My previously published work has discussed the influence of philosophical commitments on Darwin interpretations (HOPOS, 2018); the tension and mutual consistency of the “natural” and “artificial” (Biology & Philosophy, 2021); 19th- and 20th-century rhetoric on the human “place” in nature (Palgrave, 2016); the contested role of "typological thinking" in biology (Studies C, 2015); the promises and dangers of seeking to ground ethics in biology (IPQ, 2011); and Helmuth Plessner's views on organic life and human distinctiveness (IJPS, 2015).
The central theme of this body of work is the interplay between STEM theories and models, on the one hand, and philosophical and humanistic concerns, on the other. For instance: What new lessons and constraints do evolutionary and behavioral biology pose to our self-understanding? What changes do they motivate in our theories of action, knowledge, rationality, value, selfhood, or society? Conversely, what role do factors such as prior philosophical commitments and "worldview" play in the development and justification of theories in the natural sciences themselves?
One strain of my previous research has focused on the history of the philosophy of biology, mostly since 1950. This work has examined the limits of the fields of biology and philosophy and their epistemic relations to one another, including negotiation of boundaries, contests over epistemic authority, collaborations, and influences.
Another strain has focused on a tradition of modern thought known as "philosophical anthropology" (“philosophische Anthropologie”): for instance, Helmuth Plessner and Marjorie Grene. My work on these figures has explored the relevance of their ideas to contemporary debates about naturalism, the ontology of living things and processes, and philosophies of nature, culture, society, technology, embodiment, and animality.
Since 2018, my work has shifted towards greater focus on technology, including AI and machine learning. Since 2018 I've led courses on technological themes at University of Nevada, Colby College, and Johns Hopkins. My first publication centered on technology appeared in 2021 in Biology & Philosophy ("Natural Artificiality, Niche Construction, and the Content-Open Mediation of Human Behavior"). In conjunction with my appointment at the Center for Equitable AI and Machine Learning Systems (CEAMLS) at Morgan State, I'm currently engaged in several AI-related publication projects including a study of fairness criteria in machine learning and an evaluation of the scope, limits, and general scientific significance of the analogy between biological and artificial neural networks.
The central theme of this body of work is the interplay between STEM theories and models, on the one hand, and philosophical and humanistic concerns, on the other. For instance: What new lessons and constraints do evolutionary and behavioral biology pose to our self-understanding? What changes do they motivate in our theories of action, knowledge, rationality, value, selfhood, or society? Conversely, what role do factors such as prior philosophical commitments and "worldview" play in the development and justification of theories in the natural sciences themselves?
One strain of my previous research has focused on the history of the philosophy of biology, mostly since 1950. This work has examined the limits of the fields of biology and philosophy and their epistemic relations to one another, including negotiation of boundaries, contests over epistemic authority, collaborations, and influences.
Another strain has focused on a tradition of modern thought known as "philosophical anthropology" (“philosophische Anthropologie”): for instance, Helmuth Plessner and Marjorie Grene. My work on these figures has explored the relevance of their ideas to contemporary debates about naturalism, the ontology of living things and processes, and philosophies of nature, culture, society, technology, embodiment, and animality.
Since 2018, my work has shifted towards greater focus on technology, including AI and machine learning. Since 2018 I've led courses on technological themes at University of Nevada, Colby College, and Johns Hopkins. My first publication centered on technology appeared in 2021 in Biology & Philosophy ("Natural Artificiality, Niche Construction, and the Content-Open Mediation of Human Behavior"). In conjunction with my appointment at the Center for Equitable AI and Machine Learning Systems (CEAMLS) at Morgan State, I'm currently engaged in several AI-related publication projects including a study of fairness criteria in machine learning and an evaluation of the scope, limits, and general scientific significance of the analogy between biological and artificial neural networks.