Jeff Carroll is a PhD candidate in philosophy at the University of Virginia. He works on issues in social and political philosophy including those at the intersection of PPE.
What would your childhood self say if someone told you that you would grow up to be a philosopher?
Childhood-me would probably be disappointed that adult-me wasn’t pitching for the New York Yankees or playing against Tiger Woods on the PGA Tour. But he would probably be pretty proud to have gotten out of Appalachia Ohio and that he wasn’t working 3rdshift in a factory, addicted to opioids and cough pills.
I hope that childhood-me would find it pretty cool that they get the opportunity to make a living – albeit a more modest one than they might’ve wanted – out of thinking, talking and writing about ideas (especially when they are about social justice and democracy).
Who have been the biggest influences on your philosophical trajectory?
My 2nd grade teacher Mrs. Call got me to care about reading. My 5th grade teacher Mrs. Jones held debates that spurred my interested in arguing. My high school English teacher Mrs. Carpenter taught me how to write.
At Ohio State, two amazing graduate student instructors guided me to philosophy. Jason Keiber, a political scientist by training, pushed me to take a philosophy course. That course ended up being taught by Wes Cray, who offered about the best and cleanest intro philosophy course one could imagine. From there, I found my way to political philosophy and spent the rest of my undergraduate days taking courses with Piers Turner. I also received significant support from Allan Silverman.
After graduation and a short stint in the golf world, I made my way to Georgia State University for my MA. Georgia State was an absolutely wonderful place to do philosophy. I benefitted tremendously from working with the Andrew Cohens (J and I). And I found my philosophical fairy godmother in Christie Hartley, who has helped me both professionally and philosophically in more ways than I am capable of articulating.
Now, in my PhD at the University of Virginia, I have the privilege of writing my dissertation under the supervision of A. John Simmons. Unfortunately for the profession, I believe I will be the last person to have this privilege. During my time in Charlottesville, I have also benefitted from many philosophical and non-philosophical discussions with Loren Lomasky over lunch at el Puerto or a bottle of wine.
What are you working on right now?
My current work focuses primarily on methodological issues concerning justice and democracy, respectively.
Many of the justice-related questions fall within the ideal/nonideal theory debate. One set of these questions regard what types of institutions are justified in ideal theory. In a forthcoming essay in The Journal of Politics, I address whether there is a role for a state in ideal theory or if it is anarchic.
Another set of these questions concern how to best conceive of ideal theory. Rawls famously defended making the idealizing assumption of agents strictly complying with the principles of justice. Since, he has been criticized for both assuming strict compliance and doing ideal theory. In my article in Social Theory and Practice, I argue that there is a reason to criticize Rawls, but it is not because he assumes strict compliance or does ideal theory. It is because he infers from strict compliance a static theory of justice – one that determinately fixes a normative destination – when a dynamic theory of justice – one that leaves the destination of justice open to revision – is needed.
I am in the process of extending my research to methodological issues in democratic theory. Specifically,I am interested in how to measure the epistemic abilities of institutions – what I call institutional intelligence. I challenge the status quo assumption that the way to measure intelligence is by how well an institution does at arriving at right or correct answer. I contend that a better way to measure intelligence is by how well an institution does avoiding wrong or incorrect answers. Institutional intelligence should be measured by the height of an institution’s epistemic floor, not by the height of its ceiling.
What’s your poison? (Favorite drink.)
Wine or Scotch bought by someone else. When I’m buying, a smoothie or a milkshake.
If you were an ice cream what flavor would you be?
Generally: Mint Chocolate Chip. Specifically: Cake Batter (in milkshake form) at MooThru
What’s your top tip or advice for APA members reading this?
I’m in no position to be giving advice. But one thing I’d like to see is philosophers get better at talking about non-philosophy. I couldn’t disagree more with those that think philosophers should stick solely to philosophical conversations. I believe that the state of the discipline would be improved if it was more widely recognized that it’s okay to talk about the ballgame or The Bachelorette.
What do you like to do outside work?
I really enjoy golfing, used to play a fair bit of baseball and softball and spend too much thinking about fantasy sports. Also, I love animals. Taking care of dogs and kitties consumes a good chunk of my time.
What is your favorite sound in the world?
A kitty-purr or a well-struck golf shot.
What three things are on your bucket list that you’ve not yet accomplished?
- Hit a hole-in-one
- Write a book
- Win the US Op
What technology do you wish the human race could discover/create/invent right now?
Fully self-driving cars. It’s not a big ask; Elon and Tesla are pretty darn close. But, as a child, my parents put me to sleep by driving me around the block. To this day, car rides make me really sleepy.
What are your favorite quotes?
“Remember, no man is a failure who has friends.”
- Clarence, played by Henry Travers, from It’s a Wonderful Life
“You can’t lose what you don’t put in the middle…but you can’t win much either.”
- Mike McDermott, played by Matt Damon, from Rounders
“When a defining moment comes along, you define the moment…or the moment defines you.”
- Roy McAvoy, played by Kevin Costner, from Tin Cup
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.
