About
In my work, I ask, given the limits on human agency and self-rule, how can culture and institutions create conditions for better democratic practice. To answer this, I combine democratic theory, phenomenology, and empirical design. Recently, I have been writing about a new model of bicameral sortition democracy, a normative defence of mutual understanding for democracy, a phenomenological account of situated democratic agency, and a realist account of participatory democracy in housing coops.
I completed my PhD in Political Theory at the University of Toronto, where I developed a phenomenological account of the limits of radical democracy. See my dissertation, Radical Democracy Beyond Autonomy: Challenges, Critiques, and Possibilities (2024).
I am now a SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Communication Arts & Sciences at Pennsylvania State University, working with John Gastil on a project testing whether AI can enhance perspective-taking in political disagreement by using the Ideological Turing Test.
My work has appeared in the Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy, Contemporary Political Theory, and Polity, among others. When I’m not working on research, I’m probably biking around Toronto or working on public philosophy projects.
Recent Publications
- "Defending Mutual Understanding as a Democratic Ideal" — Polity (Forthcoming)
- “Elections for Direction, Sortition for Judgment” — Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy (2025)
- “Design Principles for Promoting Deliberative Democracy Online” — Contemporary Political Theory (2025, with John Gastil)
Teaching
Teaching is a core pillar of my work as a political theorist. I have taught numerous tutorial sections on both historical and contemporary topics in politics and political theory. I have also served as instructor of record for the following courses:
- Advanced Topics in Peace, Conflict & Justice — University of Toronto, Munk School (Fall 2024). This capstone seminar explores contentious social and political conflicts through empirical and theoretical analysis, emphasizing ideological perspective-taking. Syllabus
- Modern Political Thought: Freedom & Equality — University of Toronto (Spring 2023). A historical survey of key thinkers in the history of political thought, examining competing visions of liberty, equality, and freedom. Syllabus
Service
I have also contributed service to the discipline and broader academic community through a range of roles. For example, I helped run the University of Toronto's Political Theory Research Workshop, served as a referee for the Association for Political Theory, and a judge for the Ontario Ethics Bowl.
I now serve on the executive committee of the Society for Existential and Phenomenological Theory and Culture (EPTC/TCEP). The 2026 meeting will be held in Victoria, BC.
Public Philosophy
I strongly believe philosophy and theory should reach out into the public sphere. That’s why I create and collaborate on public philosophy projects.
Plastic Pills — A philosophy-focused podcast reaching a large international audience, where we discuss theory, politics, psychoanalysis, and pop culture.
Academic Edgelords — A podcast and soon-to-be video series that explains academia’s most controversial peer-reviewed work, usually in moral and political philosophy.
I have also appeared on other YouTube and podcast platforms, joining academically minded creators such as Ben Burgis, 1Dime, and PF Jung, to discuss topics including mutual understanding, phenomenology, and sortition democracy.