Research carried out within the Sciences, Philosophies and Societies department is overseen by Research Institutes (Esphin, Transitions, naXys) and two Research Centers (CBUNand cUNdp). This research is diverse: healthcare ethics, ethics of new technologies, development ethics, philosophy of medicine, political philosophy, logic, metaphysics, philosophy of science, faith-science relations, etc. The four lines of research are:

1. Philosophy of science

The department is a place for the development of research and teaching in connection with the philosophy of science, with an overriding emphasis brought to the metaphysics and epistemology of the natural sciences. In particular, some of the research axes currently favoured are:

• Emergence and reductionism
• Demarcation between science and pseudoscience
• Promoting scientific literacy and critical thinking through epistemological tools
• Trust in expertise

In addition to teaching dedicated to epistemology, logic or even the history of science, the department is also involved in the "Sciences and philosophies of the universe" certificate.

2. Healthcare ethics

This theme is very broad and mainly concerns the research and teaching activities of the Centre de Bioéthique de l'Université de Namur (CBUN) directed by Laurent RAVEZ.

CBUN members publish in the fields of public health ethics, research ethics, clinical ethics, philosophy of medicine, disability ethics, and the links between bioethics and law.

For several years now, the CBUN has organized the Certificat interuniversitaire en éthique des soins de santé (CUESS), primarily aimed at healthcare professionals. CBUN has a strong presence in healthcare institutions, through service and consultancy activities.

3. Human development, social justice, interculturality

The issue of human development is central to teaching and several research projects.Normative issues relating to development, social justice and interculturality are addressed and studied, mainly on the basis of the "capability approach" (A. Sen): development ethics, value pluralism, epistemic injustice, structural injustice, participatory approach, inclusive knowledge management.

Research projects in this area are carried out as part of international cooperation programs - in India, Peru, the Philippines - but also in Belgium on issues relating to secularism and school education. They combine theoretical and field research.

The link between this research and teaching is embodied more specifically in the international specialized master's degree (ARES-CCD) "Gestion Intégrée des Risques Sanitaires" (GIRIS).

4. Philosophy of medicine