Kayla Bohannon will be Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the University of North Alabama beginning in Fall 2023. Her primary research interests are in social philosophy and feminist philosophy, and she frequently teaches undergraduate courses in ethics and political philosophy.
What would your childhood self say if someone told you that you would grow up to be a philosopher?
I spent my childhood developing interests in all kinds of bizarre career paths. People would ask me “what do you want to be when you grow up?” expecting a normal answer like a doctor, teacher, whatever. And I’d always come back with, like, “a paleontologist.” So, I think my childhood self would ultimately roll with it, because it sounds cool and different, even though she wouldn’t know exactly what it was at first.
What excites you about philosophy?
In my mind, philosophy is a creative endeavor. There are so many parallels between my creative process as a photographer and my process of doing philosophy. They’re both acts of making something new, of presenting perspectives that maybe no one else has ever envisioned before. Whenever I get an idea for a new project, I feel the same rush of excitement that I feel whenever I’m setting up a shot to take a photograph. And when you do these kinds of work, you won’t always get it right, and sometimes you’ll be convinced that you’re really onto something only to come back to it later and decide it’s garbage. But on the flip side, sometimes you’ll think that you’ve got nothing but garbage, only to find later that you had this really great shot or argument. The process is messy and challenging, and it’s so abundantly rewarding because of that.
What are you working on right now?
I’m writing a paper about the moral dimensions of parasocial relationships. I think parasocial relationships are philosophically interesting because they occupy this gray area between being friends and being strangers. You can have a famous artist whose work has been a profound influence on your life, and that artist can say things like “I love my fans,” but at the same time, they don’t know you personally exist. And my question is, what kinds of moral obligations can we find in that gray area? When someone like Taylor Swift builds a massively successful career by cultivating these parasocial relationships with her fans, does she impose any unique moral duties upon herself by doing so? I won’t give away my answer to that question here, but it’s been a blast working on it.
What do you like to do outside work?
I already mentioned photography: I shoot both digital and analog, although lately I’ve been doing 35mm film almost exclusively because it’s a ton of fun. I like to run and hike, which pairs nicely with the photography hobby depending on the location. And I’m really into watching pretentious movies and annoying all my friends afterwards with my analyses of the cinematography.
What is your favorite film of all time? (Or top 3). Why? To whom would you recommend them?
Impossible to pick. For a decent flight of my taste, I’d recommend Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove, Harron’s American Psycho, and Baker’s The Florida Project. These are all films that variously present some aspect of humanity’s dark potential, while leaving it up to the audience to determine whether there’s any hope for us.
Name a trait, skill, or characteristic that you have that others may not know about.
I have sound-color synesthesia. If I sit at a piano and play a C, I see the color yellow; D is red, E is green, and so on. Depending on how much is going on in a song, I can sometimes tell what key it’s in just by paying attention to what colors it is.
What advice do you wish someone had given you?
There is no single “right” way to cultivate your career. When I was in grad school, I got really hung up on trying to emulate others who I took to be doing things the “right” way. For example, I was trying to start writing my dissertation during the pandemic lockdowns, and I was struggling, because I was following advice that worked for some but very much did not work for me. It wasn’t until I gave myself permission to break the “rules” in my head that things improved. I threw out all these ideas of the work I was supposed to be doing and started doing the work I actually wanted to do. And in the process, all these good things happened. I became more productive, but more importantly, I developed professional confidence, which I’d never had before. Ironically, I also found that my work was better received by others when I believed in that work. So, I wish that someone had told me that sometimes you have to stop doing what you think are the “right” things, so you can start doing the right things.
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.
