Rik Peels is an Associate Professor in the Philosophy Department (Faculty of Humanities) and the Beliefs & Practices Department (Faculty of Religion and Theology). His main research topic is the ethics of belief. He has developed a theory of responsible belief, studied ignorance, criticized 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), and with Jeroen de Ridder and René van Woudenberg, he is leading a TWCF funded project on Progress in the University (2020-2023).

Rik Peels teaches epistemology, ethics, meta-ethics, philosophy of science, philosophy of religion, and argumentation theory.

• Extreme Beliefs: The Epistemology and Ethics of Fundamentalism
  ERC Starting Grant, 2020-2025

• The Epistemic Responsibility of the University
  (with Jeroen de Ridder and René van Woudenberg)
  Templeton World Charity Foundation, 2016–2019
• Developing an Alternative for Scientism
  (within the larger project Science Beyond Scientism)
  Templeton World Charity Foundation, 2012–2016

• Amsterdam Young Academy | Amsterdam | Member | 2018 - present
• Amsterdam Young Academy | Amsterdam | president | 2019 - 2020

• Ph.D. in Philosophy, Utrecht University, 2012
• Grad student in Philosophy and research associate, Merton College, Oxford (UK), 2011
• M.A. in Philosophy cum laude, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 2008
• M.A. in Theology cum laude Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam 2006
• Visiting Graduate Student Philosophy, University of Notre Dame (IN, USA), 2004-2005