Research

These are some of the projects I am currently working on. Click here for a pdf of my Research Statement. You can also find links to my published and forthcoming work under the 'CV' heading.

The Oddly Satisfying:

In this paper I discuss the philosophical issues raised by the 'oddly satisfying'. 'Oddly satisfying' is an aesthetic term coined on internet forums in 2015. Since then, it has evolved into its own genre and become one of the most popular hashtags across social media. Here, I explore the nature of the genre, the nature of the phenomenological experience, and its relationship to everyday aesthetics and ASMR. I survey the philosophical issues raised by the oddly satisfying, provide an outline for what is required of a successful theory of the oddly satisfying, and provide my own account of what makes the oddly satisfying oddly satisfying.

Country Music:

In this paper, I argue that ‘country’ serves as a dual character concept in the same way that it is has been suggested of punk and hip-hop. On this model, we can make sense of the distinction between ‘punk’ and ‘real punk’ in that the conditions to qualify as punk tend to be descriptive, but an artist and their work must embody the values of punk to qualify as ‘real punk’. That is, authentic country music is country music that demonstrates the core value commitments of the genre. On this model, country music authenticity discourse is best understood as a game of negotiating the common practical identity shared by country music fans and artists.

Hip-Hop:

Hip-hop stands out among popular music genres for its seeming lack of cover songs. This raises the question of why there aren't many (if any) cover songs in rap. At least one potential explanation for this phenomenon is that the culture of hip-hop places increased significance on autobiographical fidelity, such that any attempted cover would lack the requisite authenticity to be fully accepted and appreciated by hip-hop audiences. Here, I argue that hip-hop's complex and nuanced versioning practices (including its prohibition against covering) are best explained by concerns about reputation which characterize the genre as an honor culture.

Ethics of Cover Songs (w/ P.D. Magnus):

Recent work in the aesthetics of cover songs explores metaphysical issues (about whether a cover is the same song as the original) or aesthetic issues (about how we ought to appreciate cover songs). Our focus is, instead, on ethical issues raised by cover songs. Specifically, we explore what covering artists owe to the original artist. Here, we conclude that covering artists have a pro tanto duty to respect the wishes of the original artist, and that this duty can arise in a number of different ways.

Genre Explosion:

In this paper I survey the existing accounts of genre and pose what I call the problem of genre explosion. In this case, a theory of genre must differentiate actual genres from mere categories of art. I survey the ways in which this problem arises for all of the existing theories of genre, look at a particularly strong form of intentionalism that could solve the problem, and argue that this kind of intentionalism faces a number of problems. Ultimately, I conclude that the problem of possible genres is best solved by adopting a view in which genres are social categories which pick out communities of aesthetic practice.