Kei Hiruta

Former Carnegie-Uehiro Fellow, Global Ethics Fellow Alumnus

Kei Hiruta is Research Fellow in philosophy at the University of Oxford; Junior Research Fellow at Wolfson College, Oxford; and (non-residential) Carnegie-Uehiro Fellow and Global Ethics Fellow at the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs. His research mainly lies at the intersection of political philosophy and intellectual history, with particular interest in the idea of freedom and its history.

Hiruta also writes about contemporary political issues from a normative theoretical angle and is an associate editor of the Journal of Practical Ethics. He received his D.Phil. in political theory from the University of Oxford and has held visiting research positions at Columbia University and the University of Tokyo.

Featured Work

Kobe, Japan after the 1945 air raid. CREDIT: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kobe_after_the_1945_air_raid.JPG" target="_blank">wikimedia</a>

JAN 12, 2016 Article

The Death of a Pacifist?: On Akiyuki Nosaka's Death

The Japanese writer Akiyuki Nosaka died last month. He is best known, internationally, for his semi-autobiographical novel "A Grave of Fireflies," made famous by Studio ...

CREDIT: <a href="http://bit.ly/1pOkVUA">University of Central Arksansas</a> (<a href"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/">CC</a>)

AUG 22, 2014 Article

Policy Innovations Digital Magazine (2006-2016): Commentary: A Storm in a Bucket: Lessons from the Ice Bucket Challenge Controversy

Fun-based activism such as the Ice Bucket Challenge does not persuade you; it mobilizes you. That's why it's been so successful.

CREDIT: <a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-100481503/stock-photo-cup-of-tea-at-sunset.html?src=mlFAkaHjPp2sKUR7V0k8MQ-5-73">Cup of Tea at Sunset</a> via Shutterstock

DEC 4, 2013 Article

A Sick Asian Man Goes to Multicultural Europe: A Tale of Modern Citizenship in Transition

A parable for our times? "As the debate over multiculturalism continues, the societies to which the adjective is applied change in complex ways, as I ...

Political Philosophy in the Twentieth Century: Authors and Arguments

JUL 11, 2013 Article

Book Review: Political Philosophy in the Twentieth Century: Authors and Arguments

This collection of essays edited by Catherine Zuckert provides an overview of the work and lives of 18 thinkers who made significant contributions to the development ...

Yukichi Fukuzawa. CREDIT: <a href=http://www.flickr.com/photos/naoyafujii/3292444763>Naoya Fujii</a> <a href=http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/deed.en>(CC)</a>

AUG 30, 2012 Article

Home Alone?

What is it like to be liberal in East Asia? Is liberalism a specifically Western ideology, or does it embody universal norms? The old dispute ...

MAY 27, 2011 Article

Policy Innovations Digital Magazine (2006-2016): Briefings: The Art of Inconclusiveness

The new film ANPO: Art X War tells the story of U.S.-Japan relations through the lives of artists who were influenced by the 1960...

CREDIT: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/colodio/2908606928/">Claude Estebe</a> (<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/deed.en">CC</a>).

APR 8, 2010 Article

Policy Innovations Digital Magazine (2006-2016): Commentary: Rage against Virtual Rape

It is up to the Japanese to decide what regulations the nation wants to prescribe for sex industry software.