Philosophy

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Trinity College Dublin
University of Dublin
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Dr. Farbod Akhlaghi

Dr. Farbod Akhlaghi

Assistant Professor, Philosophy

3531896 8435http://farbodakhlaghi-g.weebly.com/

Biography

I am an Assistant Professor in Moral Philosophy at Trinity. Before this, I was Stipendiary Junior Research Fellow in Philosophy at Christ's College, University of Cambridge (2021-2024), and a Visiting Research Fellow at Trinity (2023-2024). In May 2024, I was also Caroline Miles Visiting Scholar at the Ethox Centre, University of Oxford. I read for my DPhil (PhD) in Philosophy at the University of Oxford, at Oriel College (2017-2020) and St Anne's College (2020-2021), supervised by Prof Roger Crisp and Prof Timothy Williamson. I received my MPhil in Philosophy from the University of Cambridge (2016-2017), an MLitt in Philosophy from the University of St Andrews and Stirling Philosophy Graduate Programme (2015-2016), and a BA (Hons) in Philosophy from the University of Reading (2012-2015). I also hold a PhD by Incorporation from the University of Cambridge. I am a 'third-culture kid', born in the UK to British parents of Persian/Bakhtiari ancestry, and raised across the UK, South Africa, and throughout the Middle East.

Publications and Further Research Outputs

  • Farbod Akhlaghi-Ghaffarokh, Existence, Mathematical Nominalism, and Meta-Ontology: An Objection to Azzouni on Criteria for Existence, Philosophia Mathematica, 26, (2), 2018, p251 - 265Journal Article, 2018, URL
  • Farbod Akhlaghi, On Moral Obligations and Our Chances of Fulfilling Them, Ethical Theory and Moral Practice, 23, 2020, p625 - 638Journal Article, 2020, URL
  • Farbod Akhlaghi, On the Possibility of Wholesale Moral Error, Ratio, 34, (3), 2021, p236 - 247Journal Article, 2021, URL
  • Farbod Akhlaghi, Does the Unity of Grounding Matter?, Mind, 131, (523), 2022, p828 - 837Journal Article, 2022, URL
  • Farbod Akhlaghi, Non-Realist Cognitivism, Truthmaking, and Ontological Cheating, Ethics, 132, (2), 2022, p291 - 321Journal Article, 2022, URL
  • Farbod Akhlaghi, Transformative Experience and the Right to Revelatory Autonomy, Analysis, 2023, p3 - 12Journal Article, 2023, DOI
  • Farbod Akhlaghi, The Problems of Creeping Minimalism, Philosophy, 98, (3), 2023, p327 - 343Journal Article, 2023, URL
  • Meta-Ethical Quietism? Wittgenstein, Relaxed Realism, and Countercultures in Meta-Ethics in, editor(s)Beale, J. & Cosker-Rowland, R. , Wittgenstein and Contemporary Moral Philosophy, Routledge, 2024, [Farbod Akhlaghi]Book Chapter, 2024, URL
  • Farbod Akhlaghi, How are Ethical Theories Explanatory?, Synthese, 204, (136), 2024Journal Article, 2024
  • Farbod Akhlaghi, Divinely Prescribed Evil and Moral Knowledge in Islam and Beyond, Agatheos: European Journal for Philosophy of Religion, 2025Journal Article, 2025
  • Farbod Akhlaghi, Review of On What Matters: Volume Three, by Derek Parfit , Journal of Moral Philosophy, 20, (1-2), 2023, p166-170Review, URL

Research Expertise

My primary research spans moral philosophy, (meta-)metaphysics, and their intersections. My current research mostly falls into three main projects: (a) bringing work on the nature of metaphysics and ontology to bear on debates over the metaphysics of morality and of normativity; (b) the ethics of transformative experience and what I call revelatory autonomy, and their relation to friendship, family, love, and interpersonal value; (c) analytic philosophy and ethics of culture. I have a broad range of other interests that include the history of philosophy (esp. British moral philosophy and Classical Islamic philosophy), the philosophy of religion, the philosophy and ethics of psychotherapy, epistemology, political philosophy, and meta-philosophy more generally.

Philosophy, Ethics and Religion,

Recognition

  • Reading Experience and Development Award 2013-2014
  • Full Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Studentship, University of Oxford 2017-2020
  • Chancellor's Award, University of Reading 2014
  • Darwin Philosophy Studentship, Darwin College, Cambridge 2016-2017
  • Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) by Incorporation, Christ's College, University of Cambridge 2024
  • Faculty of Arts and Humanities TPG Research-Based Learning Prize, University of Stirling 2015-2016
  • Philosophy Department Prize, University of Reading 2014-2015
  • Deans' List for Academic Excellence, University of St Andrews 2015-2016
  • Graduate Development Scholarship, St Anne's College, Oxford 2020-2021
  • Faculty of Philosophy Nominee for the inaugural Berggruen Prize for Best DPhil Thesis in Philosophy, Politics, or Law, University of Oxford 2021-2022
  • Philosophical Quarterly Bursary, University of St Andrews 2015-2016
  • University Prize Scholarship, University of Sheffield (Declined) 2017
  • Royal Institute of Philosophy Jacobsen Studentship (Unable to accept due to other funding) 2020-2021
  • Laurie Brain Book Prize, University of Reading 2013-2014
  • Caroline Miles Visiting Scholarship, Ethox Centre, University of Oxford 2024
  • Aristotelian Society Bursary 2020-2021
  • Anniversary PhD Scholarship, University of Reading (Declined) 2017
  • Member of the Royal Institute of Philosophy
  • Elected Member of the Committee of The Analysis Trust
  • Lifetime Member of the Aristotelian Society