Research Interests
Post-Kantian German Philosophy (esp. Hegel and German Idealism);
Early Modern Philosophy (esp. Spinoza);
Social & Political Philosophy; Metaphysics
Dissertation Project
My dissertation project, tentatively titled "Hegel, Spinoza, and the Metaphysics of Freedom," examines how the metaphysical differences between Spinoza and Hegel shed light on their different theories of freedom and society. Rather than arguing one is somehow better than the other, I see Hegel and Spinoza as two competing alternatives for thinking about society, freedom, and power. It is ultimately my aim to offer metaphysical foundations for critical social philosophy.
Papers in Progress
A paper on Hegel's theory of social structure and historical progress
A paper on Hegel's theory of labor and recognition
A paper on Spinoza's theory of conatus and liberation (third kind of knowledge as collective practice)
A paper on Spinoza's theory of individuation and negation
A paper on a Hegelian reflection on the grounding of modality
Future Projects
I also have serious interests in the following topics that I intend to pursue in due course:
Kant's Spinoza
Hegelian critique of second-personal recognition
Jacobi and the dialectic of enlightenment
Foucault's social ontology