Our program is empowered by a welcoming and diverse community of students with a uniquely global perspective. Together we are making things right for our communities and our future.
Benn Barrantes
Dimitrios Kagialaris
John Barton
Juan Ardila-Cifuentes
My interests in philosophy are centered around feminist philosophy, linguistic philosophy, and philosophy of science. I am particularly interested in reproductive bioethics given my scientific background as an undergraduate student and personal interest in feminist theory. I am also passionate about a) the use of philosophical thinking to impact real-world policies, as well as b) making philosophy more easily-accessible to the general public.
Laken Hobson
Logan Scime
Michael Boucher
Natasha Duran
Nicholas Boultbee
Research interests: Interested in Animal Minds, Philosophy of Biology, Philosophy of Mind
I have a strong interest in both metaphysics and ethics. Specfically, I'm interested in exploring the existence of free will and its broader implications for moral responsibility and how we understand human agency. My email for contact is shallx@my.yorku.ca.
My academic interests lie in contemporary moral and political philosophy, focusing on moral agency and political ethics. I am passionate about exploring how our perception shapes our understanding of the world and influences our ethical and societal duties. My work aims to bridge theoretical concepts with practical applications, fostering a more just and reflective society.
I’m interested in the philosophy of biology and process philosophy. I study 4E cognition, niche construction, optimal foraging theory and agency. My research connects the philosophy of science to problems in teleology and meta-ethics.
Email: tkn@yorku.ca
Yuzhen Ke
Zheming Zhang
Damian Favaretto
My interests are in the philosophy of law, particularly constitutional law and comparative law. I am also interested in the intersection between law and technology, and how emerging technologies pose novel legal and philosophical challenges.
My email is danxyliu@yorku.ca.
Emily Gilbert
Maryam Sheikh
My research interests are at the intersection of philosophy of language, metaethics, and phenomenology. I have a particular interest in the origins of moral deep disagreement, whether it is possible to resolve such deep disagreement, and if it is possible, whether we should reevaluate the benefits of using some of our moral terms in the hopes of having less disagreement arise. I approach these questions primarily through the later Wittgenstein, Davidson, Merleau-Ponty, and moral abolitionism. I can be reached at: kentaj@yorku.ca.
Adrian Passier
Research interests: Political Philosophy, Moral Philosophy, Metaethics
Email: akmahdi@yorku.ca
Ariel Rozinov
Ashton Black
Bell (she/her) is a retired lawyer, queer activist, and superhero nerd. Her research interests lie in transfeminist theory, interpersonal ethics, and the philosophy of bureaucracy. She lives in South Toronto with her wife and cat, and can be reached at bluan@yorku.ca.
Cognitive Science, Philosophy of Psychology (esp. Evolutionary), Philosophy of Mind (esp. Folk Psychology), The evolutionary origins of human morality.
I work primarily in epistemology, metaethics, social philosophy, and their intersections. My current research consists in an attempt to develop a novel theory of epistemic normativity and explores epistemological issues in relation to politics and technology. I also have interests in American Pragmatism and 20th-century analytic philosophy. You can reach me at danrod@yorku.ca.
Dylan is interested in ethics and the meta-ethical concern of establishing a foundation from which we can discern between right and wrong. He has primarily been inspired by Existentialism, Mahayana Buddhism and Hellenistic Philosophy in this pursuit.
Email: dylanskurka@gmail.com
My primary interests fall within the philosophy of cognitive science, philosophy of science, and animal cognition. I am currently thinking about the role folk psychological concepts play in comparative psychology research, embodied and embedded cognition, and other topics related to the study of nonhuman minds.
Emiliano Rodriguez
As a first year PhD student, I've not fully figured out what my main research interests are, but so far I've been most interested in Metaethics and the Ethics of AI. Moving forward, I'm directing some of my research towards the Philosophy of Time and Temporal Perception.
Eryn Spicer
Fahd’s main areas of interest are Continental and Social and Political philosophy. He is especially interested in post-war French theories of emancipation, political change, and decision-making (esp. Badiou and Rancière), as well as works that emerged from political movements in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Farah Nisr
Gage Goulet
I am a PhD student working on early modern philosophy (especially Spinoza and Poulain) and social philosophy. I have also instructed courses on symbolic logic at Carleton University. Some of my work on Spinoza can be found in the Journal of Spinoza Studies. You can find out more about my research at ianmacleanevans.wordpress.com, and email me at ianme@yorku.ca.
Jonathan Winegarten
My research interests lie in Ethics, Social and Political Philosophy, Philosophy of Law, and Feminist Philosophy. I’m also interested in the theories of epistemic normativity, particularly epistemic accountability, and role-based obligations of agents in epistemic and moral domains.
I wrote my masters dissertation on the Moral Distinctiveness of Political Hate Speech and have a continued interest in both free speech and the policies to regulate hate speech.
Apart from philosophy, I enjoy photography, music, and nature walks and hiking. I can be reached at khushir@yorku.ca
I'm interested in social- & political philosophy (particularly Marx-inspired realist approaches), the philosophy of the social sciences, and social ontology. Before coming to York, I completed an MA in Philosophy at Aarhus University in Denmark and a BA in Philosophy at Lund University in Sweden. In my spare time, I enjoy exercising, playing music, and going to gigs.
Email: leni92@yorku.ca
I am interested in the philosophy of animal minds and looking at classic philosophical issues through the lens of nonhuman animals in order to better understand those issues. In particular, questions about the nature of the self, agency and action, and the importance of sociality are central to my research. I am also invested in using our growing knowledge of nonhuman animal cognition to inform discussion of the possibility of artificial minds, as well as the ethical implications of both animal and AI mindedness.
My current research is focused on legal philosophy and Indigenous peoples. I am interested in exploring how, by shifting our legal framework to constitutional pluralism, we may move from reconciliation to reconcile-ACTION, in ensuring genuine self-government for Indigenous groups. Part of my research is focused on exploring Indigenous worldviews from a psychological lens in order to better understand the lived experiences of Indigenous peoples.
Nathan Dyck
My main research is in the philosophy of language, where I am trying to develop an act-based account of meaning. I have other interests in the philosophy of action and the philosophy of religion.
Rayanna De Faria Calaza Rocha
I’m mostly interested in ethics and political philosophy, especially regarding theories of distributive justice. Having written my master’s thesis on anti-natalism, I also have a strong interest in procreation and population ethics.
I am interested in phenomenology (especially Heidegger and Merleau-Ponty) and ancient philosophy (especially Aristotle). I am particularly interested in exploring, through these areas of study, the ethical dimension of human life. Beyond the study of philosophy, I like to sing and paint.
Interests: philosophy of mind, cognitive science, perception
Tetyana Dushats'Ka
I study cognitive science and animal minds, and I am especially interested in historical views of nonhuman animal minds. My dissertation research is on the senses of animal ‘mechanism’ (metaphysical, explanatory, causal) in early and mid-twentieth-century American psychology. It will focus especially on Edward Tolman and others who struggled with the vices and virtues of mechanistic explanation, a discourse that I think still frames many scientific and philosophical debates.
My philosophical research includes what social norms are, why humans adhere to them, and how norms evolve. I work primarily in Philosophy of Science, particularly Philosophy of Social Science and Cognitive Science.
Email: osheaw@yorku.ca
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