David Decosimo

David Decosimo is an Associate Professor and Associate Dean in the School of Civic Life and Leadership at the University of North Carolina. Previously, he served as Director of the Institute for Philosophy & Religion and Associate Professor of Theology and Ethics at Boston University. He holds a Ph.D. and MA from Princeton University, an MA from the University of Chicago, and a BA from the University of Virginia (Echols Scholar).

His research focuses on ethics, religion, and politics, including virtue ethics, philosophy of religion, ancient/medieval ethics, Islamic philosophy, and political philosophy. His book "Ethics as a Work of Charity: Thomas Aquinas and Pagan Virtue" (2014) won the Manfred Lautenschlaeger Prize. He explores topics like the ethics of torture, Islamic political freedom, comparative ethics methods, and metaethics of intrinsic goodness.

Recent research interests include freedom, domination, recognition, and the role of inquiry/wonder in human flourishing. His work bridges philosophical traditions (e.g., Aquinas, Aristotle, al-Ghazālī) and contemporary ethical dilemmas.