Works in Progress

I'm currently working on a number of projects. These include papers on forgiveness, apology, and blame, and engineering ethics. In addition to the papers listed below, I'm developing projects on the ethics of nudging, big data, and artificial intelligence.

These papers are at different stages of development. Some are under review, most have substantive drafts or have been presented at conferences. I've altered the titles and only provided brief summaries in order to help preserve anonymity in the peer-review process.

Email me if you'd like to read the current draft.

Letting Go

Luke Brunning and I argue that letting go of blame is a valuable practice, distinct from excusing, justifying, and forgiving.

Apology

Allison Don and I argue that some nations should implement a practice of regularly apologizing for their past injustices.

Non-Moral Blame

Benjamin Matheson and I argue that it's wrong to blame people for non-moral failures, like making bad art or poor sports performance.

Abolitionism

Abolitionism claims that if no one is responsible, then we ought to abandon the reactive attitudes. I defend this view against the challenge that it's self-defeating.

Moral Responsibility

I offer an act consequentialist theory of moral responsibility inspired by J.J.C. Smart's theory of responsibility as influenceability and defend it against common objections.

Engineers' Responsibilities

I argue that accounts of the responsibilities of engineers in engineering ethics are inadequate and fail to address basic questions in normative ethics and political philosophy. I offer an alternative account.

Forgiveness & Change

What kind of change is involved in forgiving? Most philosophers agree that one must continue to view the offender as blameworthy. I dispute this common view.

Forgiveness & Psychology

I argue that the empirical literature on forgiveness often fails to make relevant  distinctions and is thus an inadequate guide to how forgiveness works and what it does.

Process Forgiveness

I introduce accounts of forgiveness as a process that have been offered by philosophers, psychologists, and psychiatrists (invited for the Routledge Handbook of Forgiveness).