Research
I have published a number of peer-reviewed research articles on various topics in metaphysics and in the philosophy of religion.
My work in metaphysics has touched on a variety of topics, mostly related to material objects. I have published multiple articles in this area, but my favorite, and arguably my best, is "A Phasalist Approach to Coincidence Puzzles." I also have a monograph on material objects under contract with Oxford University Press. It is provisionally titled The Phases of Objects, and it defends a view called "phasalism", which is a theory about material objects and their identity over time that culminates in a theory about human beings and their identity over time.
My published work in the philosophy of religion concerns various metaphysical questions about the nature of God, the existence of God, and life after death, but my primary interest in the philosophy or religion has become the problem of evil. I believe my best work on this topic so far is "The Non-Consequentialist Argument from Evil."
Below are all of my published and forthcoming articles as of March 2025. Next to each title you will find a link to a full-text pdf of a penultimate draft and (when available) a link to the published version of the paper.
Material Objects
Most of my work on material objects is related to a view called phasalism. As I prefer to understand it, phasalism is view that nearly all sortal changes are phase sortal changes, which means that objects normally survive when they change from one sort to another. My defense of this view intersects with a variety of traditional puzzles about material objects. I have also begun to apply my work on material objects to personal identity and personal ontology. In addition to my recent papers, my PhD dissertation, completed at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, was on phasalism, and I am working on a monograph on phasalism as well.
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A Phasalist Approach to Coincidence Puzzles. The Philosophical Quarterly (forthcoming) / pdf / link
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​The Matter of Coincidence. Pacific Philosophical Quarterly (forthcoming) / pdf / link
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​Ordinary Undetached Parts. Synthese 202(4): article 120 (2023) / pdf / link
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A Diversified Approach to Fission Puzzles. The Journal of Philosophy (forthcoming) / pdf​ / link
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Criteria of Identity Without Sortals. Noûs 57(3): 722-739 (2023) / pdf / link
Becoming a Statue. Australasian Journal of Philosophy 101(1): 228-239 (2023) / pdf / link
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Mereology and Location
My earliest work in metaphysics is on the intersection of mereology (the study of parts and wholes) and location. I focused particularly on multilocation (roughly, being located in more than one place at the same time). The paper called "Self-Colocation" is based on my Master's thesis, completed at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee.
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Multilocation Without Time Travel. Erkenntnis 86(6): 1431-1444 (2021) / pdf / link
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Self-Colocation: A Colocation Puzzle for Endurantists. Synthese 198(6): 5297-5309 (2021) / pdf / link
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Multilocation and Parsimony. Thought: A Journal of Philosophy 7(3): 153-160 (2018) / pdf / link
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The Problem of Evil
I have published a series of articles on the problem of evil, i.e., the problem of why God permits evil and suffering. My work on this topic has focused on non-consequentialist aspects of the problem, which remain under-explored. I believe that non-consequentialist constraints on permitting horrendous evil pose an important challenge to the project of constructing plausible theodicies. In addition to my published articles on this topic, I also maintain an extensive bibliography of work on the problem of evil.
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The Non-Consequentialist Argument from Evil. Philosophical Studies 179(12): 3599-3615 (2022) / pdf / link
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How to Solve the Problem of Evil: A Deontological Strategy. Faith and Philosophy 36(4): 442-462 (2019) / pdf / link
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Divine Intentions and the Problem of Evil. Religious Studies 55(2): 215-234 (2019) / pdf / link
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Is the Problem of Evil a Deontological Problem? Analysis 77(1): 79-87 (2017) / pdf / link
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The Gap Problem
I have published a couple of short papers on the so-called "gap problem," which is the problem of showing that the being at the conclusion of many traditional theistic arguments has all, and not just some, of the traditional divine attributes.
The Gap in the Evil God Challenge. Analysis (forthcoming) / pdf
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- Co-authored with Perry Hendricks
From a Cosmic Fine-Tuner to a Perfect Being. Analysis, 79(3): 449-452 (2019) / pdf / link
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Philosophical Theology
Finally, I have contributed to the literature on various philosophical - and especially metaphysical - issues raised by common religious doctrines and beliefs, such as beliefs about divine providence, divine personhood, and resurrection. Most recently, I began a research project on the metaphysics of rebirth (reincarnation), and I plan to publish on this topic soon.
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Probing the Mind of God: Divine Beliefs and Credences. Religious Studies 58(S1): S61-S75 (2022) / pdf / link
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- Co-authored with Liz Jackson
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An Episodic Account of Divine Personhood. Religious Studies 57(4): 654-668 (2021) / pdf / link
How God Knows Counterfactuals of Freedom. Faith and Philosophy 37(2): 220-229 (2020) / pdf / link
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Does Molinism Reconcile Freedom and Foreknowledge? European Journal for Philosophy of Religion 10(2): 131-148 (2018) / pdf / link
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The Possibility of Resurrection by Reassembly. International Journal for Philosophy of Religion 84(3): 273-288 (2018) / pdf / link
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A New Logical Problem for the Doctrine of the Trinity. Religious Studies 54(1): 1-13 (2018) / pdf / link
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Best Feasible Worlds: Divine Freedom and Leibniz's Lapse. International Journal for Philosophy of Religion 77(30): 219-229 (2015). / pdf / link
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