Research
I have published a number of peer-reviewed research articles on various topics in metaphysics and in the philosophy of religion. My early work in metaphysics is on location, but my primary interest is material objects. My favorite metaphysics article that I have published so far is "A Phasalist Approach to Coincidence Puzzles." My work in the philosophy of religion has touched on a range of topics, but my primary interest has become the problem of evil. My favorite philosophy of religion article that I have published so far is "The Non-Consequentialist Argument from Evil."
Below are all of my published and forthcoming articles as of October 2023. 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.
A Phasalist Approach to Coincidence Puzzles. The Philosophical Quarterly (forthcoming) / pdf / link
The Matter of Coincidence. Pacific Philosophical Quarterly (forthcoming) / pdf / link
Ordinary Undetached Parts. Synthese 202(4): article 120 (2023) / pdf / link
A Diversified Approach to Fission Puzzles. The Journal of Philosophy (forthcoming) / pdf
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
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.
Multilocation Without Time Travel. Erkenntnis 86(6): 1431-1444 (2021) / pdf / link
Self-Colocation: A Colocation Puzzle for Endurantists. Synthese 198(6): 5297-5309 (2021) / pdf / link
Multilocation and Parsimony. Thought: A Journal of Philosophy 7(3): 153-160 (2018) / pdf / link
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.
The Non-Consequentialist Argument from Evil. Philosophical Studies 179(12): 3599-3615 (2022) / pdf / link
How to Solve the Problem of Evil: A Deontological Strategy. Faith and Philosophy 36(4): 442-462 (2019) / pdf / link
Divine Intentions and the Problem of Evil. Religious Studies 55(2): 215-234 (2019) / pdf / link
Is the Problem of Evil a Deontological Problem? Analysis 77(1): 79-87 (2017) / pdf / link
Philosophical Theology
In addition to my work on the problem of evil, 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.
Probing the Mind of God: Divine Beliefs and Credences Religious Studies 58(S1): S61-S75 (2022) / pdf / link
- Co-authored with Liz Jackson
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
From a Cosmic Fine-Tuner to a Perfect Being. Analysis, 79(3): 449-452 (2019) / pdf / link
Does Molinism Reconcile Freedom and Foreknowledge? European Journal for Philosophy of Religion 10(2): 131-148 (2018) / pdf / link
The Possibility of Resurrection by Reassembly. International Journal for Philosophy of Religion 84(3): 273-288 (2018) / pdf / link
A New Logical Problem for the Doctrine of the Trinity. Religious Studies 54(1): 1-13 (2018) / pdf / link
Best Feasible Worlds: Divine Freedom and Leibniz's Lapse. International Journal for Philosophy of Religion 77(30): 219-229 (2015). / pdf / link