Bas Tönissen

Welcome! I am a philosopher thinking primarily about Kant, moral psychology, and early modern philosophy. I am currently a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Princeton University Center for Human Values, in the Princeton Project for Philosophy and Religion (3PR).

My main research focuses on Kant's theory of action, especially his view of evil and of the 'change of heart' by which evil people become good. I have also published on Kant's theory of love, particularly love for oneself. My paper "Kant's concept of the heart: a developmental account" was awarded the 2025 Wilfrid Sellars Junior Scholar Essay Prize. 

I earned my PhD from the University of California San Diego in 2025 with a dissertation on Kant's theory of evil and action. My co-advisors were Eric Watkins and Lucy Allais.I have been a DAAD visiting doctoral researcher at the Humboldt Universität Berlin (2023-2024) and a visiting researcher at the Kant-Forschungsstelle in Mainz (2023). 

You can reach me at bt4944[at]princeton.edu.