I am a PhD candidate in Philosophy at the University of Michigan. I work on early modern philosophy, where I am primarily interested in topics within metaphysics and the philosophy of mind.

My dissertation is titled Early Modern Dualisms: Descartes, More, and Clarke. Tad Schmaltz is the chair of my committee, which also includes Sonya Özbey, Marleen Rozemond (Toronto), and Jamie Tappenden.

My current research in early modern philosophy focuses on arguments for, and defences of, substance dualism, the relation of consciousness to the mind, and accounts of individual mental states and faculties. I have explored these themes in the writings of figures such as Descartes, Henry More, Anne Conway, Samuel Clarke, and Émilie Du Châtelet. I have also done work in ancient and medieval philosophy on figures such as Plato, Aristotle, Chrysippus, and Aquinas. My published work has appeared in journals such as British Journal for the History of Philosophy, Apeiron, and Ancient Philosophy. Details about my publications can be found here and details about my current research projects (including my dissertation) can be found here.

While at the University of Michigan, I have designed and taught courses on both ‘The Self’ and on ‘Love, Loving, and Loss’. I have also served as a Graduate Student Instructional Consultant (GSIC), for the University’s Centre for Research on Learning and Teaching, where I provided guidance for other graduate student instructors and help promote excellence in their teaching. For further details on my teaching interests and experience, see here.

I have done a variety of service work, including having served as the Chair of the Graduate Student Council of the American Philosophical Association from 2022 – 2024 and, before that, as the President of the British Postgraduate Philosophy Association from 2019 – 2020. You can read more about my service work here.

I hold an undergraduate degree in philosophy from the University of Notre Dame and have also earned a master’s degree in ancient philosophy at Hertford College, University of Oxford, where I was the recipient of the Hertford Senior Scholarship. Further, while at the University of Michigan, I have completed the Cognitive Science Graduate Certificate, supplementing my work in the history of the philosophy of mind with contemporary work in the field.

Please find my CV here.

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scostel@umich.edu

AOS: Early Modern Philosophy, Ancient Philosophy

AOC: Medieval Philosophy, Philosophy of Mind, Metaphysics