Dr. Ahmad Rafiq Eltahan is a researcher specializing in the linguistic and philosophical analysis of discourse and moral judgment.

He holds a PhD in Classical Arabic Literature and Criticism (Cairo University), with a research background in philology, manuscript studies, and Arabic literary theory. His early work focused on the epistemological and ethical structures of classical Arabic texts, examining how meaning is constructed within literary traditions.

Building on this foundation, his research has developed toward the analysis of discourse as a site where moral judgment is shaped and rationalized. Drawing on approaches such as Critical Discourse Analysis and philosophical frameworks associated with Michel Foucault, his work examines how language can structure, justify, and normalize forms of violence, including ongoing research on the rationalization of genocidal discourse.

More recently, his research engages with contemporary debates in moral decision-making, particularly through a critical re-examination of canonical moral dilemmas (e.g., trolley-type cases). His work argues that the linguistic construction of these dilemmas does not merely present choices but pre-configures the agent’s decision space, thereby raising methodological questions about their validity as models of moral cognition.

Across these domains, his research develops an interdisciplinary framework connecting linguistic analysis, discourse theory, and moral philosophy, with the aim of reassessing how language shapes moral cognition and normative reasoning.

In addition to his research, he previously held an official research position at the Center for Heritage Verification, Egyptian National Library and Archives (Ministry of Culture, Egypt), where he was actively involved in major manuscript and lexicographical projects.