I present my research to scholarly audiences and the wider public through conference papers, invited lectures, and workshops. My talks range from close readings of Aquinas and Avicenna to questions about disability, personhood, natural law, and human flourishing. Whether speaking to fellow philosophers, students, or audiences outside the university, I aim to make the argument clear without losing its complexity and to leave room for questions and conversation.
My talks often center on a question that medieval philosophy can help us ask more carefully: What do we owe one another when our abilities differ? Can we derive an ‘ought’ from an ‘is’? How should we understand human dignity? What can accounts of nature and virtue contribute to discussions of social responsibility? Why won’t “looksmaxxing” make us happy? I draw on historical texts to address these questions while attending to the differences between their concerns and ours.
Recent lectures explore the metaphysics of act and potency, the relationship between nature and moral norms, and various issues related to disability. I welcome opportunities to speak with academic and public audiences about medieval philosophy and its relevance to contemporary life.
Recorded Talks
- “Words Matter: Thomas Aquinas on the Philosophy of Language.” The Thomistic Institute Podcast (August 21, 2026)
- “The True, Good, and Beautiful of Disability.” Aquinas College Catholic Studies Lecture Series (February, 2026)
- “From Nature to Norm: how to derive ought from is.” The Thomistic Institute Podcast (October, 2025)
- “The Sun as a Universal Cause in the Aristotelian-Thomistic Tradition.” The Thomistic Institute Podcast (September, 2024)
- “Avicenna and Aquinas: the Twofold Division of Common Principles.” Talking Thomism (October, 2020)
