Most of my research time is dedicated to philosophical questions regarding low mood and depression. Specifically, I am interested in why evolution gave us the capacity for low mood, how low mood plays its functional role in cognition, what the intentional content of low mood is (and whether this explains its aforementioned functional role, and even its phenomenal character), and whether extreme low mood (i.e., depression) is actually a mood disorder, or whether it is an extreme but nonetheless functional response to certain types of adversity. I am also interested in how answering these questions may help us treat and better the lives of thos…
Most of my research time is dedicated to philosophical questions regarding low mood and depression. Specifically, I am interested in why evolution gave us the capacity for low mood, how low mood plays its functional role in cognition, what the intentional content of low mood is (and whether this explains its aforementioned functional role, and even its phenomenal character), and whether extreme low mood (i.e., depression) is actually a mood disorder, or whether it is an extreme but nonetheless functional response to certain types of adversity. I am also interested in how answering these questions may help us treat and better the lives of those suffering from depression.