Rik Peels

Dr. Rik Peels is a Professor in Philosophy and Theology of Radicalisation at the Faculty of Humanities at the Free University of Amsterdam. Rik specialises in the ethics and epistemology of belief, in particular extreme belief, and replication in the humanities. He has developed a theory of responsible belief, studied ignorance, criticised scientism and developed a common sense alternative, explored the ethics of religious belief, and delved into the epistemic responsibilities of universities. He is currently leading an ERC Starting Grant named “Extreme Beliefs: The Epistemology and Ethics of Fundamentalism” (2020-2025)

Among his most recent books are Ignorance (OUP 2023) and Monotheism and Fundamentalism (CUP 2024). He is the main editor of the OUP Extreme Belief and Behaviour Series (2024-2026). Among his most recent books in Dutch are: De extremist en de wetenschapper: Hoe we radicalisering beter kunnen begrijpen (Amsterdam 2024) and Leven zonder God: Wat je kunt leren van atheïsten (Utrecht 2024). His most recent monograph is Responsible Belief: A Theory in Ethics and Epistemology (Oxford University Press, 2017). He edited Moral and Social Perspectives on Ignorance (Routledge, 2017), and co-edited The Epistemic Dimensions of Ignorance (Cambridge University Press, 2016), Scientism: A Philosophical Exposition and Evaluation (Oxford University Press, 2018), and The Cambridge Companion to Common Sense Philosophy (Cambridge University Press, 2020). He published over 50 articles in such journals as Nature, Philosophical Quarterly, Philosophical Studies, Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, and The Journal of Philosophy. He also regularly publishes opinion pieces in newspapers, does radio and television interviews, and engages in public debates on several issues in ethics and the philosophy of religion.

Finally, Rik is one of the few academics fusing philosophy, theology, and psychology to explain the architecture of radicalisation.