Dr. H.W. Sneller – Moral Philosophy

Position:
  • Assistant Professor Philosophy of Religion and Ethics
Expertise:
  • Continental Philosophy, Derrida, Mysticism and Spirituality


Telephone number: +31 (0)71 527 2583
E-Mail: h.w.sneller@hum.leidenuniv.nl
Faculty / Department: Faculteit der Geesteswetenschappen, Leids Instituut Godsdienstwetenschappen
Office Address: Witte Singel-complex
Matthias de Vrieshof 1
2311 BZ Leiden
Room number 1.03b
Personal Homepage: ricosneller.blogspot.com
www.ricosneller.blogspot.com


Dr H.W. (Rico) Sneller (1967) is assistant professor of ethics at the Institute for Religious Studies at Leiden University. He studied theology in Utrecht and Leiden and philosophy in Paris. His dissertation dealt with the problem of negative theology and the philosophy of Jacques Derrida.

Teachings

Dr. Rico Sneller teaches the following courses: BA: history of western philosophy; ethics. MA: master seminar ethics with varying topics each year (e.g. community, conversion, questioning life and death etc.) In 2005 he has won the annually awarded educational prize of the Leiden University’s student council.

Research

Description: ethics an the idea of an absolute good. The research deals with the question whether a moral orientation upon a non tradition-, culture- or context-based norm is viable and whether it makes sense. Investigated subjects are: religiously based suicide terror; spirituality, mystics and ethics; fundamental moral concepts such as sovereignty, transcendence, goodness, alterity, etc. Rico Sneller has a special interest for Jewish philosophy.

Activities

Rico Sneller regulary holds lectures and teaches frequently in permanent education and schooling initiatives (Academia vitae, Odin Institute, Philosophy East/West). He is also engaged in an exciting societal initiative, called RrOOD (www.rrood.nl), where philosophy, art, music and performance come together in a co-production for an audience of managers, businessmen, social creatives and artists. Together with two colleagues, prof. Hans Gerding and dr. Gerard Visser, he organises several conferences a year on philosophy and spirituality. He also organises different reading groups where philosophical authors are studied (Jaspers, Sartre, Schopenhauer, Freud, Schelling etc).  

Selected Publications

  • ‘Violence as a Political Means’, in: Hans G. Ulrich/S. Heuser (ed.), Political Practices and International Order, Münster, Lit, 2007.
  • ‘Benjamin als profeet van de Endlösung? Zur Kritik der Gewalt herlezen.’, in: Bulletin trimestriel de la Fondation Auschwitz 97 (oct.-déc. 2007).
  • ‘A Contemporary maskil sarfat? Derrida and the Provence Cabbala’, in: Sjef Houppermans, Peter van Zilfhout and Rico Sneller (eds.), Enduring Resistance. Cultural Theory after Derrida, Amsterdam, Rodopi, 2010.
  • ‘The Ethics of Suicide Terrorism; An Analysis of the Hamas Charter’, in: Mahmoud Massaeli (ed.), Terrorism and Ethical Wrongfulness, Ottawa, Commoners Publishing Co., 2010.
  • Filosofie en parapsychology (met Hein van Dongen en Hans Gerding), Kampen, Ten Have, 2010.

Memberships

Societas ethica; Réseau Jacques Derrida; Rosenzweig programme (UvA); Research Group Personal and Moral Integrity (Onderzoeksschool Ethiek); Research Group Theological Ethics; Centre for Ethics Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen (CEKUN); Gezelschap voor Fenomenologische wijsbegeerte; Vereniging van Ethici Nederland (VvEN).

Last Modified: 03-11-2010