Graduate Students

Hannah is a third-year graduate student in the Philosophy Department at the University of Utah. Her current research with UCEER is with James Tabery; together, they are investigating the StatevillePenitentiary Malaria Studies. This infamous research project resulted in the discovery of the G6PD deficiency, a keystone in the foundation of pharmacogenetics. They seek to understand how race and notions of racial differences worked their way into the Stateville studies and how they subsequently shaped the pursuit of pharmacogenetics. Her other research includes projects more broadly related to the ethical, legal and social implications of genetic and genomic research.

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My research interests are related to early modern philosophy and the philosophy of religion. For my dissertation, I am writing on John Locke's understanding of the role of miracles in providing evidence for divine revelation, and how this contributes to his greater project of establishing the reasonableness of Christianity. In so doing, I situate Locke amongst his contemporaries and the debates surrounding the status of miracles during the 17th century.

Student Profile Page  ALEXANDER BARRIENTOS'S WEBSITE

My research area is in ethics. I'm currently working on a dissertation examining the why be moral question. I am researching arguments purporting to prove that a person is rationally required to act in accordance with morality.

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My research focuses mainly on early Chinese philosophy as well as its relevance to contemporary moral and political philosophy. I am currently working on my dissertation, in which I compare the political philosophy of Han Feizi (a fierce critic of Confucianism from the third century BCE) and contemporary political realism. In the future, I plan to explore the debate between contemporary liberalism and contemporary political realism, as well as exploring a realistic conception of political standards for evaluating political institutions and political practices. I also plan to connect Han Feizi’s view on interstate relations to our contemporary theories of international relations.

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My research interests include the philosophy of conservation science. I hope to continue in academic work or work professionally with a conservation organization post-graduation.

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My work centers around understanding the relationship between automaticity and conscious thought in skilled action and expertise. My main inspiration comes from a fascination with Flow States. I believe that the metaphysics and aesthetics of what we colloquially call 'effortless action' are windows into a collectively loved (though enigmatic) feature of the human experience. It is my goal to bring both academic and pedagogical attention to the phenomenon of flow in my research and teaching, respectively.

Student Profile Page  Spencer Ivy's WEBSITE

My primary research interest area is in the philosophy of psychiatry. I hope to use critical tools from philosophy to provide insight into conceptual issues in psychiatric theory, in a way that can positively impact psychiatric research and practice. I believe that in order for the science of psychopathology to move forward, it must grapple with deep conceptual issues that require a philosophical approach. For instance, challenges from the neurodiversity and Mad Pride movements, critiques of the very concept of mental disorder, issues related to the proper way to understand psychiatric classification systems, and ethical issues surrounding psychiatric paternalism are all areas where contributions from philosophy are essential. Currently, I am working on bringing philosophical work on standpoint epistemology, feminist philosophy of science, and epistemic injustice to bear on debates over patient inclusion in the revision process for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). I also have interests in feminist and general philosophy of science, ethics (including bioethics, metaethics, and normative ethics), and pragmatism (particularly Peirce, James, and Rorty). I hope to explore how these areas of philosophy can inform the philosophy of psychiatry in future work. My hope is that through my philosophical work I can help reshape psychiatry into a discipline that better serves the needs of those who require psychiatric care, and which does not overreach its proper bounds.

Student Profile Page   Bennett Knox's Website

Research Interests: philosophy of biology, environmental ethics, and philosophy of race.

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Research Interests/Plans: My area of specialization is ancient Chinese philosophy. My particular interest includes philosophical issues surrounding moral motivation in Mencius. I am also interested in how va rious t ypes of irrationality, such as self-deception, temptation, and weakness of will, could shape our moral agency i n their own characteristic wa ys. I am currently working on the prospectus for my dissertation. The aim of the prospectus will be to examine some irrational elements entailed in Mencian moral psychology by comparing Mencius’ notion of virtue and that of Aristotle’s.

Student Profile Page  Joonho Lee's Website

Given my professional background as a registered nurse, my research areas are primarily ethics and bioethics, with a focus on the ethics of the nurse-patient relationship. After completing my doctorate, I will pursue specialized training in clinical ethics, and look to serve my nursing colleagues, fellow healthcare workers, and patients as a clinical nurse ethicist.

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My research lies at the intersection of feminist theory, political philosophy, and social geography. 

In my dissertation, titled "Spatial Injustice," I argue that because difference is a major component of city life, we need to take a contextualized approach to spatial justice. In other words, urban spatial justice cannot be achieved without considering the complexities of group membership, diversity, and difference.

