Research
My research focuses on eighteenth-century philosophy, especially that of the great Scottish thinker, David Hume, and his contemporaries. My central interests are in Hume's moral theory and his theory of the passions and motivation. I have further interests in the implications of Hume's theories for contemporary thinking on the emotions and action.
Current Research - Work in Progress and 2026 Publications
In progress
“Morality, Activity, and Happiness: Hume and the Platonist”
“Are the Passions of Hume’s Treatise Retained in the Second Enquiry?” (for a volume)
“Hutcheson’s Moral Epistemology in the Inquiry” (for a volume)
Co-editor, with Peter Millican, of Cambridge Elements in the Philosophy of David Hume (book series)
Forthcoming in 2026
David Hume,” co-author with Hsueh Qu. In the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, article-length entry. [Completed, in queue to be posted]
Review of Consciousness, Time, and Scepticism in Hume’s Thought, by Lorne Falkenstein (Routledge, 2024). Journal of the History of Philosophy 64:2 (2026): 323-24. [April]
“Desire in Spinoza and Hume.” In Naturalism in Modern Philosophy: Spinoza, Hume, Shepherd (Festschrift for Don Garrett), Jonathan Cotrell and Aaron Garrett, eds. (Routledge). [Oct.]
Hume Studies, Volume 51: issues 1 and 2. Co-editor, with Mark Spencer. [April and Nov.]
2026
Hume’s A Treatise of Human Nature: A Critical Guide. Editor, with Introduction (Cambridge University Press).
“Some Vexations about Character in Hume’s Treatise.” In Hume’s A Treatise of Human Nature: A Critical Guide (Cambridge University Press, 2026).
February 2026