Conrad Heilmann has been appointed Professor of Philosophy of Economics at the Erasmus School of Philosophy (ESPhil), Erasmus University Rotterdam.
The Chair of Philosophy of Economics addresses questions related to the methodology and ethics of economics, rational choice and game theory as well as the history of economic thought. It contributes to assessing the discipline of economics critically and constructively from multiple philosophical perspectives, such as the philosophy of science, decision and game theory, and formal philosophy.
Conrad Heilmann: “Economics is a highly consequential social science. It commands normative and practical authority, but its results and societal role are also challenged. What are significant methodological developments in economics, and how do they contribute to the epistemic successes and failures of the discipline? How can economics as a scientific discipline help addressing the pressing normative and political questions of our time? How can economics be used to create a more sustainable and fairer economy for all? In short: how can economics be a responsible science? These are the long-term questions that I will address.”
The philosophy of economics has grown as a field of research internationally and the methodology of economics is now part of the mainstream in philosophy of science. Conrad Heilmann: “To make further progress in the philosophy of economics, it is indispensable to cultivate research on “new” topics, to collaborate closely with economists, other social scientists, philosophers from a variety of subfields, as well as the ‘users’ who apply economics in industry and policy-making.”
The Chair of Philosophy of Economics has previously been held by Jack Vromen, who is retiring in August 2025.
CV Conrad Heilmann
Conrad Heilmann joined Erasmus School of Philosophy in 2011. He received undergraduate training in economics (Hamburg) and political science (Sciences Po Lille), before earning an MSc in Philosophy of Social Science from the London School of Economics (LSE). Studying with the then newly formed LSE Choice Group, and visiting the Australian National University in 2008, he earned his PhD in philosophy from the Department of Philosophy, Logic, and Scientific Method at the LSE in 2010.
Conrad is a philosopher of economics. He co-edited the 2022 Routledge Handbook of Philosophy of Economics. His research centres on intertemporal rationality, measurement, fairness, and the methodology of financial economics. He has conducted research projects on time discounting (Marie Curie), measurement in economics (NWO Veni), fairness (jointly with Stefan Wintein, ESPhil), the philosophy of economics of Jan Tinbergen (ESPhil, ESE and the Erasmus Initiative Dynamics of Inclusive Prosperity), and values in finance (jointly with Marta Szymanowska (RSM), Erasmus Initiative Dynamics of Inclusive Prosperity, and Department of Finance, RSM).
Conrad is a co-director of the EIPE, jointly with Jack Vromen and Constanze Binder. The chair in Philosophy of Economics supports EIPE’s standing as the leading research centre in the philosophy of economics. Founded in 1997, EIPE has been playing an influential role in shaping the research agenda and educating the next generations of philosophers of economics.
Conrad serves as the vice-dean of research at ESPhil. Previously, he has led the Research Master’s in Philosophy and Economics as programme director and served as the ESPhil Open and Responsible Science ambassador. He was the winner of the “2024 PhD supervisor of the year” award of the Erasmus Graduate School of Humanities and Social Science (EGSH). He served as the honorary promotor for Alison Wylie’s honorary doctorate at the 2024 Dies Natalis of the EUR. He has been a core faculty member of the Erasmus Initiative Dynamics of Inclusive Prosperity, and a member of the Young Erasmus Academy of the EUR.
Conrad has been teaching philosophy of economics at ESE and ESPhil. For more than ten years, Conrad has been teaching philosophy of science to graduate students at the Erasmus Research Institute of Management (ERIM) and in the RSM part-time PhD programme. He is a book review editor for Economics & Philosophy, and has been a member of the steering committee of the Decisions, Games and Logic (DGL) workshop series, the San Sebastian and Como INEM Summer Schools of Philosophy of Economics, and the conference Series in Formal Ethics.