I studied philosophy at the universities of Lausanne, Vienna and Bern, and I am currently finishing my PhD thesis on the concept of political consent (what does it mean to consent in politics?). My areas of specialization lie in early modern philosophy and contemporary political philosophy. I also have a keen interest in ethics, Ancient philosophy, and public philosophy. Thomas Hobbes would be my favourite philosopher, not because I agree with all of his conclusions, but because I love the clarity, precision and comprehensiveness of his writings.
“If you are influenced by the idea of someone, then you acquired it without acknowledgement, can it be considered plagiarism?” Thank you, Jong Camallere, for a tricky question. A very large part of what we think and say comes from our interactions with others: what we have seen, heard, learned and read from them. Yet […]
Is unacknowledged influence plagiarism? Read More
Thank you, Ayli Inrovdop, for such a topical question. A single vote hardly ever breaks a tie, so what’s the point in voting? To begin, you could vote in the hope of having your own interests represented by the candidate or party that advocates for the policies most advantageous to you. After all, even though
Thank you, Hannah Hughes, for such a thoughtful question. As I explore the question, I will assume that by ‘wealthy’, you mean something like having much more money than would be necessary to live without a constant worry about one’s financial situation. I think that there are two moral perspectives to take into account here:
Is it bad to aspire to be wealthy? Read More
Thank you, Joshua Genovea, for such a pertinent question. Your question is discussed by Machiavelli in his famous book, ‘The Prince’. Machiavelli advises rulers to inspire both fear and love in their subjects; but if they cannot obtain both, fear would be the safer bet. This is not only for the ruler’s own interest in
Is it better for the leader of a state to be feared or loved? Read More
Thank you, Angus Nimmo, for such a productive question! Philosophers like questioning questions as a start, and this might well be a helpful method here. Why think that it is wrong not to have children? One answer, perhaps familiar from social pressure, would be to see parenting as a life accomplishment. But, for someone who
Is it wrong to be child-free by choice? Read More
