N. G. Laskowski

In Fall 2023, I'll be an Assistant Professor in the Philosophy Department at the University of Maryland, College Park. 

Here's my philosophical lineage.

Email: ngl.philosophy[at]gmail[dot]com

Research

My core work in moral philosophy explores how to locate morality in the world as science and experience reveals it to be - naturalistic and secular. An upshot of this work is that misgivings about locating morality in natural reality rest on mistaken views about moral thought.

More recently, I've begun working on another project in moral philosophy on honesty, moral conscience, and artificial intelligence.  

In social philosophy, I work on the nature of sexuality and gender. Very broadly speaking, I defend the views that your sexual orientation and gender are determined by features "in the head" but are no less morally significant for it.

My research is also highly and unapologetically collaborative with ~40% of my published, forthcoming, or in progress work being co-authored.

Selected Recent Writing

Complete list at Google Scholar or PhilPeople.org

The Stuff That Matters, Oxford Studies in Metaethics Vol. 19 (forthcoming)

No Gods, No Masters, No Authoritative Normativity w/ N. R. Howard, The Oxford Handbook of Meta-Ethics (forthcoming)

Categorical Phenomenalism about Sexual Orienation w/ T. R. Whitlow, Philosophy & Phenomenological Research (2023)

Wronging by Requesting w/ Kenneth Silver, Oxford Studies in Normative Ethics Vol. 11 (2021)

The World is Not Enough w/ N. R. Howard, Noûs (2021)

Resisting Reductive Realism, Oxford Studies in Metaethics Vol. 15 (2020)

Moral Constraints on Gender Concepts, Ethical Theory and Moral Practice  (2020)

Teaching

I'm a 1st-generation college graduate (my parents didn't attend college, theirs didn't...), committed to making non-traditional students feel like they belong in the classroom. 

Here are my recent and upcoming teaching assignments:

Spring 2023

On fellowship at the Center for AI Safety

Fall 2023

None.

Spring 2024

Phil 408/PHPE 408: Social Ontology

service

I view service as an important political outlet for advancing philosophy on campus and beyond. During the 2023-2024 AY, I'll be discharging the usual professional service responsibilities like refereeing. Department, college, and university service to follow the next AY.

Personal

I was raised by my maternal grandma in a single-bedroom apartment in Roselle, New Jersey, ~ 20 miles SW of NYC. My wonderful spouse and I were married by Elvis. I have a delightful toddler. We're moving to DC from LA. Go Dodgers.