I am a philosopher at the University of Nottingham. I previously worked at Durham and Leeds. My research is mainly in ethics and epistemology, with interests in misanthropy and pessimism, virtue and character, epistemic injustice, philosophy of illness, comparative philosophy, and the relationships between human beings, animals, and the natural world.
Much of my work is concerned with the ethical and epistemic difficulties of human life: how we understand ourselves and others; how our characters shape what we notice and value; how suffering and injustice affect our capacities for understanding; and what different philosophical traditions can teach us about living well in an imperfect world.
My current research includes a book on philosophical misanthropy, work on Mary Midgley and human nature, projects on epistemic injustice and the philosophy of illness, and research on virtue, beauty, animals, and care. I also work on Classical Chinese and Buddhist philosophy, especially where these traditions illuminate questions in contemporary ethics and epistemology.
Research themes
Epistemic injustice and healthcare
Illness, psychiatry, healthcare ethics, institutional epistemology, and EPIC: Epistemic Injustice in Health Care.
Character and epistemic life
Virtue and vice epistemology, epistemic corruption, humility, and education.
Comparative philosophy
Chinese philosophy, Buddhism, aesthetics, and exemplarity.
Pessimism and misanthropy
Pessimism, misanthropy, suffering, extremism, and existentialism.
History and philosophy of science
Feyerabend, pluralism, and scientism.
Twentieth-century philosophy
Mary Midgley studies and Wittgenstein.
For more, see my pages on Research, Talks, Events, Teaching, and Public philosophy.
Selected forthcoming work
Selected forthcoming workMainly on gloomy topics, sorry!
You can also find me on ResearchGate, PhilPeople, and LinkedIn.
If you're interested in my work, email me.
Much of my work is concerned with the ethical and epistemic difficulties of human life: how we understand ourselves and others; how our characters shape what we notice and value; how suffering and injustice affect our capacities for understanding; and what different philosophical traditions can teach us about living well in an imperfect world.
My current research includes a book on philosophical misanthropy, work on Mary Midgley and human nature, projects on epistemic injustice and the philosophy of illness, and research on virtue, beauty, animals, and care. I also work on Classical Chinese and Buddhist philosophy, especially where these traditions illuminate questions in contemporary ethics and epistemology.
Research themes
Epistemic injustice and healthcare
Illness, psychiatry, healthcare ethics, institutional epistemology, and EPIC: Epistemic Injustice in Health Care.
Character and epistemic life
Virtue and vice epistemology, epistemic corruption, humility, and education.
Comparative philosophy
Chinese philosophy, Buddhism, aesthetics, and exemplarity.
Pessimism and misanthropy
Pessimism, misanthropy, suffering, extremism, and existentialism.
History and philosophy of science
Feyerabend, pluralism, and scientism.
Twentieth-century philosophy
Mary Midgley studies and Wittgenstein.
For more, see my pages on Research, Talks, Events, Teaching, and Public philosophy.
Selected forthcoming work
Selected forthcoming workMainly on gloomy topics, sorry!
- ‘Philosophical Pessimism and the Heterogeneity of Suffering’, Journal of Ethics, forthcoming 2026/27.
- ‘Silence in Illness’, with Dan Degerman and Havi Carel, Royal Institute of Philosophy Supplement, forthcoming 2026.
- ‘The Dark Side of Technomoral Life: Towards a Vice Framework for Artificial Intelligence’, with Jennifer Chubb and Joshua Forstenzer, Philosophy of AI, forthcoming 2026.
- ‘Broadening our View of the Beasts: Mary Midgley on Myopia, Myths, and Why Animals Matter’, in Ellie Robson (ed.), Midgley on Moral and Meta-Philosophy (Palgrave Macmillan), forthcoming.
- ‘Desire in the Early Buddhist Tradition’, in Alexander Gregory (ed.), Routledge Handbook on the Philosophy of Desire (New York: Routledge, 2026), forthcoming.
- ‘Terrorism, Multidimensionalism, and Myopia’, in Naomi Kloosterboer, Chris Ranalli, and Rik Peels (eds.), Responsibility for Extreme Beliefs (Oxford: Oxford University Press), forthcoming.
- ‘The Bright-siding of Buddhism: Pessimism, Misanthropy, and Spiritual Alienation’, in David McPherson (ed.), Spiritual Alienation and the Quest for God (Oxford: Oxford University Press), forthcoming.
You can also find me on ResearchGate, PhilPeople, and LinkedIn.
If you're interested in my work, email me.