Student Profile Page  Louise Pedersen's Website

My research concerns the role of values in science. In particular, Iinvestigate the role that cultural and social values influence aspects of paleontological research. The historical nature of paleontological research opens the door for myriad values to play a role in a wide range of scientific activities, from choosing aresearch project to formulating scientific theories about the past. While it is now well-understood by philosophers of science that science is mostly value-laden, more can be said about the ways in which social structures, values, and beliefs influence and interact with science.

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I am a fourth-year doctoral candidate working on my dissertation. My project lies at the intersection of Philosophy of Psychiatry, Law, Neuroscience, and Clinical Ethics. I am primarily motivated by exploring the relationship between mental disorders and conceptions of agency, rationality, legal responsibility, and blameworthiness. It is my hope to assist in reforming these concepts in order to reduce the stigma of individuals with metal disorders as being less than agential, violent, and unpredictable. Long-term, I hope to assist with reform of treatment of individuals with mental disorders in both clinical and legal settings.

Kathryn Petrozzo's Website

My name is Kaitlin Louise Pettit, I’m in my 6th and final year in the PhD program. My dissertation focuses on corporate moral responsibility for climate change. In my argument, I provide an explanation for why corporations are responsible for responding to climate change, even if they haven’t contributed detrimentally to it in the past. In the process, I argue for a strengthened form of the philosophical theory of forward-looking responsibility. Previously, this theory has been argued for in a manner that makes it hard to defend a motivation for why an agent should act. I show how we can derive forward-looking responsibility from any major ethical theory, and in doing so, explain why we all, including corporations, have a responsibility to help wherever we can make a difference when people are in need.

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Student Profile Page  Andrew Ruble's Website

I am currently interested in the philosophy of perception and have been researching how our perceptual apparatus affects our knowledge of the world around us. As time goes on, I look forward to working with professors that are proficient in novel treatments of perception, such as cognitive penetration, as well as with older and more foundational treatments, such as those found in Kant. Eventually, I would like to extend my research to a Ph.D. program. There is still quite a distance to travel before this happens, but I appreciate this year’s assistance.

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I am mostly interested in the philosophy of art and intend to research the intersection between art and ethics. My main interest in this area is in the relationship between ethical flaws or merits in an artwork and the effecton the aesthetic value of the object. I am also interested the language we use when we make judgements about art. We often use metaphors when we describe art objects, and I am interested in why metaphors seem particularly apt for aesthetic judgements, rather than being the result of some language deficiency, as is a common thought in the philosophy of language.

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I'm interested in the normative side of philosophy, including bioethics, environmental philosophy, moral psychology, and political philosophy. A few projects I am currently working on include the following: the ethics of restrictive COVID policies, reducing wild animal suffering in conservation, and the moral psychology of leftists. I hope to expand my research in the future to encompass a wide array of pressing societal issues, with an emphasis on doing philosophical workthat can directly inform practical solutions.

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My interests are broadly in the intersection of ethics and epistemology, specifically I am interested in the requirements for self-knowledge and the barriers to meeting those requirements. I am also very invested in James Baldwin, and have compiled the largest existing resource on his lectures and speeches. I'm currently applying to Ph.D programs, and I intend to continue my research on Baldwin while and after earning my doctorate.

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My research interests are in the areas of bioethics and philosophy of disability. Currently, I am completing my dissertation in which I am conceptualizing a kind of ableism frequently found in medicine and in the bioethical literature, particularly surrounding beginning-of-life and end-of-life issues. I am involved on campus with the UCEER, a Center for Excellence researching ELSI (Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications in genetics) topics. I will be completing mydissertation very soon and beginning a position at the Harvard Medical School Center for Bioethics where I will be part of an ELSI research team.

I am interested in feminist bioethics and feminist epistemology. I am currently working on "The underrepresentation of women in clinical trials." In the future, I want to be a faculty member who teaches and does researchin the areas that I mentioned. Especially, I want to focus on the cases of epistemic injustice, which impact different groups of women and their well-being.

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I have three research projects right now. The first is arguing that emergency preparedness is necessary for the state to fulfill its obligations given to it by justice. The second is to argue for a pragmatic and pluralist approach to the ontology of biology (what sorts of entities are used in biological theories, models, etc.). And the third, my tentative plan for my dissertation, is to define a political conception of health and argue that this is what the state should use to guide its universal helth care system. Normal conceptions of health have problematic biases in them, which over history has led to state-sanctioned forced sterilizations, officially classifying homosexuality as a mental disorder, and overall bad health care for people with disabilities, the elderly, trans people, etc.

Student Profile Page  Adam Smith's Website

JOsh Brekel's Website

At this stage, I take the division of social functions and intergenerational trauma in families as a medium to explore the tension between individual agency and social structure.