Lauren M. Ashwell

Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology; M.A., B.A., B.S., University of Auckland

Lauren Ashwell works in metaphysics, philosophy of mind, and feminist ethics, with particular interests in dispositions, desire, and objectification, in each of these respective areas.

In philosophy of mind, desire is an also-ran when it comes to theorizing about mental states – all the attention is on belief, (visual) perceptual experience, and pain. Desire is largely ignored, as it is assumed to be similar enough to belief that one can simply focus on belief, in forming theories of belief and desire. Lauren is currently working on problems that arise from this assumption, in both the metaphysics and epistemology of our desires. Her interest in desire also extends into the area of feminist ethics, where she has looked at how desire might play a role in objectification. Other interests include the relationship between dispositional properties and counterfactuals, and in elucidating feminist objections to fashion.