I teach Philosophy at MIT, where I work on ethics and related questions about human agency and human knowledge. I am the author of Practical Knowledge, Reasons without Rationalism, and Knowing Right From Wrong.
My new book, Life is Hard, is out in paperback from Riverhead Books (US) and Penguin (UK). Combining philosophy with personal essay, the book has chapters on infirmity, loneliness, grief, failure, injustice, absurdity – and hope. It's been reviewed by the Economist, the New York Times, the Sunday Times, and the Guardian, and was selected as one of the best books of 2022 by the Economist and the New Yorker. Excerpts in the Atlantic, LitHub, BBC Future, Big Think, Nautilus, and the Guardian. My last book was Midlife: A Philosophical Guide. It is available in bookstores and can be ordered online. My work on midlife has been featured in Aeon, Hi-Phi Nation, Five Books, and the New York Times. I have also written about stand-up comedy, H. P. Lovecraft, baseball, free will, and the meaning of life. cv • bookshelf • podcast • substack • bluesky |