Photo credit: Meryem Keskin
Michael Bruckner is pursuing a Ph.D. in Philosophy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, holding a B.A. from the University of Vienna and a B.Phil. from the University of Oxford. His research interests lie in metaethics, epistemology, and philosophy of mind, especially at their intersections.
What excites you about philosophy?
My answer to this starts with a platitude: much philosophy begins when seemingly innocuous assumptions are discovered to stubbornly resist explanation. In my experience, this tends to evoke a characteristic mix of stimulating puzzlement, gleeful anticipation, and a sense of being on the heels of something profound. Experiencing this oneself is already exciting. What is more, I have come to believe that philosophy can be used to evoke the same experience in anyone, if it is administered at the right time and in the right dosage. The heights of my excitement about philosophy are marked by occasions when I have been fortunate enough to strike those balances sufficiently well to spread the joy. A lesson I have learned along the way is that problematizing people’s assumptions about middle-sized dry goods in their immediate, well-lit environments is the closest thing I have to a party trick. (This is a bit unfortunate, since the lighting at many parties is at best adequate.)
What are you most proud of in your professional life?
What I am most proud of is getting to call so many wonderful philosophers in different parts of the world my friends, especially my current and former colleagues at the universities of Vienna, Oxford, and Wisconsin. More than proud, I feel grateful for everything they have taught me and inspired by their dedication to using philosophy to make a change for the better. This one goes out to them!
What are you working on right now?
One recent project concerns the epistemology of character judgment, where “character judgment” is understood as other-directed ascription of character traits. I believe that this branch of epistemology demands specialized treatment and may have implications for issues in other branches of epistemology (e.g. testimonial knowledge, understanding others), ethics (e.g. virtue and vice, praise and blame), and philosophy of mind (e.g. mindreading, acquaintance).
Another recent project concerns the question of how the concept “moral judgment” came to have its reference fixed. I view this as a continuation of the recent trend to shine a metasemantic light on perennial issues in metaethics. While this light has been shone mostly on moral metaphysics so far, I believe it can illuminate moral psychology as well. In particular, I hope that it will advance the disagreement between cognitivists and non-cognitivists about moral judgment, as well as that between motivational internalists and externalists.
One more longstanding project concerns the proper definition of “internal identity” in the context of Twin Earth thought experiments. (I attempt a definition in terms of dispositional identity.) A second one concerns the relationship between extended and embodied approaches to cognition. (I suspect them to be less congenial than it seems.) A third one concerns the puzzle of what could ever make fitting anger about a past event unfitting, given that facts about the past will forever persist. (I explore an answer in terms of disproportionality.)
Name a trait, skill or characteristic that you have that others may not know about.
I grew up in rural Austria, surrounded by traditional Austrian folk music. Most of the friends I have made since leaving home may not know that I initially learned playing the clarinet in no small part through polkas, waltzes, and marches. (And yes: sometimes I would be wearing lederhosen while doing so.) Another skill I have come away with from this is playing while walking in formation.
What would your childhood self say if someone told you that you would grow up to be a philosopher?
The first thing he would say is, “What does a philosopher do?” Once he understood, he would add, “When can I start?”
What are your goals and aspirations outside work?
One aspiration that goes all the way back to my childhood is to perform on stage with a jazz ensemble once, either a big band or a small combo, and preferably playing the saxophone (which I would have to learn how to do first). A more recent dream is to “win blades” at either one of the annual Oxford rowing races (Torpids or Summer Eights) with my old rowing club. Admittedly, this particular goal is being complicated by the fact that I am no longer rowing with them. (Maybe as a visiting alumnus one day?)
Which superpower would you like to have?
I would like to have a sixth sense for fallacies, especially informal ones. Here is how I imagine this would work. In a written text, the letters would appear to rearrange themselves on the page in front of me, to spell out whatever fallacy I would be looking at in each case. In a spoken conversation, I would have an experience as of hearing an angelical voice whispering things like “red herring” or “false dilemma” into my ear, or at least a soft chiming sound with a different pitch for each fallacy.
This section of the APA Blog is designed to get to know our fellow philosophers a little better. We’re including profiles of APA members that spotlight what captures their interest not only inside the office, but also outside of it. We’d love for you to be a part of it, so please contact us via the interview nomination form here to nominate yourself or a friend.
Dr. Sabrina D. MisirHiralall is an editor at the Blog of the APA who currently teaches philosophy, religion, and education courses solely online for Montclair State University, Three Rivers Community College, and St. John’s University.
