I came to philosophy by way of economics while an undergrad at MIT, where I first took courses at the intersection of economic theory, normative political thought, and philosophy. After graduating, I stayed in the Boston area to spend a year teaching at a local high school and, in my spare time, I found myself getting really into (of all things) Kant. So I went for a Master’s at Tufts, where my horizons broadened and I found my current research area – history and philosophy of science – as well as philosophy of mind, philosophy of perception, and non-analytic traditions like existentialism and phenomenology.
What I love about my current research is that I can draw on a bunch of different subjects I love (like the early modern/Enlightenment figures I study): philosophy, history, mathematics, and physics. My research is historical, so one reason teaching is so rewarding is that my students and I can connect philosophy to live issues of the day, like climate change. When I’m not doing philosophy, I can be found reading (these days) Arundhati Roy, Howard Zinn, or The Lord of the Rings, or else outside exercising, thrifting colorful t-shirts, looking at flowers, and cultivating strange vegetables in my garden.
