Staff profile

Joe primarily works on ethics and agency in Kant and the post-Kantian tradition. He also has interests in the philosophy of love and media ethics.

Joe is currently:

• Chair of the United Kingdom Kant Society
• Treasurer for the Hegel Society of Great Britai

He also currently serves as:

• Board member for the International Society for Philosophy in Film

Office Hours

Tuesday, 3-5

Monday, online 1:30-2:30 (drop me an email to set up a meeting).

• Ethics
• Free Will
• Kant
• Love
• Media Ethics
• Post-Kantian Philosophy

• 2015: Winner of the Robert Papazian Annual Essay Prize: Kant and the Problem of Recognition

Authored book

• Media Ethics, Free Speech, and the Requirements of Democracy
  
  Fox, C., & Saunders, J. (2019). Media Ethics, Free Speech, and the Requirements of Democracy. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203702444
• Wellbeing Economics: The Capabilities Approach to Prosperity
  
  Dalziel, P., Saunders, C., & Saunders, J. (2018). Wellbeing Economics: The Capabilities Approach to Prosperity. Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-93194-4

Chapter in book

• The Ethics of Social Media: Being Better Online
  
  Saunders, J. (2023). The Ethics of Social Media: Being Better Online. In C. Fox & J. Saunders (Eds.), The Routledge Handbook of Philosophy and Media Ethics (pp. 307-318). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003134749-30
• Love
  
  McKeever, N., & Saunders, J. (2023). Love. In M. Sellers & S. Kirste (Eds.), Encyclopedia of the Philosophy of Law and Social Philosophy (pp. 1-5). Springer Verlag. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6730-0_1070-1
• Practical grounds for freedom: Kant and James on freedom, experience and an open future
  
  Saunders, J., & Williams, N. (2023). Practical grounds for freedom: Kant and James on freedom, experience and an open future. In J. Saunders (Ed.), Freedom After Kant: From German Idealism to Ethics and the Self (pp. 155-172). Bloomsbury. https://doi.org/10.5040/9781350187788.ch-10
• Loves Passed
  
  Saunders, J. (2022). Loves Passed. In A. Grahle, N. McKeever, & J. Saunders (Eds.), Philosophy of Love in the Past, Present, and Future (pp. 131-144). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003014331-12
• Dark Advertising and the Democratic Process
  
  Saunders, J. (2020). Dark Advertising and the Democratic Process. In K. Macnish & J. Galliott (Eds.), Big data and democracy.. Edinburgh University Press.
• Lynton Crosby and the Dark Arts of Democracy
  
  Saunders, J. (2019). Lynton Crosby and the Dark Arts of Democracy. In C. Fox & J. Saunders (Eds.), Media ethics, free speech, and the requirements of democracy. (pp. 53-68). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203702444-4

Edited book

• The Routledge Handbook of Philosophy and Media Ethics
  
  Fox, C., & Saunders, J. (Eds.). (2023). The Routledge Handbook of Philosophy and Media Ethics. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003134749
• Freedom After Kant: From German Idealism to Ethics and the Self
  
  Saunders, J. (Ed.). (2023). Freedom After Kant: From German Idealism to Ethics and the Self. Bloomsbury. https://doi.org/10.5040/9781350187788
• Philosophy of Love in the Past, Present, and Future
  
  Grahle, A., McKeever, N., & Saunders, J. (Eds.). (2022). Philosophy of Love in the Past, Present, and Future. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003014331

Journal Article

• Not taking oneself too seriously: The value of humour in intimate relationships
  
  Saunders, J. (2025). Not taking oneself too seriously: The value of humour in intimate relationships. The Philosophical Quarterly. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1093/pq/pqaf057
• The practical standpoint
  
  Saunders, J. (2025). The practical standpoint. Synthese, 205(5), Article 200. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11229-025-05032-4
• Kant and Overdemandingness II: The Demandingness of Perfect Duties
  
  Saunders, J., Slater, J., & Sticker, M. (2025). Kant and Overdemandingness II: The Demandingness of Perfect Duties. Philosophy Compass, 20(4), Article e70033. https://doi.org/10.1111/phc3.70033
• Journalism and Ethical Praxis: A Thematic Analysis of Journalism Ethics Across Five European Countries
  
  Steel, J., Firmstone, J., Conboy, M., Fox, C., Elliott-Harvey, C., Mulderrig, J., Saunders, J., & Wragg, P. (2025). Journalism and Ethical Praxis: A Thematic Analysis of Journalism Ethics Across Five European Countries. Journalism Practice. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/17512786.2025.2480746
• Why we go wrong: beyond Kant’s dichotomy between duty and self-love
  
