Allen Buchanan

I'm a philosopher who writes on a wide range of topics, including Philosophy of International Law, Political Philosophy, and Bioethics. Recently, I've been exploring the implications of evolutionary theory for our understanding of human morality. I've also been thinking a lot about large-scale social change and have published two books on that topic: THE EVOLUTON OF MORAL PROGRESS: A BIOCULTURAL THEORY, co-authored with Rachell Powell, and OUR MORAL FATE: EVOLUTION AND THE ESCAPE FROM TRIBALISM. I'm currently working on a third book in this area: SOCIAL CHANGE, MORALITY, AND IDEOLOGY. It advances this thesis: there is an ongoing struggle between domination and resistance to domination and it is a major driver in the evolution of morality and institutions. I'm especially interested in moral progress--what it is and under what conditions social change is morally progressive.

In February 2022 I delivered the Tanner Lectures on Human Values at Cambridge University. I have expanded the lectures into a short book entitled HOW TO RESPOND BETTER TO THE NEXT PANDEMIC: AVOIDING INSTITUTionIONAL FAILURE. It is currently in production.

My career has included not only scholarly work and university teaching, but also participation in policy processes at the national and international level. I have served as a consultant to the U.S. State Department on the break-up of Yugoslavia, the Canadian government on the possible secession of Quebec, the Catalan government on Catalan secession, and the Council of Europe's High Commissioner on National Minorities. I have served as a staff member or consultant to all of the U.S. Bioethics Commissions, as a member of the Secretary of Health and Human Services Committee on Genetic Testing, and as Staff Philosopher for the President's Advisory Committee on Human Radiation Experiments. I also served as the only non-scientist member of the Advisory Council for the National Human Genome Research Project.

My non-academic activities include fly-fishing, hiking, ultra-light backpacking, trap and skeet, and serving as a volunteer in Samaritans of Tucson. In the latter capacity I have participated in over 150 Samaritan patrols on the Arizona-Sonora border, backpacking in water, food, and medical aid to people crossing into the U.S.