Journal Articles
“Imagining Oneself as Forming a Whole with Others: Descartes’ View of Love.” Journal of Modern Philosophy. Vol 3. Issue 1. December 2021, pp. 1-12.
Abstract: In this paper, I address two widespread misconceptions about Descartes’s theory of love. Descartes defines love as a passion that ‘incites [the soul] to join in volition to the objects that appear to be suitable to it’ (AT XI: 387/Voss: 62). Several commentators assume joining in volition is an act of judgment, since forming judgments is the primary function of the will in the Meditations. However, I argue joining in volition is an act of imagining a whole one forms with an object of love. I draw on Descartes’s account of volition in The Passions of the Soul to show forming images in one’s mind qualifies as a volition, on his view. Second, commentators often assume joining in volition is an essential part of love. However, I argue joining in volition is not an essential part of love because love is not identical to joining in volition, and love does not necessitate the soul to join in volition.
“Descartes’ Account of Inner Excitations.” History of Philosophy Quarterly. Vol. 35. Issue 4. October 2018. pp. 299-316.
Abstract: In The Passions of the Soul, Descartes offers various methods for preventing harm from the passions. In this paper, I consider a method for managing harmful passions that has been less examined than others. This is the method of causing inner excitations. I will argue that Descartes holds that individuals are able to cause inner excitations within themselves whenever they experience a harmful passion, which causes their soul to be more affected by the inner excitation than the harmful passion. This paper proceeds by examining Descartes’ examples of inner excitations, including his example of the mourning husband that experiences intellectual joy at his wife’s funeral and his example of playgoers who experience intellectual joy when moved to sadness by a performance. I then discuss Descartes’ general claims about inner excitations and explain how inner excitations function within Descartes’ physiological account of the soul. Finally, I argue that Descartes holds that individuals are able to prevent harm from the passions by causing inner excitations that have beneficial effects, such as intellectual joy and intellectual love, alongside passions that have harmful effects, such as hatred and sadness.
“Descartes on Hatred.” The Southern Journal of Philosophy. Vol. 55. Issue 3. September 2017. pp. 336-349.
Abstract: This paper examines Descartes’ account of hatred. Descartes holds that individuals should not hate, because hatred separates us from goods, causes sadness, and produces vicious character traits. Although some scholars argue that hatred is necessary to protect the body, I argue that Descartes holds that hatred is not necessary to protect the body, because there are other means of protecting the body that do not involve hatred. I conclude this paper by showing the place of hatred in Descartes’ broader moral theory, especially his emphasis on the wellbeing of the soul and the virtue of generosity.
Book Reviews
"Review: Early Modern Women on Metaphysics, edited by Emily Thomas." Early Modern Women: An Interdisciplinary Journal. Vol. 14. Issue 2. Spring 2020. pp. 119-122.
"Review: The Young Descartes: Nobility, Rumor, and War by Harold J. Cook." British Journal for the History of Philosophy. Vol. 27. Issue 5. September 2019. pp. 1046-1048.
Commentary on Lauren Slater’s “Signs Established by Nature: Cartesian Sensory Ideas and the Language Analogy” and Raman Sachdev’s “On the Self-Evidence and Obviousness of the Cogito,” Descartes Society Session at the Pacific Division Meeting of the American Philosophical Association, April 2021, Virtual Conference.
"The Role of Volition in Descartes' Account of Love," Virtual Seminar in Early Modern Philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, August 2020.
“Princess Elisabeth’s Objections to Descartes’ Theory of the Passions,” Society for the Study of Early Modern Women Session at the Pacific Division Meeting of the American Philosophical Association, Vancouver, B.C., April 2019.
“Considering Oneself as Part of a Whole in Descartes’ Philosophy,” Pacific Division Meeting of the American Philosophical Association, Vancouver, B.C., April 2019.
Commentary on Joshua Kerr’s “Spinoza: From Art to Philosophy,” Northwest Philosophy Conference, Bellevue College, Seattle, WA, October 2018.
“Descartes on Hatred,” Central Division Meeting of the American Philosophical Association, Chicago, IL, February 2018.
“Descartes’ Account of Inner Excitations,” New York City Workshop in Early Modern Philosophy, Fordham University, New York, NY, May 2017.
Commentary on Lisa Shapiro’s “What is a Philosophical Canon?” and Leroy Searle’s “Poetic Vision and the Genres of Philosophical Fiction,” The Role of Fictions in Early Modern Philosophy Conference, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, April 2015.