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​I'm a philosopher working across normative ethics, moral psychology, sexual ethics and Kant. My research advances the idea that agent-interdependence is a fundamental feature of our practical lives. While traditional ethical theories emphasize our obligations to others, I argue that effective agency requires us to actively assess how others will act toward us, treating normativity as a two-way street. I'm developing this idea into a broader framework for thinking about trust, consent, and relationships in general. My work is published or forthcoming in venues such as The Philosophical Quarterly, European Journal of Philosophy, Kantian Review, and Hypatia, and you can read more about it  here.

I'm finishing up my PhD at Philosophy at Temple with a dissertation called "A Relational Theory of Trust." I recently ended my term as Chair of the APA's Graduate Student Council and am now on the APA's 2025-2030 Strategic Plan advisory committee. I also run the Sexual Ethics Circle and work with some great research projects and networks, such as the Center for Positive Sexuality, , the Ethical Dating Online Network, and the Liberalism Rekindled Research Project.

Before landing at Temple, I did my MA and BA in Philosophy at The Hebrew University ofJerusalem.

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​News

• Publication  My paper, "An Atemporal Reading of Kant's Postulate of Immortality" (winner of the 2024-2025 Nordev Prize) is now forthcoming in the European Journal of Philosophy. 
• Blog Post   With the end of my term as Chair of the APA's Graduate Student Council, I've taken time to reflect on my journey to The Blog of the APA.
• ​Publication   My paper, "Navigating Vagueness: Rule-Following and the Scope of Trust" is now forthcoming in The Philosophical Quarterly.
• Fellowship   I was granted a fellowship from the Institute for Humane Studies to support the development of my paper "Breaking Trust: Disappointment and Betrayal as Relational Attitudes.
• Award & Publication   I was awarded the 2024 NAKS Markus Herz Prize for "Kant on Moral Trust." This paper, now titled "A Kantian Account of Moral Trust", is forthcoming in The Kantian Review.

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Papers

​Recent and Upcoming Talks

• Apr 2026  “Demystifying Consent" // APA Pacific Division Meeting, Symposium. Online
• Feb 2026  “Demystifying Consent" // APA Central Division Meeting, Colloquium. Chicago, IL
• Dec 2025 Title TBA // Liverpool-Oxford-St Andrews Kantian (LOSAK) Research Centre Conference, Commentary. University of Liverpool 
• Nov 2025 “On Moral Perfection: An Atemporal Reading of Kant's Postulate of Immortality” // North American Kant Society - Eastern Study Group. Swarthmore College 
• Aug 2025 “Breaking Trust: Relocating Disappointment and Betrayal” // "From Bitterness to Disappointment and Back" Workshop. University of Vienna
• May 2025 “Caring for Valid Sexual Consent” // ScienceAbroard Event. Online ​
• Mar 2025 “Breaking Trust: Relocating Disappointment and Betrayal” // Liberalism Rekindled Research Project. Online 
• Feb 2025 “Participant Trust” // APA Central Division Meeting, Colloquium. Online 

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"Trust doesn’t happen in a vacuum, but within relationships."

​© Eli Benjamin Israel 2025