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Von Hügel Institute

for Critical Catholic Inquiry
 

Biography

Simon joined the VHI in April 2015, having completed his PhD in philosophy of religion at Peterhouse, Cambridge. His doctoral research was funded by the AHRC, and concerned a critical re-interpretation of the work of the radical Catholic social theorist and philosopher of history Ivan Illich (1926-2002).

At the VHI Simon has co-organised the 'St Paul and Radical Philosophy' reading group in 2016, and the 'Forms of Life, Forms of Discourse' seminar in 2017. He led the organisation of the 2015 'Patents on Life' conference, and co-edited the volume issuing from that event. He was VHI Murphy Research Fellow from June 2016 to August 2017, a position held in conjunction with the Murphy Institute at the University of St Thomas, Minnesota.

Simon is currently an Official Fellow, Director of Studies and College Lecturer in Theology, Religion, and Philosophy of Religion, as well as an undergraduate Tutor and Admissions Tutor at Magdalene College, Cambridge.

Research

My past research has criss-crossed the disciplines of theology, philosophy, literature, political and social theory, and economics. Broadly I try to be open to any topic that allows me to bring philosophical and theological reasoning to bear in interesting ways on issues of contemporary social, political, economic, and/or existential significance. Unfortunately, this means that my work has tended to be somewhat unsystematic and ad hoc. My doctoral thesis was on the work of the late Catholic radical Ivan Illich, re-examining his thinking around the fate of social relations under conditions of economic modernity. A major postdoctoral project has been on the ethical issues surrounding the patenting of life forms, bringing moral, religious, and political considerations into conversation with developments in law and biotechnology, and will conclude with the publication of a co-edited volume with Cambridge University Press in 2019. My latest research is on laughter, exploring what life in its comic aspect has to do with questions of power, knowledge, and religious faith.

Publications

Key publications: 

Selected academic

  • “Play and Interruption as a Mode of Human Action in Arendt, Dostoevsky, and Kharms”. Janus Head 19 (2021): forthcoming. 
  • “Charité, amour et don dans l'oeuvre d'Ivan Illich”. In Ivan Illich, l'alchimiste des possibles, edited by Martin Fortier and Thierry Paquot, 165-211. Paris: Lemieux Editeur, 2016.

 Popular books, articles, essays etc.

  • "Producing Happiness: Huxley and Dostoevsky on Love and Politics". Noesis: Theology, Philosophy, Poetics 2 (2015): 47-55.

Web

Magdalene College: magd.cam.ac.uk/user/ravenscroft

Centre of Science & Policy: csap.cam.ac.uk/network/simon-ravenscroft/

Academia.edu: academia.edu/SimonRavenscroft

Twitter: @S_R_Ravenscroft

 

Research Associate
Official Fellow, Director of Studies and College Lecturer in TRPR, Magdalene College, Cambridge

Contact Details

Email address: 

 

 

A unique institute of advanced studies inspired by Catholic thought and culture, focussed on contemporary global realities, and dedicated to encounter, dialogue, and transformation