Former Fellows

The focus of my research is the investigation of mental ambivalence (internal conflicts of desire, belief, emotion, etc.), including a detailed analysis of the various modes of ambivalence, be it self-deception or self-overcoming, ambivalent paralysis, or appropriate and creative courses of ambivalent action. The CAS fellowship provides me with the opportunity of completing a manuscript on ambivalence, and since ambivalence cannot be disentangled from our understanding of personhood, rationality, belief, action, and value, it is also a book on these further topics.

The individual person is always interacting with others and my further interest lies in examining the connection between subjectivity and interpersonal relations. On my analysis, relationships with others are constitutive of persons and their attitudes, while at the same time they are undermining of personhood. In exploring this structure, I am also asking what is understanding and what is implied in Kant’s moral imperative, and I analyse diverse phenomena of interpersonal and collective interaction and communication, including various modes of reification, care, and dialogue. The stay in Sofia will also enable me to work on this project.