Brief biography

I am a Professor in Phi­los­o­phy at the Department of Phi­los­o­phy, Logic and Scientific Method in the London School of Economics. From 2012 to 2018, I served as one of the Academic Governors on the Council of the LSE, as well as a member of the Court of Governors. From 2018–2021, I served as the Head of Department.

Before joining the de­part­ment, I was a Visiting As­sis­tant Pro­fess­or at the De­part­ment of Phi­los­o­phy, Uni­ver­sity of California - San Diego (between 2000 and 2001). I also visited Carnegie Mellon University during the fall of 2003.

Although my original field of research concerned evolutionary game theory as applied to the evolution of morality and social norms, more recently I have worked on problems in decision theory, more broadly construed, including topics in formal epistemology. My most recent book, The Open Society as an Enemy, is forthcoming with the LSE Press in 2024.

Below is a short video in which I discuss evolutionary game theory and how it can be applied to questions of philosophy.

Another short video in which I discuss my views on how game theory can underpin an ‘objective but relative’ conception of morality, entitled “On the evolution of morality,” was released in January 2010. A popular article discussing some of the ideas in that video was published by IAI news. In addition, a recording of a public debate between myself, Dr Keith Jensen and Dr Andrew Pinsent on “The evolution of morality” is also available.

Upcoming talks