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.
(I recommend using the library or independent book stores, if you can!)
Current Research
Forthcoming in 2026
“Desire in Spinoza and Hume.” In Naturalism in Modern Philosophy: Spinoza, Hume, Shepherd (Festschrift for Don Garrett), Jonathan Cottrell and Aaron Garrett, eds. (Routledge).
Hume Studies 51: 2 (November 2026), co-editor, with Mark G. Spencer.
Published in 2026
With Hsueh Qu, "David Hume,"The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Summer 2026 Edition), Edward N. Zalta & Uri Nodelman (eds.), URL = <https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2026/entries/hume/>.
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).
Review of Consciousness, Time, and Scepticism in Hume’s Thought, by Lorne Falkenstein (Routledge, 2024). Journal of the History of Philosophy 64:2 (Apr 2026): 323-24.
Hume Studies 51:1 (April 2026), co-editor with Mark G. Spencer.
In progress
“Morality, Activity, and Happiness: Hume and the Platonist” (for a volume)
“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)
June 2026