Previous CAS Research Groups

Close relationships are vitally important to agents like us. When they go well, they have value for their own sake and give meaning to our lives. Yet, close relationships are also a potential source of conflict and a site of competing normative expectations. To date, moral philosophers have mostly focused on three types of relationships: friendships; romantic partnerships; and family relationships (in particular that between parents and children). more

Every person asks themselves the apparently simple question: where do we come from? How did life originate? How can we address such complex issues while only having access to fragments of the process? more

The investigation of volcanic activity at the surface of our Earth demands an inherently interdisciplinary scientific approach – from geophysics and fluid mechanics, to atmospheric chemistry, biochemistry, material and social science. more

Recent surveys have shown an overwhelming diversity of extrasolar planetary systems, prompting the question of how some may end up looking like our own and being able to sustain life. The environment in which planets form plays a major role in this issue. Planets are born out of the dust and gas left over whenever a new star forms: the protoplanetary disc (PPD). The initial conditions for planet formation are thus determined by the PPDs, which evolve and disperse as they give birth to planets. more

Shifts in the international distribution of power create an impetus for institutional change. As powers such as China rise and powers such as the US decline, international institutions come under pressure to adapt to new power realities. Yet, the pathways to institutional adaptation vary considerably. more

The CAS Research Group will investigate the distinctiveness of platforms as an organizational form. Platforms play an important economic role and are characterized by connecting two sides, e.g. a buyer and a seller of a good or service. Notably, the sides usually make decisions independent from the platform owner, yet they share a common goal, the viability of the so-called platform ecosystem including the platform, its complements and buyers. more

Oliver Primavesi is working together with a group of international Aristotle specialists on a new edition of Aristotle's Metaphysics. The aim of the group is to complete the preliminary work for the critical new edition of all 14 books of Metaphysics. more

Shifts in the international distribution of power create an impetus for institutional change. As powers such as China rise and powers such as the US decline, international institutions come under pressure to adapt to new power realities. Yet, the pathways to institutional adaptation vary considerably. more