Education
In progress: Ph.D., Princeton University
2006: BA (hons.) first class, Australian National University
2003-5: BA, University of Canterbury
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Online Papers
'Modal Rationalism' [html] [pdf] explores the relation between apriority and metaphysical necessity.
'Global Rationality' [html] [pdf] argues for rational holism, the view that in any given situation: one rationally ought to act and reason as one would recommend from a timeless perspective.
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Research Interests
My primary area of interest is rational normativity, or the all-things-considered "ought". I'm interested in normative theory and consequentialism, especially such questions as what is the good and whether a rational agent must always prefer an objectively better state of affairs. Particular attachments, e.g. to loved ones, provide a significant challenge to the latter view. I'm also interested in the meta-ethical question of what makes the true normative theory true. To answer this and similar (e.g. meta-ontological) questions, I'm drawn to a 'constructivist' meta-philosophy that defines philosophical truth as the ideal limit of a priori reflection. This metaphysical view leads into my epistemological interest in rational pluralism, or the question whether there is any one unique end-point for rational inquiry: a maximally coherent belief set.
I have secondary interests in democratic theory, 'zombies' and consciousness, the metaphysics of modality and time, and logical paradoxes, amongst other things, some mentioned on my blog.