​I'm a philosopher working on ethics, moral psychology, and the philosophy of sex & love. I also write on topics in the history of philosophy (esp. Kant).
My current research focuses on the normativity of trust and consent within interpersonal relationships — you can learn more about my research here.

I'm doing my Ph.D. at Temple University and I currently serve as chair of the APA's Graduate Student Council. In addition, I am affiliated with several research projects and networks, including the Center for Positive Sexuality, the Ethical Dating Online Network, and the Liberalism Rekindled Research Project.

Before joining Temple, I did my M.A. and B.A. in Philosophy at the Hebrew University.

Curriculum Vitae

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​News

• ​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, nnow titled "A Kantian Account of Moral Trust", is forthcoming in The Kantian Review.
• Award   I was awarded the 2024-2025 Nordev Prize for "An Atemporal Reading of Kant's Postulate of Immortality."

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Papers

​Recent and Upcoming Talks

• ​November 2024 “Participant Trust” // 28th Oxford Graduate Philosophy Conference, University of Oxford 
• January 2025 Comments to “On Lying, Deception, and Using Others Merely as a Means: What Sort of Prohibition on Lying to Others Does Kant’s Formula of Humanity Support?” by Melissa Fahmy  // APA Eastern Division Meeting, New York, NY
• January 2025 Panel Participation on “The Philosophy of Sexual Violence” (Routledge, 2024)   // APA Eastern Division Meeting, SPSL session, New York, NY
• February 2025 “Participant Trust” // APA Central Division Meeting, Colloquium, Online 
• March 2025 “Breaking Trust: Relocating Disappointment and Betrayal” // Liberalism Rekindled Research Project, Online 
• May 2025 “Caring for Valid Sexual Consent” // ScienceAbroard Event, Online 
• August 2025 “Breaking Trust: Relocating Disappointment and Betrayal” // "From Bitterness to Disappointment and Back" Workshop, University of Vienna

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Contact

​Eli Benjamin Israel
Department of Philosophy
Temple University
​718 Mazur Hall, 1114 Polett
Walk, Philadelphia, PA 19122
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Email: [email protected]

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

​© Eli Benjamin Israel 2025