Research
My research is primarily concerned with topics at the intersection of ethics and metaphysics in the philosophy of Kant, in Post-Kantian German Idealism, and in 19th and 20th century Jewish Thought. I also have longstanding interests in Phenomenology, Existentialism, and Critical Theory.
A central aim of my work is to draw attention to the ongoing relevance of the views defended by post-Kantian philosophers, by showing how they arise from problems internal to the Kantian framework, and by drawing parallels to similar topics in contemporary philosophy of action, ethics, and metaphysics.
My book, For the Love of Metaphysics: Nihilism and the Conflict of Reason from Kant to Rosenzweig, published by Oxford University Press in 2018, presents a new perspective on the history of German Idealism that focuses on the role of the principle of sufficient reason in metaphysical inquiry and the Kantian idea of a primacy of practical reason.
Currently I am working on two book manuscripts. The first is on Kantian and post-Kantian conceptions of the highest good; the second develops a distinctive post-Kantian form of moral perfectionism. Below I provide a brief description of each project.
Research Projects
Neo-Aristotelian Ethical Naturalism and Post-Kantian Moral Perfectionism
In recent years, neo-Aristotelian ethical naturalism has received significant critical attention. Proponents of this view, such as Philippa Foot, Rosalind Hursthouse, and Michael Thompson argue that we should conceive moral goodness as a form of natural goodness. On...
The Highest Good in German Idealism
In his Critique of Practical Reason, Kant argues that moral agents have a duty to promote the highest good, a state of affairs that involves a proportionality or harmony between two heterogeneous elements: virtue and happiness. He also argues that this duty to...