About Me

I am a PhD Candidate in Philosophy at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. I am currently working on a dissertation on the conceptual capabilities of nonlinguistic animals under the supervision of Andrew Fenton.

My interests center around issues in the philosophy of cognitive science, philosophy of psychology, and philosophy of mind. I am particularly interested in narrow versions of the other minds problem: Do nonhuman animals have minds? If so, what sorts of mental states do they have? Can animals that lack linguistic capabilities make inferences? Are they able to use concepts? Can they follow and enforce moral norms? In answering these questions, I draw on a wide range of methods and sources in philosophy of language, philosophy of science, metaethics, artificial intelligence, comparative psychology, and ethology.

In addition, I bring some of these methods to bear on questions in ethics and political philosophy. I think that an overemphasis on language and certain types of speech acts (e.g. assertions and debate) has distorted our understanding of political action. I am currently working on a project that uses feminist speech act theory to better understand the harms of hate speech and the efficacy of strategies that attempt to mitigate or counter those harms.

When I am not working, you will most likely find me playing or watching basketball, watching old movies, making cocktails, or cooking vegetarian food.