  Sticker, M., & Saunders, J. (2025). Why we go wrong: beyond Kant’s dichotomy between duty and self-love. Inquiry, 68(2), 794-825. https://doi.org/10.1080/0020174x.2022.2075457
• Some Hope for Kant’s Groundwork III
  
  Saunders, J. (2024). Some Hope for Kant’s Groundwork III. Inquiry: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Philosophy, 67(9), 2902-2929. https://doi.org/10.1080/0020174x.2021.1997798
• Kant and Overdemandingness I: The Demandingness of Imperfect Duties
  
  Saunders, J., Slater, J., & Sticker, M. (2024). Kant and Overdemandingness I: The Demandingness of Imperfect Duties. Philosophy Compass, 19(6), Article e12998. https://doi.org/10.1111/phc3.12998
• The Individual as an Object of Love: The Property View of Love Meets the Hegelian View of Properties
  
  Saunders, J., & Stern, R. (2023). The Individual as an Object of Love: The Property View of Love Meets the Hegelian View of Properties. Ergo, 10(12), 341-371. https://doi.org/10.3998/ergo.4642
• The Self, Love and the Other: Thoughts on Nietzsche, Kant and Owen
  
  Saunders, J. (2023). The Self, Love and the Other: Thoughts on Nietzsche, Kant and Owen. Public Reason, 14-15(1-2), 19-24.
• Timeless Freedom in Kant: Transcendental Freedom and Things-in-Themselves
  
  Saunders, J. (2022). Timeless Freedom in Kant: Transcendental Freedom and Things-in-Themselves. History of Philosophy Quarterly, 39(3), 275-292. https://doi.org/10.5406/21521026.39.3.05
• Irrational Love: Taking Romeo and Juliet Seriously
  
  McKeever, N., & Saunders, J. (2022). Irrational Love: Taking Romeo and Juliet Seriously. International Journal of Philosophical Studies, 30(3), 254-275. https://doi.org/10.1080/09672559.2022.2121895
• Moral Education and Transcendental Idealism
  
  Saunders, J., & Sticker, M. (2020). Moral Education and Transcendental Idealism. Archiv für Geschichte Der Philosophie, 102(4), 646-673. https://doi.org/10.1515/agph-2020-1010
• Hegel, Norms and Ontology
  
  Saunders, J. (2019). Hegel, Norms and Ontology. History of Philosophy Quarterly, 36(3), 279-297.
• Kant and Degrees of Responsibility
  
  Saunders, J. (2019). Kant and Degrees of Responsibility. Journal of Applied Philosophy, 36(1), 137-154. https://doi.org/10.1111/japp.12293
• Transcendental Freedom and its Discontents
  
  Saunders, J. (2018). Transcendental Freedom and its Discontents. Con-Textos Kantianos International Journal of Philosophy, 1(8), 319-322. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.2383864
• Practical grounds for belief: Kant and James on religion
  
  Williams, N. W., & Saunders, J. (2018). Practical grounds for belief: Kant and James on religion. European Journal of Philosophy, 26(4), 1269-1282. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejop.12319
• Taking love seriously: McTaggart, absolute reality and chemistry
  
  Saunders, J. (2018). Taking love seriously: McTaggart, absolute reality and chemistry. British Journal for the History of Philosophy, 26(4), 719-737. https://doi.org/10.1080/09608788.2017.1393617
• The Value of Practical Knowledge: Against Engstrom’s Constructivism
  
  Saunders, J. (2016). The Value of Practical Knowledge: Against Engstrom’s Constructivism. Hegel Bulletin, 37(01), 117-136. https://doi.org/10.1017/hgl.2016.6
• Kant and the Problem of Recognition: Freedom, Transcendental Idealism, and the Third-Person
  
  Saunders, J. (2016). Kant and the Problem of Recognition: Freedom, Transcendental Idealism, and the Third-Person. International Journal of Philosophical Studies, 24(2), 164-182. https://doi.org/10.1080/09672559.2016.1152286
• Kant, Rational Psychology and Practical Reason
  
  Saunders, J. (2014). Kant, Rational Psychology and Practical Reason. Kant Yearbook, 6(1), 115-136. https://doi.org/10.1515/kantyb-2014-0107

Scholarly Edition

• Løgstrup, Knud: Kierkegaard's and Heidegger's Analysis of Existence and its Relation to Proclamation
  
  Bennett, C., Leech, J., Saunders, J., & Texter, M. (2020). Løgstrup, Knud: Kierkegaard’s and Heidegger’s Analysis of Existence and its Relation to Proclamation (R. Stern, Ed.).
• Kant: Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals
  
  Bennett, C., Saunders, J., & Stern, R. (2019). Kant: Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals.