Boston University
Department of Philosophy
PhD, 2019
APA Eastern Division
CV
Boston, MA, United States of America
PhilPapers Editorships
Damaris Masham
Sophie de Grouchy
  •  145
    This chapter explores the place of remorse in Sophie de Grouchy’s moral theory, as presented in her 1798 work, Letters on Sympathy, which was originally published with her translation of Adam Smith’s Theory of Moral Sentiments. I argue that, for Grouchy, a cultivated sense of remorse weakens our self-conceit by drawing our attention to the ways in which we harm others, even for seemingly justifiable reasons. In so doing, we are led to recognize the equal standing of others, which gives rise to t…Read more
  •  71
    Sophie de Grouchy on the Problem of Economic Inequality
    Southern Journal of Philosophy 61 (1): 112-132. 2023.
    In this article, I consider Grouchy's critique of economic inequality and her proposed solution to what she perceives as this grave social ill. On her view, economic inequality chips away at the bonds of accountability in society and prevents people from seeing one another as moral equals. As a step toward restoring these bonds between people, Grouchy argues that: first, we should expand property ownership, thereby giving each person a stake in the community; second, we should ensure access to e…Read more
  •  15
    This review covers two recent monographs on Adam Smith: Samuel Fleischacker’s Adam Smith and John McHugh’s Adam Smith’s ‘The Theory of Moral Sentiments’: A Critical Commentary. Fleischacker’s work fills a significant gap in Smith scholarship. There have been relatively few attempts to present Smith in a way that is inviting to non-specialists while also doing justice to him as a systematic thinker. Adam Smith presents a compelling picture of a philosopher who makes the case for freedom and a lif…Read more
  •  192
    Out of Step with the World
    In Joshua Heter & Richard Greene (eds.), Punk Rock and Philosophy: Research and Destroy, Carus Books. pp. 309-317. 2022.
    What are we to make of the cultural nonconformity of hardcore/punks? Is there any ethical value in the pursuit of cultural nonconformity? Distinct moral justifications can be teased from the lyrics of the hardcore/punk bands that we have grown up with and still love. The best explanation of what makes cultural nonconformity morally valuable, we believe, comes from John Stuart Mill: that it opens up new cultural space to oneself and to others, permitting "new and original experiments of living."
  •  10
    M.A. Thesis - Hume on the Nature of Moral Freedom
    Dissertation, Georgia State University. 2012.
    Paul Russell argues that the interpretation of Hume as a classical compatibilist is misguided. Russell defends a naturalistic reading of Humean freedom and moral responsibility. On this account, Hume holds two theses: that moral responsibility is a product of our moral sentiments, and that our concept of moral freedom is derived from our considerations of moral responsibility. Russell claims that Hume’s theory of the passions is non-cognitivist, and thus that his account of moral judgment fails …Read more
  •  266
    Samuel Fleischacker, Being Me Being You: Adam Smith and Empathy (review)
    Society 59 (2): 213-215. 2022.
    With Being Me Being You, Samuel Fleischacker provides a reconstruction and defense of Adam Smith’s account of empathy, and the role it plays in building moral consensus, motivating moral behavior, and correcting our biases, prejudices, and tendency to demonize one another. He sees this book as an intervention in recent debates about the role that empathy plays in our morality. For some, such as Paul Bloom, Joshua Greene, Jesse Prinz, and others, empathy, or our capacity for fellow-feeling, tends…Read more
  •  390
    The dissertation traces the development of what I call “the problem of partiality” through the work of certain key figures in the British Moralist tradition: John Locke, Catharine Trotter Cockburn, Anthony Ashley Cooper (the Third Earl of Shaftesbury), Francis Hutcheson, John Gay, David Hume, Joseph Butler, and Adam Smith. On the one hand, we are committed to impartiality as a constitutive norm of moral judgment and conduct. On the other hand, we are committed to the idea that it is permissible,…Read more
  •  36
    Is Hume's Ideal Moral Judge a Woman?
