Samuel Wilson Ph.D.

About

Samuel Wilson, Ph.D., is an associate professor of leadership at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia. His teaching and research focus is on leadership and leadership development, with a focus on leadership for the common good and the leadership practice of emergency physicians. He is co-creator of the Australian Leadership Index, co-director of the Public Interest Technology program of the Social Innovation Research Institute, deputy director of the Social Psychology of Innovation Research Group, and co-convenor of the Technology x Society Forum.

Recent Posts

What Can Ordinary People Do to Address Social Polarization?

In the face of systemic challenges like polarization, it is easy to feel hopeless. Happily, there is much we can do to practice everyday leadership for the common good.

How to Have Impossible Conversations About the Common Good

To mitigate polarization and division in our communities, we need to learn to talk to each other in a way that fosters mutual understanding.

Seeking Balance Between Competing Notions of the Common Good

In pluralistic societies, there are reasonable differences of opinion about what is right, fair or just. We need to learn to balance different conceptions of the common good.

Social Justice, Social Order, and the Common Good

We are divided in our worldviews about what constitutes a good society. To foster constructive conversation, we should put these worldviews on an equal moral footing.

Responsible Social Innovation and the Public Good

On the face of it, the idea that research, innovation, and technology should serve the public interest is entirely reasonable. However, what does the public interest actually mean?

The Common Good and the Paradoxes of Right vs. Right

The paradoxes of the common good are unavoidable in complex, pluralistic societies. Our responses to these paradoxes may be a fundamental determinant of the fate of our society.

Sustainability and the Search for the Common Good

To address concerns about the end of a "safe operating space for humanity", it is vital to take a heterodox view of the common good to find durable solutions to complex problems.

The Common Good: Good for Whom?

What can we do to foster the common good in divided times? Start the search for "the good" with humility, curiosity, and a simple question: "What does better look like?"

How to Make Sense of the Paradoxes of the Common Good

Feeling confused by competing ideas about the right thing to do and be? A paradoxical lens can go a long way to making sense of life's absurdities.

Despite Our Differences, Can We Find a Common Good?

What is the common good, and how can we foster the search for the good?