I’m interested in history of philosophy, ethics, and technology.

I have two main history projects. The first is about connections between Immanuel Kant’s theoretical and practical philosophy. The research has grown into interests in Schopenhauer and Spinoza. The second project is in Ancient Philosophy, especially Aristotle and the early Stoics. I’m interested in the various types of holism in the history of philosophy.

I also think (and worry) about technology—the internet and AI in particular. I am interested in several topics: 1) the new ways in which ‘the medium is the message’, as Marshall McLuhan said; 2) automation and its associated political issues; 3) existential risk presented by AI; and 4) the moral status of machines. A theme that unites these interests is creation ethics: the moral considerations at play in creative acts, specifically with respect to the good of the creation itself.

My thinking on technology is informed by two related approaches. The first is a return to the environmental roots of the Philosophy of Technology. I believe moral holism, like Aldo Leopold’s Land Ethic, can aid us in making wise creative decisions. Second, I explore the philosophical basis for Luddism, a framework that can center technology discussions around a responsible set of moral, political, and economic priorities.