Research Interests
Social Philosophy
My primary research interests lie in social philosophy. I focus specifically on community relationships. My current work considers the following questions:
-
What sets communities apart from other kinds of social groups -- and why would such a distinction matter in the first place?
-
What kinds of conditions must obtain in order for communities to develop and persist over time?
-
Is it possible to form meaningful community relationships with individuals whom we have never met?
Feminist Philosophy
Much of my work is based in feminist epistemology and feminist conceptions of autonomy. Some of the specific questions that I find compelling are as follows:
-
Can choices made as concessions to patriarchy be considered autonomous?
-
How must we define autonomy in order to secure the possibility of autonomous decision-making for women under patriarchy?
-
How has the Western philosophical tradition, with its emphasis on reason and rationality, undermined the possibility of a feminist account of autonomy?
"Philosophy & Friendship," invited talk in the University of Kentucky "Philosophy and Modern Life" speaker series, January 2023.
Papers (click to view)
-
Dissertation: "The Ideal Religious Community: Articulating the Possibility of Collaborative Community in Religious Contexts"
- "Creating Communities: Two Necessary Conditions for the Growth of Thick Trust"
- Thick trust is often assumed to be a natural and necessary consequence of interpersonal relationships. This paper demonstrates the inadequacy of this assumption, and defines what I take to be two necessary conditions for the growth of thick trust.
-
"Separating Trust: Interpersonal and Social, Thick and Thin"
-
I argue that we should be cautious in how we define types of trust. It is possible to have interpersonal trust relationships that do not constitute thick trust, and to have social trust relationships that do.
-
-
"Provocative Clothing and Autonomy: Can Women Flaunt it Autonomously?"
-
This paper argues that a woman's choice to dress provocatively can be considered autonomous, even if that choice is made within the context of a patriarchal environment.
-