Principal Investigator

Darrel Moellendorf

Projects and positions at the research center
Principal Investigator

Funding period 2019-2021
Project management: Normative Economic Policy – Past, Present and Future | Research focus 2 – Liquefied Orders: Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence
Project Management: Normative Economic Policy – Past, Present and Future | Research Focus 4 – Overstretched Orders: Global Governance between De- and Renationalization
Project management: Interpreting the Anthropocene: Hope and Anxiety at the End of Nature | Research focus 4 – Overstretched orders: Global Governance between De- and Renationalization

Funding period 2012-2017
Project management: Sustainable Development, Global Governance and Justice | Research field 1

Subject areas
Political science

Main research
International Political Theory and Philosophy

  • Biografische Angaben

    Since 2013: Professor of International Political Theory and Professor of Philosophy (co-opted) at the Cluster of Excellence “Normative Orders” at Johann Wolfgang Goethe University Frankfurt am Main.

    2002-2013: San Diego State University, Founding Director of the Department of Ethics and Public Affairs, Associate Professor of Philosophy 2002-2007, Professor 2007.

    1998-1999: Boalt Hall School of Law, University of California, Berkeley

    1996-2002: University of the Witwatersrand, Lecturer in Philosophy 1996-97, tenured early 1997, Senior Lecturer 1997-2001, Associate Professor 2001-2002.

    1991-1995: California State Polytechnic University, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, tenure-track.

    1990: PhD, Philosophy, Claremont Graduate School

    1988-1991: Riverside Community College, Lecturer in Philosophy, tenured 1991.

    1987-1988: Doctoral candidate in philosophy (exchange), Ruprecht-Karls University, Heidelberg

    1985: MA, Philosophy, Claremont Graduate School

    1983: BA, Liberal Arts, St. John’s College

  • Publikationen

    2022
    Moellendorf, Darrel (u.a.) (2022): “Ethical Choices behind Quantifications of Fair Contributions under the Paris Agreement,” Nature Climate Change 11, 2021, 300-305.
    Moellendorf, Darrel (2022): Mobilizing Hope: Climate Change and Global Poverty in the 21st Century, Oxford University Press.

    2021
    Moellendorf, Darrel; Callies, Daniel (2021): “Assessing Climate Policies: Catastrophe Avoidance and the Right to Sustainable Development” Politics, Philosophy, and Economics 20:2, 127-150.
    Moellendorf, Darrel (2020): “Hoffnung und Gründe”, in: Forst, Rainer; Gunther, Klaus (Hrsg.), Normative Ordnungen, Berlin: Suhrkamp Verlag, 648-671.
    English version available online: http://publikationen.ub.uni-frankfurt.de/frontdoor/index/index/docId/55449.

    2020
    Moellendorf, Darrel; Schaffer, Axel; Brun, Sebastian (2020):
     “Distributive Justice and Climate Change Economics, ” Zeitschrift für Umweltpolitik und Umweltforschung, Heft 1.
    Moellendorf, Darrel (2020): Hope and reasons. Normative Orders Working Paper 02/2020.
    Moellendorf, Darrel (2020): “Hope for Material Progress in the Age of the Anthropocene”, in: Blöser, Claudia; Stahl, Titus (Hrsg.), The Moral Psychology of Hope, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield, 249-264.
    Blöser, Claudia; Huber, Jakob; Moellendorf, Darrel (2020): Hope in political philosophy, in: Philosophy Compass, 15. | https://doi.org/10.1111/phc3.12665
    Moellendorf, Darrel (2020): Responsibility for Increasing Mitigation Ambition in Light of the Right to Sustainable Development, in: Fudan Journal of the Humanities and Social Sciences, 13, 181–192.
    Moellendorf, Darrel (2020): The cry of the earth and the cry of the poor, in: McKim, Robert (Hrsg.), Laudato si’ and the Environment. Pope Francis’ Green Encyclical, New York: Routledge.

    2019
    Moellendorf, Darrel (2019): Cosmopolitan Justice, New York und London: Routledge.
    Moellendorf, Darrel (2019): Hope for Material Progress in the Age of the Anthropocene, in: Blöser, Claudia/Stahl, Titus (Hrsg.), The Moral Psychology of Hope, Rowan and Littlefield.

