University Center for Human Values

University Center for Human Values
Name	University Center for Human Values
Established	1969
Location	Princeton, New Jersey
Type	Research center
Parent	Princeton University

University Center for Human Values is an interdisciplinary research center affiliated with Princeton University that studies ethical, political, and cultural questions arising in modern societies. The Center connects scholars from fields such as Philosophy, Political Science, History, Law, and Economics through seminars, fellowships, and public programs, engaging audiences that include students from Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, faculty from the Department of Philosophy, Princeton University, and visiting researchers from institutions such as Harvard University, Yale University, Stanford University, and University of Oxford. Its activities intersect with debates addressed at venues like the Carnegie Corporation, the MacArthur Foundation, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and policy discussions involving actors such as the United Nations and the European Union.

History

The Center was founded in 1969 amid intellectual currents influenced by figures associated with Princeton University such as John Rawls, Robert Nozick, C. S. Lewis (through earlier college associations), and contemporaries who engaged with debates like the Civil Rights Movement, the Vietnam War, and the emergence of bioethics. Over subsequent decades it hosted visiting scholars from institutions like Harvard Law School, Yale Law School, Columbia University, and University of Chicago, and convened conferences responding to events such as the Watergate scandal, the Iran hostage crisis, and the end of the Cold War. The Center's history includes collaborations with foundations such as the Ford Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation and involvement in initiatives related to the Nuremberg Trials legacy, the development of human rights institutions, and curricular reforms inspired by debates at Oxford University and Cambridge University.

Mission and Programs

The Center's mission centers on fostering study and discussion of moral problems faced by publics, scholars, and policymakers, working alongside partners like the National Academy of Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, and the Brookings Institution. Programs include fellowships patterned on models used by the Institute for Advanced Study, visiting professorships akin to chairs at Columbia University, and graduate workshops comparable to seminars at the London School of Economics and the University of Chicago. It administers named lectureships and prizes in the spirit of awards like the Buchanan Prize, the Templeton Prize, and the Pulitzer Prize while coordinating with centers such as the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and the Kellogg School of Management for interdisciplinary exchanges.

Academic and Research Activities

Research activities at the Center range from analytic work in normative theory influenced by texts like A Theory of Justice to applied studies addressing dilemmas examined in reports by Amnesty International, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and commissions modeled on the Truman Commission. Faculty affiliates have pursued scholarship connecting to debates represented by figures such as Amartya Sen, Martha Nussbaum, Jürgen Habermas, Michael Sandel, and Alasdair MacIntyre, while engaging with archival sources from collections like the Princeton University Library and the Library of Congress. Collaborative projects have examined issues tied to events such as the Rwandan Genocide, the Bosnian War, and post-conflict reconstruction strategies promoted by the United Nations Development Programme, and produced publications comparable to monographs from Oxford University Press and articles in journals like Philosophical Review and Ethics (journal).

Public Engagement and Events

The Center organizes seminars, public lectures, and conferences featuring speakers from institutions such as Harvard Kennedy School, Yale School of Management, Georgetown University, and the Johns Hopkins University. Notable event series have included exchanges with practitioners from the International Criminal Court, alumni panels involving graduates of the Harvard Law School and Yale Law School, and roundtables with journalists from outlets like the New York Times, The Washington Post, and the Guardian. It has collaborated on symposia with museums and cultural institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Smithsonian Institution, and hosted debates addressing policy challenges linked to treaties like the Geneva Conventions and initiatives such as the Sustainable Development Goals.

Leadership and Governance

Governance of the Center has involved directors drawn from faculties across Princeton and other universities, often holding joint appointments comparable to roles at Harvard University, Yale University, Columbia University, and Stanford University. Advisory boards have included members with affiliations to organizations like the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, the Aspen Institute, and the Council on Foreign Relations, and trustees from foundations such as the Rockefeller Foundation and the MacArthur Foundation. Administrative structures mirror those at centers like the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society and the Center for Human Rights and Global Justice, with oversight tied to Princeton's provost and deans of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.

Notable Scholars and Fellows

Affiliates and fellows have included prominent philosophers, legal theorists, historians, and public intellectuals associated with institutions such as Harvard University, Yale University, University of Chicago, Oxford University, Cambridge University, Columbia University, Stanford University, Princeton University, New York University, Duke University, University of California, Berkeley, Brown University, Cornell University, Georgetown University, King's College London, LSE, University of Toronto, McGill University, Rice University, University of Pennsylvania, Johns Hopkins University, Michigan Law School, Berkeley Law, Emory University, Vanderbilt University, Notre Dame University, University of Notre Dame Law School, University of Michigan, Washington University in St. Louis, Australian National University, University of Sydney, University of British Columbia, Yonsei University, Seoul National University, Peking University, Tsinghua University, Tel Aviv University, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Sciences Po, Ecole Normale Supérieure, University of Edinburgh, Trinity College Dublin, KU Leuven, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Universidad de Buenos Aires, and policy practitioners from the United Nations, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the World Health Organization.

Category:Princeton University Centers Category:Research institutes in New Jersey