Dr. Nathan Howard - Reasons Why We Do What We Do

Selling Plato

Dr. Nathan Howard is an assistant professor in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Toronto, specialized in moral philosophy, particularly concerning questions at the intersection of ethical theory and practical reasoning about the nature of moral motivation and the role of virtue in ethical life.

Chapters

00:00 The Intersection of Ethics and Parenthood

02:43 Building Connections: The Role of Relationships in Academia

05:51 The Journey Through Graduate School: Challenges and Triumphs

08:53 Specializing in Philosophy: Finding Your Niche

11:42 The Evolution of Philosophical Interests: Language and Ethics

14:59 The Evolution of Philosophical Interests

20:53 Understanding Reasons in Metaethics

24:41 The Nature of Reasons

38:51 Exploring the Ontology of Reasons

52:51 Teaching Philosophy: Engaging Students with Reasons

55:34 Exploring Non-Cognitivism and Ethics

57:55 Teaching Philosophy: Reception and Classroom Dynamics

01:01:15 The Value of Philosophy Beyond Academia

01:05:22 Writing Philosophy Papers: Structure and Strategy

01:13:34 Challenges in Philosophy: Financial Pressures and Standards

01:18:16 Personal Journey: Music and Philosophy

01:26:01 Aesthetics and Ethics: Intersections and Interests

Links from the show:

Dr. Howard's PhilPeople profile: https://philpeople.org/profiles/nathan-howard

The book, "The Fundamentals of Reasons": https://a.co/d/1RqMvHcDr.

Jared Oliphint is the founder of Selling Plato (www.sellingplato.com), received his PhD in philosophy, and teaches philosophy at the college level. His published work has focused on metaphysics, philosophy of language, conceptual engineering, social ontology, and metaethics.

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Keywords

philosophy, ethics, bioethics, reasons, academic career, writing, philosophy of language, meta-ethics, University of Toronto, David Lewis, Derek Parfit