    2018
    Moellendorf, Darrel (2018): Development and Climate Ethics, in: Lever, Anabelle/Paoma, Andrei (Hrsg.), The Routledge Handbook Ethics and Public Policy, London: Routledge, 487–500.
    Moellendorf, Darrel (2018): Ending Wars, in: Lazar, Seth/Frowe, Helen (Hrsg.), The Oxford Handbook of the Ethics of War, Oxford: Oxford University Press. | DOI: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199943418.013.14
    Moellendorf, Darrel (2018): Justice in Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Policies, in: Schmidtz, David/Shahar, Dan (Hrsg.), Environmental Ethics. What Really Matters, What Really Works, 3. Auflage, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
    Moellendorf, Darrel (2018): Justice in Mitigation After Paris, in: Murphy, Colleen/Gandoni, Pablo/McKim, Robert (Hrsg.), Climate Change and Its Impacts: Risks and Inequalities, New York: Springer, 53–68.
    Moellendorf, Darrel (2018): Real-World Global Egalitarianism, in: Eckersley, Robin/Brown, Chris (Hrsg.), Oxford Handbook of International Political Theory, Oxford: Oxford University Press. | DOI: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198746928.013.7
    Moellendorf, Darrel (2018): Three Interpretations of the Anthropocene: Hope and Anxiety at the End of Nature, in: Ethics, Politics and Society.

    2017
    Moellendorf, Darrel; Schaffer, Axel (2017): An Intergenerationally Fair Path to 2ºC, in: Climatic Change, 143:3, 213–226.
    Moellendorf, Darrel (2017): Justice and Climate Change, in: Wolff, Jonathan (Hrsg.), Essential Reading in Ethics, New York: W. W. Norton, 457–467.
    Moellendorf, Darrel (2017): Progress, Destruction, and the Anthropocene, in: Social Philosophy and Policy, 34:2, 66–88.

    2016
    Moellendorf, Darrel (2016): Absolute poverty and global inequality, in: Schramm, Michael/Pogge, Thomas (Hrsg.), Absolute Poverty and Global Justice. Empirical Data – Moral Theories – Initiatives, London: Routledge, 143–154.
    Moellendorf, Darrel (2016): Anti-Poverty, Development, and the Limits of Progress, in: Res Publica, 22:3, 317–325. | doi:10.1007/s11158-016-9329-y
    Moellendorf, Darrel (2016): Can a Liberal State Make Access to Medical Education Conditional on Public Service?, in: Moral Philosophy and Politics, 3:1, 45–53.
    Moellendorf, Darrel; Schaffer, Axel (2016): Equalizing the Intergenerational Burdens of Climate Change — An Alternative to Discounted Utilitarianism, in: Midwest Studies in Philosophy, 30:1, 43–62.
    Moellendorf, Darrel (2016): Global Distributive Justice (2): The Cosmopolitan Point of View, in: Held, David/Maffettone, Pietro (Hrsg.), Global Political Theory, London: Polity Press.
    Moellendorf, Darrel (2016): Taking UNFCCC Norms Seriously, in: Roser, Dominic/Heyward, Jennifer (Hrsg.), Climate Change and Non-Ideal Theory, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 104–125.

    2015
    Moellendorf, Darrel (2015): “Assistance, duty of”, “Cosmopolitanism”, and “Outlaw states”, in: Jon Mandle and David Reidy (eds.), A Rawls Lexicon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
    Moellendorf, Darrel (2015): Can Dangerous Climate Change Be Avoided, in: Global Justice Theory Practice Rhetoric, 8:2, 66–85.
    Moellendorf, Darrel (2015): “Climate Change Justice,” Philosophy Compass, on line, March 2015, 173-186.
    Moellendorf, Darrel; Widdows, Heather (2015): Introduction, in: Moellendorf, Darrel; Widdows, Heather (Hrsg.), The Routledge Handbook of Global Ethics, London: Routledge, 1–3.
    Moellendorf, Darrel (2015): “Two Doctrines of Jus ex Bello,“ Ethics 125:3, 2015, 653-673.