    Hume Studies 43 (2): 79-102. 2017.
    Hume refers to women as imaginative, compassionate, conversable, and delicate. While his appraisals of women seem disparate, I argue that they reflect a position about the distinctive role that Hume takes women to have in shaping and enforcing moral norms. On his view, I maintain, women provide us with the ideal model of a moral judge. I claim that Hume sees a tight connection between moral competency and those traits he identifies as feminine. Making this case requires clarifying a few concepts…Read more
  •  242
    A Minimalist Account of Love
    In Rachel Fedock, Michael Kühler & T. Raja Rosenhagen (eds.), Love, Justice, and Autonomy: Philosophical Perspectives, Routledge. pp. 61-78. 2020.
    There is a prima facie conflict between the values of love and autonomy. How can we bind ourselves to a person and still enjoy the fruits of self-determination? This chapter argues that the solution to this conflict lies in recognizing that love is the basis of autonomy: one must love a person in order to truly appreciate their autonomy. To make this case, this chapter defends a minimalist account of love, according to which love is an agreeable sensation that is experienced when considering the…Read more
  •  66
    Adam Smith and the Stoic principle of suicide
    European Journal of Philosophy 28 (2): 350-363. 2019.
    A substantial portion of Adam Smith's discussion of Stoicism in TMS VII is dedicated to the Stoic “principle of suicide,” according to which suicide is sometimes morally required. While scholars agree that Stoicism exercised considerable influence over Smith, no recent work has explored his views on suicide, despite the central role it plays in his treatment of Stoicism. I argue that Smith opposes the principle of suicide on both epistemic and moral grounds, providing an important critique of St…Read more
  •  36
    Catharine Trotter Cockburn’s Democratization of Moral Virtue
    Canadian Journal of Philosophy 50 (1): 83-97. 2020.
    This paper examines Catharine Trotter Cockburn’s moral philosophy, focusing on her accounts of virtuous conduct, conscience, obligation, and moral character. I argue that Cockburn’s account of virtue has two interlocking parts: a view of what virtue requires of us, and a view of how we come to see this requirement as authoritative. I then argue that while the two parts are ultimately in tension with one another, the tension is instructive. I use Cockburn’s encounter with Shaftesbury’s writings t…Read more
  •  59
    John Gay and the Birth of Utilitarianism
    Utilitas 30 (1): 86-106. 2018.
    This article concerns John Gay’s 1731 essay ‘Preliminary Dissertation Concerning the Fundamental Principle of Virtue or Morality’. Gay undertakes two tasks here, the first of which is to supply a criterion of virtue. I argue that he is the first modern philosopher to claim that universal happiness is the aim of moral action. In other words: Gay is the first utilitarian. His second task is to explain the source of moral motivation. He draws upon the principles of association to argue (a) that we …Read more
  •  61
    A Model Sophist: Nietzsche on Protagoras and Thucydides
    with Joel E. Mann
    Journal of Nietzsche Studies 42 (1): 51-72. 2011.
    Abstract: While many commentators have remarked on Nietzsche’s admiration for the Greek historian Thucydides, most reduce the affinity between the two thinkers to their common commitments to “political realism” or “scientific naturalism.” At the same time, some of these same commentators have sought to minimize or dismiss Nietzsche’s enthusiasm for the Greek sophists. We do not deny the importance of realism or naturalism, but we suggest that, for Nietzsche, realism and naturalism are rooted in …Read more
  •  30
    Ryan Hanley (ed.), Adam Smith: His Life, Thought, and Legacy (review)
    Review of Metaphysics 70 (1): 131-132. 2016.
    Adam Smith: His Life, Thought, and Legacy comprises thirty-two essays on the thought of Adam Smith from top scholars in the humanities and social sciences. This is wide-ranging collection is indispensable for Smith scholars and anyone interested in his works. The book is divided into five sections. In what follows, I will say something about each of the sections with an eye to how they contribute to the significance and novelty of the volume as a whole.