Austen McDougal arrived at Binghamton as an assistant professor of philosophy in fall 2026. Prior to that, he held positions at New York University’s Center for Bioethics as an assistant professor/faculty fellow and at Princeton University’s Center for Human Values as a postdoctoral research associate with the Princeton Project in Philosophy and Religion. He received a PhD in philosophy from Stanford and an AB in philosophy with a minor in computer science from Princeton. His research centers on the ethics and moral psychology of the heart, so to speak. In ethical theory, he follows an age-old thread that says ethics is fundamentally, albeit not exclusively, about your motives. 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). He also argues that agency is fundamentally about deciding your motives and only derivatively about voluntary control over your actions. His most 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. Recent Publications
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