    2014
    Moellendorf, Darrel; Schaffer, Axel (2014): “Beyond Discounted Utilitarianism – Just Distribution of Climate Costs,” Karlsruher Beiträge zur Wirtschaftspolitischen Forschung 34 (2014).
    Moellendorf, Darrel; Widdows, Heather (2014): “Global Ethics Then and Now,” Journal of Global Ethics, 10:3, 2014, 319-325.
    Moellendorf, Darrel (2014): “Just War,” in: Jon Mandle and David Reidy (eds.), A Companion to Rawls, Hoboken: Wiley Blackwell Publishing.
    Moellendorf, Darrel (2014): “Responsibility and the Right to Sustainable Development in Climate Change Treaty Deliberations” in Marcello Di Paola and Gianfranco Pellegrino eds. Canned Heat: The Ethics and Politics of Climate Change, Routledge.
    Moellendorf, Darrel; Widdows, Heather (ed.) (2014): The Handbook of Global Ethics, Durham: Acumen.
    Moellendorf, Darrel (2014): The Moral Challenge of Dangerous Climate Change: Values, Poverty, and Policy, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    2013
    Moellendorf, Darrel (2013): “Human Dignity, Associative Duties, and Egalitarian Global Justice”, in: Gillian Brock (ed.), Cosmopolitanism For and Against, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 222-238.
    Moellendorf, Darrel (2013): “Transcendental Institutionalism and Global Justice,” Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy, 16:2,162-178.

    2012
    Moellendorf, Darrel (2012): “Climate Change and Global Justice,” WIREs Climate Change, 3:131–143.

    2011
    Moellendorf, Darrel (2011): A Normative Account of Dangerous Climate Change, in: Climatic Change, 108:1, 57–72.
    Moellendorf, Darrel (2011): A Right to Sustainable Development, in: The Monist, 94:3, 433–452.
    Moellendorf, Darrel (2011): Cosmopolitanism and Compatriot Duties, in: The Monist, 94:4, 535–554.
    Moellendorf, Darrel (2011): Why Global Inequality Matters, in: Journal of Social Philosophy, 42:1, 99–109.
    Moellendorf, Darrel (2011): Common Atmospheric Ownership and Equal Emissions Entitlements, in: Arnold, Denis (Hrsg.), The Ethics of Global Climate Change, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 104–123.
    Moellendorf, Darrel (2011): Cosmopolitanism and Compatriot Duties, in: The Monist, 94:4, 535–554.
    Moellendorf, Darrel (2011): Jus ex Bello in Afghanistan, in: Ethics and International Affairs, 25:2, 155–164.
    Moellendorf, Darrel (2011): Why Global Inequality Matters, in: Journal of Social Philosophy, 42:1, 99–109.

    2010
    Moellendorf, Darrel (2010): Human Dignity, Respect, and Global Inequality, in: Journal of Global Ethics, 6:3, 339–352.
    Moellendorf, Darrel (2010): Menschenwürde, Gleichheit und globale Gerechtigkeit, in: Broszies, Christoph/Hahn, Henning (Hrsg.), Globale Gerechtigkeit, Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp, 302–328.

    2009
    Moellendorf, Darrel (2009): Global Inequality Matters, Houndmills; New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
    Moellendorf, Darrel (2009): Justice and the Intergenerational Assignment of the Costs of Climate Change, in: Journal of Social Philosophy, 40:2, 204–224.
    Moellendorf, Darrel (2009): Treaty Norms and Climate Change Mitigation, in: Ethics and International Affairs, 23:3, 247–265.

    2008
    Pogge, Thomas; Moellendorf, Darrel (2008): Global Justice: Seminal Essays, St. Paul: Paragon.

    2007
    Moellendorf, Darrel (2007): Reconciliation as a Political Value, in: Journal of Social Philosophy, 38:2, 205–221.

