Dr. Magdalena T. Bogacz is an Assistant Professor of Military and Security Studies and a Course Director for War Theory and Philosophy course at the United States Space Force Schriever Space Scholars Program within the Johns Hopkins University, School of Advanced International Studies, in Washington, D.C. She teaches courses on War Theory, Philosophy, Space Ethics, and Leadership.
Dr. Bogacz received her bachelor’s degree in philosophy and psychology from the California State University, Bakersfield (2016), a master’s degree in philosophy from KU Leuven in Belgium (2017), where her studies focused on philosophy of science, specifically, competing types of scientific explanations and natural sciences’ epistemologies, and a Doctorate degree (2021) in Executive Education and Global Studies from the University of Southern California where her primary field of study was Leadership, Higher Education, and Philosophy.
Her multidisciplinary research explores philosophical topics in relation to war and peace, such as just war tradition, professional ethics, norms formation in space, and space ethics proper, as well as teaching and learning methodologies within professional military education with a specific focus on the relationship between higher education, innovation, and national security as well as ethics education.
To that end, she published numerous articles on space ethics, space norms, professional military education, and philosophy in several prestigious journals, such as Philosophy of Science journal, Journal of Military Ethics, Astropolitics, and Joint Force Quarterly (see the list of publications for details).
Currently, Dr. Bogacz works on two projects: (1) developing a universal space ethics framework that would complement the five “tenets of responsible behavior in space”, with a special focus on norm violations and attribution of aggressive behavior and (2) reconciling the debate between just war traditionalists and revisionists and applying it to the emerging norms of space warfare.
Dr. Bogacz has been teaching in professional military education (PME) for four years after over half a decade of teaching in civilian institutions. Within her first year at the USSF Schriever Space Scholars (SSS) program, she received a Students’ Choice Award for the Professor of the Year (2023). Prior to joining SSS, Dr. Bogacz worked at Air University, where she won a Civilian Category IV Quarterly Award her first year. Before joining PME, she was a Philosophy Faculty member at the California State University, Bakersfield, and Bakersfield College. She taught a variety of courses in Philosophy and Ethics, including Critical Thinking and Advanced Composition, Logic, and Ethics of Living and Dying. Dr. Bogacz also serves as a Global Ethics Instructor at the Southern New Hampshire University.
- Bogacz M. T., Lanier, J. F. (2025). Space Ethics and Security: The United States Tenets of Responsible Behavior in Space in a Universal Ethics Framework. Astropolitics, vol. 23 (1), 53-72. https://doi.org/10.1080/14777622.2025.2502390
- Bogacz, M.T. (forthcoming in Journal of Military Ethics). Jus ad Bellum and the May Coup: Pilsudski’s Path to Authority Through a Citizen’s Arrest.
- Fraioli, S. A. & Bogacz, M. T. (forthcoming in Naval War College Press). The Frailty Myth: The Case for Gender-neutral Physical Fitness Assessment Practices among the United States Airmen.
- McConwell, A. et al. (2025). Changing Working Environments in Philosophy: Reflections from a Case Study. Philosophy of Science. https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/24777/1/Changing%20working%20environments_PENULTIMATE_Feb%2018%202025.pdf
- Bogacz, M., (2025). Changing Working Environments in Philosophy: Reflections from a Case Study. [Supplemental Material]. Philosophy of Science. https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/24777/1/Changing%20working%20environments_PENULTIMATE_Feb%2018%202025.pdf
- Bogacz, M. (2023). Enhancing National Security: Increasing Female Faculty in Professional Military Education Would Strengthen the U.S. Security. Joint Force Quarterly 110(3), 54-60. (Winner of the Joint Force Quarterly Maerz Awards in category JPME Today).
- Bogacz, M. T. (2023). Linking Innovation Back to National Security via Innovation Ecosystems: The Role of Higher Education and Equitable Faculty Socialization. In Edward L. Mienie (Ed.). United States Higher Education and National Security (pp.117-141). University of North Georgia Press.
- Bogacz, M. T. (2023, May 30). The Case for Space Ethics. The Space Review. https://www.thespacereview.com/article/4591/1
- Magdalena Bogacz. Review of Zimmerman, Joshua D., Jozef Pilsudski: Founding Father of Modern Poland. H-War, H-net Reviews. June, 2023. URL: https://www.h-net.org/reviews/showpdf.php?id=59107
War Theory and Philosophy aims to equip leaders of the Joint force with the skills of strategic thinking, critical analysis, and proficient warfighting. The course challenges students to engage with the multifaceted changes in political, technological, economic, and social landscapes that have shaped the Profession of Arms in the past two centuries. By transcending tactical considerations, the curriculum encourages students to broaden their perspectives to encompass operations, strategy, and policy. Emphasizing the importance of critical thinking in the modern military context, the course prompts students to reflect on the evolving role of the Profession of Arms. It fosters a deep understanding of warfare, enabling students to anticipate and adapt to changes in armed conflict while effectively communicating their insights with precision and clarity.
The view of space as the final destination of humankind, a combination of religious and ethical elements with natural philosophy, can be traced back to the 19th century Russian Cosmism, and, in particular, Nikolai Fyodorov. More recently, Carl Sagan have advocated similar reasoning, although he focused more on science and less on mysticism. The basic frame of Sagan’s argument is based on the idea that humans have evolved an urge to explore and wander, both psychologically and genetically. The expression of our fundamental human nature, the desire to wander, correlates with Earth’s human migration. Simply put, the next and inevitable step is space. The question of whether space expansionism is beneficial (for financial growth, innovation, and cultural diversification) or necessary (for survival and to manifest destiny) is ultimately ethical in nature. This question is not only about if we can go to space and build, settle, and live there, but rather, if we should. Naturally, since the 1960s Space Race between the USSR and United States, the answer to the first question is affirmative. But “can” alone does not imply “ought.” Furthermore, even if the answer to the second question is also affirmative—we ought to go and settle space for the benefit of humankind and it would be wrong not to do so—we are left with yet another conundrum. Assuming our future lies in the stars, and we have a moral obligation to ensure the continued survival of the human species, how will we share and how can we protect the space environment? In other words, what are the norms of ethical behavior in space? Who gets to go? How will we live with each other? And perhaps most importantly, how can we live well to ensure human flourishing and reaching Aristotelian eudaimonia? This course will explore the history, ethics, and future of human space activities.