ELI BENJAMIN ISRAEL
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CV | Philpapers | Google Scholar
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I am a philosopher specializing in normative ethics, moral psychology, political philosophy, and Kant. I am currently a visiting researcher hosted by Arnon Keren and Boaz Miller’s ISF project, working on "The Pragmatics of Distrust."
In October 2026, I will join the Edmond & Lily Safra Center for Ethics at Tel Aviv University,  as part of its "Challenges of Democracy" project.

My research has appeared in venues such as The Philosophical Quarterly, European Journal of Philosophy, Episteme, Kantian Review, among others. I have developed a relational framework to examine the normative structure of  practices of trust and consent. My current project turns to institutional and political (dis)trust across several levels—among citizens, between citizens and state institutions, and between states—and asks how these dynamics might explain, and perhaps help us address, some of the ailments now facing liberal democracies. You can read more about my research here.

Beyond my research, I have held several leadership roles at the American Philosophical Association, I have led the Sexual Ethics Circle and maintain research affiliations with public-facing research networks such as the Center for Positive Sexuality, the Ethical Dating Online Network.
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I earned my PhD in philosophy at Temple University, and a BA and MA at the Hebrew University ofJerusalem.

​News

  • Publication  My paper, "On Moral Perfection: An Atemporal Reading of Kant's Postulate of Immortality" (winner of the 2024-2025 Nordev Prize) is out now in the latest issue of the European Journal of Philosophy. 
  • Dissertation  I successfully defended my dissertation, “A Relational Theory of Trust,” in the Department of Philosophy at Temple University. 
  • Paper Accepted  My paper, "Breaking Trust and Relocating Reactive Attitudes" is now forthcoming in the Episteme. This project was made possible by a grant from the Institute for Humane Studies.
  • 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.
  • ​Paper Accepted   My paper, "Navigating Vagueness: Rule-Following and the Scope of Trust" is now forthcoming in The Philosophical Quarterly.​​​

Papers

​Recent and Upcoming Talks

  • Sep 2026  “Relationships as Norm-Based Commitments" // "Commitment, Individual and Collective" Workshop.  Tampere University, Finland
  • Jul 2026  “Democratic Betrayal" (w/ Jack Madock) // Trust & Cooperation: Vienna Summer School. University of Vienna, Austria
  • Apr 2026  “Demystifying Consent" // APA Pacific Division Meeting, Symposium. Online
  • Feb 2026  “Demystifying Consent" // APA Central Division Meeting, Colloquium. Chicago, IL, US​

​© Eli Benjamin Israel 2026
  • Home
  • About
  • Research
    • Publications
    • Under Review & In Preparation​
    • Sexual Ethics Circle
  • Teaching
  • Public Philosophy
  • CV