I am the Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Philosophy and Bioethics at Johns Hopkins University cross-appointed to the William H. Miller III Department of Philosophy and the Berman Institute of Bioethics, and with a secondary appointment to the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences. I am also Volunteer Faculty Professor at University of Maryland School of Medicine’s Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, where I am philosopher-in-residence at the Venniro Lab.
I specialize in philosophy of mind, philosophy of cognitive science, philosophy of psychiatry, moral psychology, clinical ethics, and criminal and mental health law and policy. As well as being a philosopher, I worked for a decade at The Oxfordshire Complex Needs Service, a NHS specialist service for people with personality disorders and complex needs.
Most of my current work is on Addiction. I've also worked to articulate a concept of Responsibility without Blame which is derived from my clinical experience working with people with personality disorders. In general, my research is highly interdisciplinary: I tend to explore philosophical questions that arise out of clinical practice and related sciences; I also aim for some of my philosophical work to have wider academic and public relevance. In addition to my projects on addiction and responsibility without blame, I have standing research interests in agency, animal minds and behavior, belief, delusions, decision-making, the emotions, self-harm, violence, the nature of mental disorder, and what it is to live in today’s world as an atheist.
I specialize in philosophy of mind, philosophy of cognitive science, philosophy of psychiatry, moral psychology, clinical ethics, and criminal and mental health law and policy. As well as being a philosopher, I worked for a decade at The Oxfordshire Complex Needs Service, a NHS specialist service for people with personality disorders and complex needs.
Most of my current work is on Addiction. I've also worked to articulate a concept of Responsibility without Blame which is derived from my clinical experience working with people with personality disorders. In general, my research is highly interdisciplinary: I tend to explore philosophical questions that arise out of clinical practice and related sciences; I also aim for some of my philosophical work to have wider academic and public relevance. In addition to my projects on addiction and responsibility without blame, I have standing research interests in agency, animal minds and behavior, belief, delusions, decision-making, the emotions, self-harm, violence, the nature of mental disorder, and what it is to live in today’s world as an atheist.