I’m a PhD student in Philosophy at Rice University. Before coming to Rice in 2024, I earned my BA from New York University, where I majored in Philosophy and Anthropology and Classical Civilization. I think and write about various topics in philosophy, including moral psychology, (meta)ethics, agency, and epistemology.
Research
Why does clicking “I agree” feel so different from signing a consent form at the doctor’s office? I argue it’s not because we skip the fine print, but because consent does its moral work only under trust, and our relationships with data collectors aren’t ones in which trust is warranted.
Empirical studies suggest that Chinese people genuinely moralize uncivilized behaviors. But what’s wrong with these behaviors? And what might they tell us about morality? These are questions I might spend years trying to answer.
We say that we need all sorts of things, but what exactly are we claiming when we say that we need something? I argue that claims about human needs are not merely claims about necessity: they also invite us to ask what is genuinely good for a person. This project explores how our ordinary talk about needs connects to deeper questions about human well-being and flourishing.
Why are we often more moved by the suffering of someone we know than by that of a stranger, even when their suffering is equally serious? Is this merely a psychological fact about us, or does knowing someone make a difference to our moral motivation? In this project, I explore how knowledge by acquaintance might shape our moral experience and motivate us to care about others.