David Rischel
Research interests
In my PhD, I answer several normative questions relating to territory and territorial rights. The first set of questions relate to territorial jurisdiction, and concern when, how, and why states gain the right to rule their territories. I defend a so-called ‘functionalist’ answer to this question, according to which states gain the right to rule their territories when the satisfy a standard of justice. I also defend this answer against the objection that this implies that a state can annex another state when doing so better satisfies the relevant standard of justice.
The second set of questions relate to the political morality of secession and annexation. Here, in line with my answers to the first set of questions, I argue that sub-state communities have a primary right to secede, when doing so satisfies their existing and forward-looking duties of justice.
The final set of questions I answer concern territorial justice. More specifically, I ask “what is the fair distribution of land?”, and I answer that a fair distribution of land is integrationist. This means that we should distribute land in accordance with our more general theory of distributive justice. This contrasts with an isolationist answer, according to which we should distribute land according to a tailor-made distributive principle.
More broadly, my research interests lie within contemporary political and social philosophy, with a particular focus on territory, justice, and legitimacy.
In the future, I hope to continue my research in several directions. First, I am interested in developing more fully a theory of territorial justice. This would, among other issues, answer the questions: how should we value land, given the different interests that people have in it? When is it permissible to tax people for their landholdings, and at what level? This relates to a second set of questions, which concern economic growth and productivism. Should we incentivise people to use their land holdings in an economically optimal manner, e.g., through a Land-Value Tax (LVT)? Or is this disrespectful to some (e.g., indigenous communities) who value land for spiritual or other reasons?
In addition, I actively contribute to Danish media and public debate. In the past I have published on, among other things, the end of history, the crises of liberalism, climate change, and bioethics.
Publications
Rischel, D. (2024). Property, nature, and the freedom to roam. Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy, 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/13698230.2024.2387995
Teaching
In 2021-2022, I taught seminar groups on the module Justice, Democracy, and Citizenship (PO 134). In 2022-2023, I taught Principles of Political Economy: Philosophy and Politics (PH338), and I will do so again in the academic year of 2024-2025.