Synthese, 206 (258): 1-16. 2025
In this paper, I argue that ordinary uses of the word 'belief' vary significantly both in the strength of the attitude they express and in the epistemic norms that govern them. 'Belief' can pick out both weak and strong attitudes governed by weak, strong, or even no evidentiary norms. Many of these ordinary uses come apart from popular philosophical theories of belief, raising tough questions about how to proceed when theorizing.
Politics, Philosophy & Economics 24(1), 3-24. 2025
In this paper, I argue that we often shouldn’t serve meat, even if it is morally permissible for individuals to eat meat. In doing so, I discuss the often overlooked ways that we can help address collective action problems through our institutional roles.
(Authors: Rebecca L. Walker, Zachary Ferguson, Logan Mitchell, & Margaret Waltz)
AJOB Empirical Bioethics,16(2), 94–102. 2024
In this study, we use interview data to investigate how genome editors and policymakers view the ethical issues raised by animal genome editing. Overall, respondents saw animal enhancement as unburdened by the ethical complexities arising from human genomic enhancement. This may be related to the widespread perception among participants that animals have lesser moral status than humans.
According to the argument from sideways music, facts about aesthetic value tell us something about which theory of time is correct: Turning a piece of music sideways in time destroys its intrinsic value, which would not be possible if the spacetime thesis were true. In this paper I show that sideways music poses no problems for any theory of time. If it were possible to rotate a song in time, I show that this would have no affect on its intrinsic value.
A paper giving an account of character-based reasons to abstain from meat and some other animal products. (R&R with minor revisions).
November 2025: PPE Society 9th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA
August 2025: Rocky Mountain Ethics Congress (RoME), Boulder, CO
March 2025: Rice Graduate Animal Ethics Conference, Houston, TX
(Old title: Character-Based Considerations against Freeganism)
November 2023: PPE Society 7th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA
March 2023: North Carolina Philosophical Society Conference, Durham, NC
February 2023: Duke/UNC Graduate Conference, Durham, NC
April 2021: Great Lakes Philosophy Conference, Online
November 2020: Binghamton SPEL Graduate Philosophy Conference, Online