research
Each of the projects below are in progress with the intent to submit to a peer-reviewed journal within the year. Below each you will find a brief description.
"The Boundaries of Moral Injury: A Philosopher's Perspective"
In this paper I provide a philosophical analysis of moral injury in order to provide theoretical and conceptual clarity of the construct. I argue that clearly defining the boundaries of moral injury will ensure the integrity of the concept as it is considered outside a clinical setting and beyond the scope of the soldier.
"Moral Injury & Virtue in the Workplace"
Recently Abadal & Potts (2022) have argued that the conditions for Chronic Moral Injury (CH-MI) are rife in capitalistic corporate settings—those in which practices are often marginalized by Weberian managers. Though this concept of CH-MI clarifies how moral injury can be systemic, there is still much more to be said about the experience of acute moral injury in the workplace and what makes workers most suspectable to it. In this paper we will explore the role of the virtues in protecting against or exacerbating acute moral injury in the workplace. In effect, this paper will provide a conceptual framework for further empirical exploration of the interaction between character and potentially morally injurious experiences (PMIEs) at work.
"Moral Injury & The Hope of Virtue within Broken Institutions"
This paper will consider the possibility for the cultivation of virtue within structures that inflict both chronic and acute moral injury. It will use clerical sex abuse within the Catholic Church as a case study.
“The Deconstruction of Practices and the (Im)possibility of Virtue: The Cost of Delegating Skilled Work to AI”
In this paper, I argue that the “deconstruction of practices” will make the acquisition of virtue an impossibility for future practitioners if the work delegated to AI could be described as a “core skill” of any particular practice. Thus, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) poses an imminent threat to the character development within professional trades, trades which require practical reason for their excellence. I will consider journalism as an example of the impact that utilization of ChatGPT or similar AI could have on the deconstruction of practices. I specifically consider journalism here because the direct and deleterious effects of ChatGPT are, perhaps, most pronounced and obvious.
"Virtue Ethics from Theory to Machine Implementation"
This paper considers how virtue ethics could be used as a normative theory to guide the design, training and implementation of machine learning.
"Philosophical Assessment in the Wake of ChatGPT: Defining Skills and Drawing Boundaries in Scaffolded Writing Assignments"
In this paper I consider how writing assignments can retain their value in the philosophy classroom through intentionally planned scaffolded assessments. I consider precisely what skills students ought to be acquiring in each part of the assignment to determine when and how it is appropriate to utilize ChatGPT.
"A MacIntyrean Alternative to Effective Altruism"
Though there are many philosophical critiques of effective altruism, there has not been an alternative sketched out to what might replace it. In other words, if effective altruism is not a sufficient method for determining how to give well, what is? This paper aims to spell out what it looks like to give well using a different normative framework than consequentialism: Neo-Aristotelian virtue ethics.
In this paper I provide a philosophical analysis of moral injury in order to provide theoretical and conceptual clarity of the construct. I argue that clearly defining the boundaries of moral injury will ensure the integrity of the concept as it is considered outside a clinical setting and beyond the scope of the soldier.
"Moral Injury & Virtue in the Workplace"
Recently Abadal & Potts (2022) have argued that the conditions for Chronic Moral Injury (CH-MI) are rife in capitalistic corporate settings—those in which practices are often marginalized by Weberian managers. Though this concept of CH-MI clarifies how moral injury can be systemic, there is still much more to be said about the experience of acute moral injury in the workplace and what makes workers most suspectable to it. In this paper we will explore the role of the virtues in protecting against or exacerbating acute moral injury in the workplace. In effect, this paper will provide a conceptual framework for further empirical exploration of the interaction between character and potentially morally injurious experiences (PMIEs) at work.
"Moral Injury & The Hope of Virtue within Broken Institutions"
This paper will consider the possibility for the cultivation of virtue within structures that inflict both chronic and acute moral injury. It will use clerical sex abuse within the Catholic Church as a case study.
“The Deconstruction of Practices and the (Im)possibility of Virtue: The Cost of Delegating Skilled Work to AI”
In this paper, I argue that the “deconstruction of practices” will make the acquisition of virtue an impossibility for future practitioners if the work delegated to AI could be described as a “core skill” of any particular practice. Thus, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) poses an imminent threat to the character development within professional trades, trades which require practical reason for their excellence. I will consider journalism as an example of the impact that utilization of ChatGPT or similar AI could have on the deconstruction of practices. I specifically consider journalism here because the direct and deleterious effects of ChatGPT are, perhaps, most pronounced and obvious.
"Virtue Ethics from Theory to Machine Implementation"
This paper considers how virtue ethics could be used as a normative theory to guide the design, training and implementation of machine learning.
"Philosophical Assessment in the Wake of ChatGPT: Defining Skills and Drawing Boundaries in Scaffolded Writing Assignments"
In this paper I consider how writing assignments can retain their value in the philosophy classroom through intentionally planned scaffolded assessments. I consider precisely what skills students ought to be acquiring in each part of the assignment to determine when and how it is appropriate to utilize ChatGPT.
"A MacIntyrean Alternative to Effective Altruism"
Though there are many philosophical critiques of effective altruism, there has not been an alternative sketched out to what might replace it. In other words, if effective altruism is not a sufficient method for determining how to give well, what is? This paper aims to spell out what it looks like to give well using a different normative framework than consequentialism: Neo-Aristotelian virtue ethics.
curriculum development
Critical Thinking for Business. PHI 1103: Critical Thinking will supplement the curriculum for students in the Muma College of Business at The University of South Florida. The course will be piloted in Fall 2023 and further developed the following semester. The mutual hope of the business school and the philosophy department is that our graduates will be prosocial leaders–leaders committed to work worth doing. A description of the course is included here below:
Throughout this course, you will become a more effective problem solver, critical thinker, and reflective human being. You will develop intellectual humility and honesty, critique your own claims and processes, and create thoughtful proposals and original arguments based on careful research, analysis, and evaluation. We will accomplish all of this through problem- based learning, case study analysis, and the completion of a course-long critical thinking, research, and reflection project. The class is divided into five parts. First, we will explore the nature of the intellectual virtues you will develop throughout the class, focusing on practical wisdom, humility, and honesty. Next, we will explore the mechanisms at work in cognitive biases and learn how to identify cognitive bias in yourself and others. Third, we learn how to evaluate truth claims in science and logic, exploring both informal fallacies and big data. Fourth, we will focus on applying systems thinking principles to evaluate complex problems and develop effective solutions. Finally, you will learn to critically think in the context of a team— synthesizing individual research and analysis into one cohesive product for your final project.
Throughout this course, you will become a more effective problem solver, critical thinker, and reflective human being. You will develop intellectual humility and honesty, critique your own claims and processes, and create thoughtful proposals and original arguments based on careful research, analysis, and evaluation. We will accomplish all of this through problem- based learning, case study analysis, and the completion of a course-long critical thinking, research, and reflection project. The class is divided into five parts. First, we will explore the nature of the intellectual virtues you will develop throughout the class, focusing on practical wisdom, humility, and honesty. Next, we will explore the mechanisms at work in cognitive biases and learn how to identify cognitive bias in yourself and others. Third, we learn how to evaluate truth claims in science and logic, exploring both informal fallacies and big data. Fourth, we will focus on applying systems thinking principles to evaluate complex problems and develop effective solutions. Finally, you will learn to critically think in the context of a team— synthesizing individual research and analysis into one cohesive product for your final project.
