Philosophical Interests

My PhD research brought the early modern feminist philosopher Mary Astell into dialogue with the French thinker Michel Foucault. I read Astell's Serious Proposal to the Ladies through the lens of Foucault's later work on ethics of the self. In the process, I tried to sketch a vision for a modern feminist ethic of the self. My thesis encapsulated some of my key philosophical interests: feminist philosophy, women in the history of philosophy and an expanded understanding of philosophy as an activity and an ethics, not simply a cognitive process.

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I am deeply interested in Pierre Hadot's notion of "philosophy as a way of life". I am also drawn to Foucault's conception of philosophy as a spirituality and a critical practice of the self that can challenge domination. These ideas are partly why I am dedicated to helping people enact philosophy themselves and to incorporating philosophical activity into everyday life.

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Other philosophical interests include the philosophy of sexuality and LGBTQ philosophy, the relationship between philosophy and mysticism, and anarchism as a political philosophy.