Curriculum Vitae

Postdoctoral Researcher

University of Bremen

since 2023

Visiting Assistant Professor

Ashoka University

2022-2023

Standards

I am working on a "Habilitationsprojekt" that aims to investigate the notion of standards. The project investigates the nature of standards, the dynamics by which they change and our normative expectations on them. My hope is that looking at different types of standards will prove useful for discussions of individual standards.

Ancient Skepticism East and West

I am interested in the ideas of the traditions of ancient skepticism in Europe, India and China. In my view, these traditions are similar in a number of respects: they all advocate skepticism as a way of life, share several arguments, and deal with a number of issues like the paradox of skepticism in similar ways.

Emergence in Chemistry and Emergent Concepts

In a joint project with Norman Sieroka and Tim Neudecker, we have investigated forms of emergence in chemistry. One of the core results was that chemical properties like "liquid" or "crystal" sometimes emerge gradually, but also sometimes at discrete points. We think that this is the case outside of chemistry, too, but the chemical examples provide useful clarity. Depending on the form of emergence, we have different degrees of liberty in forming our concept of the relevant property.

John Mackie's Methodology

I have worked on the philosophy of John Mackie. I think that a core idea that drove his philosophy is the distinction between conceptual analysis and what he calls "factual analysis". Contrary to Ordinary Language Philosophy, this framework makes it possible that our concepts are fundamentally misguided. Mackie's famous moral skepticism is based on this distinction.