: Prof. André Brayner de Farias
Those interested in participating should contact the professor at abfaria1@ucs.br.
Aristotelian Ethics This group conducts systematic research into Aristotle's practical philosophy, with a central focus on eudaimonia as the ultimate goal of human action. Its sole line of research examines key concepts from the Nicomachean Ethics'including moral and intellectual virtue, deliberation and choice, justice, akrasia, and friendship'situating these within Aristotle's teleological conception of praxis. The group also investigates their relevance and normative force in contemporary debates on character formation, the common good, and human flourishing.
Faculty Coordinator: Prof. Jaqueline Stefani
Those interested in participating should contact the professor at jstefan1@ucs.br.
Practical and Social Philosophy in German Idealism and Critical Theory This group explores the forms of immanent critique and the normative foundations of modern and contemporary philosophy. Its research focuses on the interface between social theory, normative reconstruction, and the diagnosis of reason's pathologies. The line Contemporary Problems in Social Philosophy and Critical Theory engages with core categories such as alienation, reification, recognition, ideology, and power across different generations of Critical Theory. Contradiction, Normativity, and Critique in the German Idealist Tradition investigates models of practical rationality and socio-historical diagnostics in Kant, Fichte, Schelling, and Hegel, emphasizing the structural role of contradiction in constituting normativity and elucidating crises.
Faculty Coordinator: Prof. Felipe Taufer
Those interested in participating should contact the professor at ftaufer1@ucs.br.
Practical Philosophy and Ethical Problems Focusing on ethical and political transformations in the contemporary world, this group addresses processes of subjectivation and the ethical implications of emerging technologies. The Ethics, Subjectivation, and Human Dignity line develops interdisciplinary ethical approaches aimed at public policy, civic formation, and the promotion of dignity. Ethics, Artificial Intelligence, and Nanotechnology critically examines the societal impacts of technological innovation, proposing inclusive and ethically responsible frameworks for their development and implementation.
Faculty Coordinator: Prof. Evaldo Antônio Kuiava
Those interested in participating should contact the professor at eakuiava@ucs.br.
Social and Political Philosophy: Critical Theory and Democratic Thought This group investigates contemporary democratic challenges through the intersection of political and social philosophy. Democracy and Labor critically assesses new forms of labor organization, highlighting their implications for democratic participation and institutional legitimacy. Democracy and Temporal Alienation addresses how temporal acceleration and alienation affect individual autonomy and civic engagement, bringing together philosophical reflections on subjectivity, temporality, and democratic life.
Faculty Coordinator: Prof. Odair Camati
Those interested in participating should contact the professor at ocamati@ucs.br.
Applied Ethics Group (GEA) The Applied Ethics Group brings together scholars interested in contemporary ethical dilemmas from an applied and interdisciplinary perspective. Its research encompasses three lines: Bioethics focuses on ethical questions in human research and neuroethics; Feminist Philosophy and the Ethics of Care addresses gender-related ethical issues; Global Ethics tackles major global challenges such as climate change, inequality, resource scarcity, pandemics, and threats to human rights.
Faculty Coordinator: Prof. Darlei Dall'Agnol
Those interested in participating should contact the professor at ddarlei@yahoo.com.
Practical Reason, Theory of Action, and Legal Philosophy This research group examines the normative structures of action and justification in legal reasoning. Its two interrelated lines of research are: Action Theory, which reconceives human agency through a dynamic account of practical reason capable of navigating normative conflicts and legal creativity; and Philosophy of Law, which builds upon this framework to investigate key debates in contemporary legal thought, particularly concerning phenomenology of law, judicial discretion, and normative coherence.
Faculty Coordinator: Prof. Lucas Mateus Dalsotto
Those interested in participating should contact the professor at lmdalsotto@ucs.br.
Religare: Religion, Ethics, and Society This interdisciplinary group explores religious phenomena and their intersections with ethics, culture, and society. Theories of Religion considers religion as a structuring force throughout social history with normative implications; Religiosity, Culture, and Education examines how religious practices and cultural dynamics inform educational processes and ethical formation; Social Sciences, Religion, and Society studies how religious traditions shape public discourse, citizenship, and institutional life.
Faculty Coordinator: Prof. Everaldo Cescon
Those interested in participating should contact the professor at ecescon@ucs.br.
