Welcome!
I'm a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Milan, Italy, where I'm Assistant PI on the ERC-funded project 18ETHICS: Ethics and Moral Life in the 18th Century (https://18ethics.unimi.it/), led by Prof. Stefano Bacin.
Before coming to Milan I held various postdoctoral positions in Germany, Scotland, and Canada:
from 2023–25 I was a Postdoctoral Fellow in philosophy at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany, where I was part of the project: 'Rethinking Enlightenment: The Reception of John Locke in Germany.'
from 2021–23 I was a Humboldt Postdoctoral Fellow in philosophy at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Germany, where I worked on my book project Kant and the British Moralists.
from 2019–21 I was a Postdoctoral Fellow on the DFG-funded project 'Practical Reasons Before Kant (1720-1780)', hosted by the University of Würzburg and Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg.
from 2018–19 I was Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
and from 2016–18 I was a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) Postdoctoral Fellow in the Philosophy Department at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland.
My research explores how 17th- and 18th-century philosophers approached a variety of issues in meta-ethics, normative ethics, moral psychology, and practical reasoning. Several of my publications have sought to better understand Kant’s ethics by placing him in dialogue with his eighteenth-century contemporaries and predecessors. More recent projects of mine have explored topics such as the concept of ‘moral obligation,’ the relationship between Kant’s philosophy and his thoughts on race, as well as the writings of the ‘first female German philosopher,’ Johanna Charlotte Unzer.
I received my Ph.D. in Philosophy from Western University in London, Ontario, Canada in early 2016.
When I’m not reading and writing about philosophy I’m either cooking, baking, or going on adventures with my wife and son.
On this site you’ll find information about my Books, Research, Publications, Teaching, as well as a copy of my CV .
You can also find me on PhilPapers, Academia.edu, and Google Scholar, but this site will always contain the most up-to-date information about my research and teaching.
You can also find me on twitter:
News:
'Buying Canadian' is an opportunity to reflect on the ethics of consumerism
now published at The Conversation
Kant's Critique of Practical Reason: Background Source Materials
Cambridge University Press, 2024.
*See here for an interview about the book on the YouTube channel 'The Young Idealist';
here for a blog entry launching the book;
and here for a review at Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews.
Christian Wolff's German Ethics: New Essays
Oxford University Press, 2024.
'The Rationality of Love: Benevolence and Complacence in Kant and Hutcheson'
now published (open access) at Ergo.
*see here for a blog post introducing the article.
'Incentives of the Mind: Kant and Baumgarten on the Impelling Causes of Desire'
now published (open access) at Archiv für Geschichte der Philosophie.
'Why we should recover the philosophy of Christian Wolff'
at Aeon.
Upcoming Talks:
May 5, 2025
‘Johanna Charlotte Unzer (1725–82): The First Female German Philosopher.’
University of Paderborn, Germany.
May 25–26, 2025
'Kant and the British Moralists'
The British Wave: The Impact of British Views of Human Nature, Morality, and Religion on 18th-Century German Philosophy
University of Milan, Italy.
June 6, 2025
Title TBD
Duties to Self Workshop
Utrecht University, Netherlands
July 3–5, 2025
‘Rüdiger’s Doctrine of Prudence'
Andreas Rüdiger (1673-1731): Philosophie als “Erfahrungswissenschaft.”
Martin Luther Univeristy Halle-Wittenberg, Germany
Recent Talks:
Feb. 25, 2025.
‘The Historical Context of Kant’s Ethics.’
University of Pavia, Italy.
Sep. 19–20, 2024
'Wolff on Weakness of Will' [in German]
XI. Tagung für Praktische Philosophie, University of Passau, Germany
Sep. 8–13, 2024
'Contradiction and the Will: Kant’s Formula of Universal Law in Context'
14th International Kant Kongress, University of Bonn, Germany
May 2, 2024
'Locke and Popular Philosophy: Feder, Tittel, and the Rejection of a priori Cognition'
Leuven Seminar in Classical German Philosophy (online) – Video of the Talk
April 27–28, 2024
'Kant and the British Moralists'
NYC Workshop in Early Modern Philosophy, Fordham University
March 14, 2024
'Moral Philosophy from Wolff to Kant'
Department Colloquium, University of Oslo, Norway