John Ferguson Professor of Global Ethics, University of Birmingham
Heather Widdows is a leading international researcher across applied ethics. In 2005 she was awarded a visiting fellowship at Harvard University, where she worked on issues of moral neo-colonialism. She has led a number of funded projects on issues of property in the body; reproductive rights; human tissue; war on terror and ownership and governance of the genome. Her primary project is on the moral philosophy of beauty and she holds a Leverhulme Major Research Fellowship (two years from Oct 2014) to complete her book Perfect Me! (under contract with Princeton University Press).
Currently Heather serves as a member of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics and is also on the REF Philosophy Sub-Panel. Previously she was a member of UK Biobank Ethics and Governance Council (2007 to 2013) and co-lead 'Saving Humans' one of the two inagural themes of the University of Birmingham's Institute of Advanced Studies.
New year, new you? Why we think a better body will be a better self
Jan 02, 2020 18:08 pm UTC| Health
Is a better body a better self? Is a perfect body our best self? In the visual culture we inhabit we increasingly believe that a better body will lead to a better life, one where we are happier, have a better job, a better...
How the duty to be beautiful is making young girls feel like failures
Jun 23, 2017 18:03 pm UTC| Life Insights & Views
From the daily application of high-tech lotions and potions to non-surgical procedures such as botox, fillers and peels, the beauty industry is booming like never before. With more products and treatments available...
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