معرفی
David Killoren is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Philosophy in the Department of Philosophy at Grand Valley State University, part of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. He has previously held faculty positions at Koç University, Texas State University, Australian Catholic University, Northwestern University, and Coastal Carolina University, reflecting a broad international and academic footprint.
He earned his PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2012 under the supervision of Russ Shafer-Landau. His research spans core areas of moral philosophy, with deep engagement in metaethics, normative ethics, and applied ethics.
His primary fields of interest include:
- Metaethics, especially non-naturalist moral realism and moral occasionalism
- The moral significance of personal relationships in normative theory
- Animal ethics and the ethical treatment of non-human beings
- Social ontology, collective action, and the philosophy of social movements
- Political speech and activism
David is currently co-authoring a major book under contract with Oxford University Press titled Our Relationships with Animals: A New Comprehensive Moral Theory and a New Approach in Animal Ethics with Rob Streiffer. The book presents a unified moral framework that bridges metaethics, normative ethics, and animal ethics. He is also contributing to The Oxford Handbook of the Philosophy of Personal Relationships and co-organizing a Harvard-based workshop on The Moral Universe by Bengson, Cuneo, and Shafer-Landau, with plans for an edited volume.
His recent publications reflect a consistent focus on foundational moral questions and their application to real-world issues such as animal rights, activism, and political discourse. The trends in his work show increasing integration between theoretical ethics and practical concerns, particularly in how moral theories can inform debates on social change and collective agency.
David actively collaborates with scholars across disciplines and countries, including sociologist Onur Alptekin, philosopher Dilara Diegelman, activist Joanne Lee, and Jacob Sparks. He also maintains a public intellectual presence through blogging and public dialogues.
His research has been published in leading journals such as:
- Philosophical Studies
- Oxford Studies in Metaethics
- Ethical Theory & Moral Practice
- Canadian Journal of Philosophy
- Journal of Ethics & Social Philosophy
- Journal of Applied Philosophy
- Analytic Philosophy
He has advised or collaborated with early-career researchers and graduate students, though no formal advisees are listed in the provided materials. He has organized multiple academic workshops, particularly in Istanbul and at Harvard, and is involved in securing collaborative research opportunities. His current projects indicate sustained funding potential through academic partnerships and publication contracts.
David Killoren is affiliated with research teams working on:
- The OUP book project on human-animal relationships
- The Harvard workshop and edited volume on The Moral Universe
- A multi-author project on the philosophy of activism
- Research groups on social ontology and collective speech in social movements
