My research interests range widely over normative ethics, moral epistemology, and metaphysics. Currently, I am especially interested in four sets of questions:
(1) To what extent, if any, does morality tell us to care about what the world looks like from a "selfless," impersonal point of view? When, if ever, is it morally objectionable to look at the world from that point of view? What, if anything, is good about seeing the world from one's personal point of view?
(2) What is the relationship between self-interested reasons and altruistic reasons? Does our conception of the nature of persons have any bearing on that question? Is there any …
My research interests range widely over normative ethics, moral epistemology, and metaphysics. Currently, I am especially interested in four sets of questions:
(1) To what extent, if any, does morality tell us to care about what the world looks like from a "selfless," impersonal point of view? When, if ever, is it morally objectionable to look at the world from that point of view? What, if anything, is good about seeing the world from one's personal point of view?
(2) What is the relationship between self-interested reasons and altruistic reasons? Does our conception of the nature of persons have any bearing on that question? Is there any reason to lament the nature of persons?
(3) How should we feel about the fact that most of what we love and cherish is impermanent? Does that fact preclude our lives from being meaningful? Should we strive to accept that fact? Or is this a fact we should never accept?
(4) What, if anything, do we morally owe past generations? To what extent, if any, does the meaningfulness of our current pursuits depend on what past generations did? Are backtracking counterfactuals morally significant?