News from the research center

Event
18.04.2026 | Frankfurt am Main

Das Prinzip Donald Trump und die Verrohung der Welt

Panel Discussion, Lecture

Ein neuer Politikstil macht international Karriere. Er ist gekennzeichnet von Vulgarität, Verrohung und erklärter Rechtsfeindschaft. Machtinteressen werden nicht mehr juristisch bemäntelt. Stattdessen wird das angebliche Recht des Stärkeren zur Staatsdoktrin gemacht – innenpolitisch wie außenpolitisch. Treibende Kraft hinter dieser Verrohung der politischen Sitten ist ein US-Präsident, der nicht nur die amerikanische Gesellschaft und Kultur, sondern auch die globale Ordnung nach seinen Vorstellungen und Interessen umgestaltet. Die Römerberggespräche wollen diesen Politikstil verstehen.

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Event
29.04.2026 | Frankfurt am Main

Kulturindustrie heute?

Panel Discussion

Das Gespräch „Kulturindustrie heute?“ widmet sich der Aktualität und Tragfähigkeit eines zentralen Begriffs der Kritischen Theorie. Die Filmwissenschaftlerin Gertrud Koch diskutiert im Rahmen der Gesprächsreihe "Frankfurter Schule" mit dem Filmkritiker Bert Rebhandl die gegenwärtigen Formen kultureller Produktion und Verbreitung vor dem Hintergrund von Digitalisierung, Plattformen und globalen Medienmärkten.

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Event
20.03.2026 | Frankfurt am Main

40 Jahre Schengen-Raum

Colloquium

Der 1984 geschlossene Schengen-Vertrag schuf einen heute 29 Staaten umfassenden Raum ohne Binnengrenzen, doch Migration über die Außengrenzen führte zuletzt zur Wiedereinführung von Kontrollen, auch durch die Bundesregierung ab 8. Mai 2025. Das Walter Hallstein-Kolloquium diskutiert die rechtliche Zulässigkeit, wirtschaftliche Folgen insbesondere für Arbeitsmigration und Arbeitsmarkt sowie die Zukunft des Schengen-Raums.

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News
12.02.2026

Satanist politics and the decline of reason in liberal democracies

For the last time in the winter semester 2025/26, the Research Center hosted the lecture series "Am Scheidepunkt. On the crisis of democracy". At the end, philosopher Michael Rosen from Harvard University presented his concept of "satanic politics" as a variant of the political interpretation of the world.

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News
09.02.2026

On the topicality of the concept of violence based on Camus and Derrida

Prof. Dr. Christine Abbt from the University of St. Gallen gave a lecture on democracies and the concept of violence as part of the lecture series "At the crossroads? On the crisis of democracy", she gave a lecture on democracies and the concept of violence. Under the title "Defending democracies. On the topicality of the concept of violence in Camus and Derrida", the philosopher discussed forms of violence and revolt and categorized them with regard to a democratic setting.

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Publication
04.02.2026 | Journal article

New Perspectives on Trust in International Conflicts

Wille, Tobias; Simon, Hendrik; Daase, Christopher; Deitelhoff, Nicole; Wheeler, Nicholas J.; Holmes, Marcus; Rathbun, Brian C.; Acharya, Amitav; Mitzen, Jennifer (2026): „New Perspectives on Trust in International Conflicts“. In: International Studies Review 28 (1), viaf027.

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News
02.02.2026

States competing for people - David Owen on civil geopolitics

As part of the lecture series "At the Crossroads - The Future of Democracy", David Owen from the University of Southampton presented his concept of civil geopolitics.

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News
20.01.2026

Christine Hentschel on reorientation in catastrophic times

As part of the lecture series "At the crossroads? On the crisis of democracy", the sociologist spoke about living in and dealing with catastrophic times. Against the backdrop of the destruction of living conditions, wars, permanent crises and threats to democracy, Hentschel addressed the infiltration of the catastrophic into everyday social life and a changing activist and literary approach to the future.

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Publication
08.01.2026 | Journal article

Gender Differences in Financial Advice

Bucher-Koenen, Tabea; Hackethal, Andreas; Koenen, Johannes; Laudenbach, Christine (2025): „Gender Differences in Financial Advice“. In: American Economic Review, 115 (12), pp. 4218–4252.

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