Interests

I am chiefly interested in foundational questions about the good. I investigate the hypothesis that value is relational, and more particularly, that good is good for. I find myself thinking about hard cases for this style of proposal, for example, the value of humanity, and perfectionist values such as exemplary artworks and intellectual pursuits. The value of humanity is a signature topic in Kantian ethics. Perfectionist values are a point of focus for those broadly indebted to G. E. Moore. To that extent, my work engages with two dominant approaches in modern ethical theory (though the proposals I develop are fundamentally non-Kantian and non-Moorean). My work is grounded in the history of philosophy even as it is fundamentally constructive and oriented towards contemporary discussions.  I have written on Kant’s moral philosophy, regress arguments, ethical realism, and the nature of well-being. I am writing a book on the good—a topic I have come to see as almost impossibly difficult. Lately I want to know what can be said for the idea that our relationship to ourselves is at the heart of ethics. This puts me in conversation (and in some ways disagreement) with Iris Murdoch whose work is inspiring a new series of papers.