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I'm a philosopher working in normative ethics, moral psychology, sexual ethics, and Kant. I'm a PhD candidate at Temple University, where I will defend my dissertation, "A Relational Theory of Trust," in May 2026. 
Beginning in October 2026, I will be a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Edmond & Lily Safra Center for Ethics at Tel Aviv University.
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My research examines the normative structure of our relationships and how it shapes practices of trust and consent at both interpersonal and institutional levels. My next project extends this relational framework of trust to the political domain, examining how different layers of distrust pose serious challenges for liberal democracies.
 
My work has appeared in venues such as The Philosophical Quarterly, European Journal of Philosophy, Episteme, Kantian Review, and Hypatia, and you can read more about it here. Beyond my research, I served as Chair of the APA's Graduate Student Council. I also led the Sexual Ethics Circle and contribute to research networks such as the Center for Positive Sexuality, the Ethical Dating Online Network, and the Liberalism Rekindled Research Project.
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Before Temple, I completed a BA and MA in Philosophy at the Hebrew University ofJerusalem.

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​News

• Publication  My paper, "Breaking Trust and Relocating Reactive Attitudes" is now forthcoming in the Episteme. 
• Publication  My paper, "On Moral Perfection: 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 and Relocating Reactive Feelings."
• 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 published in 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 
• ​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