I am a postdoctoral research associate at Princeton University’s Center for Human Values with the Princeton Project in Philosophy and Religion. I recently received my Ph.D. in Philosophy from Stanford University with a dissertation on ethics and moral psychology.
My research pulls on an age-old thread that says ethics is fundamentally, albeit not exclusively, about the heart. In particular, motives for acting have intrinsic significance independent of outcome: being for what matters (motives) is just as important to ethics as bringing about what matters (outcomes). I also argue that agency is basically about deciding your motives and only derivatively about voluntary control over your actions. A number of my recent projects explore the grounds for more compassionate ways of being oriented toward others: for showing attention, grace, and love even when these might not be deserved.
My background plays an important role in my philosophical temperament and teaching. As a Mexican-American, I have found teaching Latin American philosophy quite rewarding. I suspect that being raised in a bicultural family is also partly responsible for my tendency toward conciliatory frameworks (like the dualism of being for and bringing about that I defend in ethics). My experience with software development informs reflections on the importance of the heart in the context of technology and AI. Finally, Christian themes influence my interests in philosophy of religion and metaethics.