Lecturer in History of Philosophy / Philosophy of Economics, University of St Andrews
I specialise in early modern philosophy, especially Spinoza, and the philosophy of economics.
I have published two books: Spinoza and Dutch Cartesianism: Philosophy and Theology (Oxford University Press, 2015) and The Philosophy of Debt (Routledge, 2015).
Interest rates: the case for cutting them permanently to zero
Aug 10, 2023 08:23 am UTC| Economy
In 1937 the English economist Joan Robinson proposed that when capitalism is rightly understood, the rate of interest will be set at zero and the major evils of capitalism will disappear. John Maynard Keynes, who had...
Spinoza: Enlightenment thinker on why 'no platforming' is motivated by ambition rather than fear
Mar 12, 2020 17:32 pm UTC| Insights & Views
The recent no-platforming of social historian Selina Todd and former Conservative MP Amber Rudd has reignited the debate about protecting free speech in universities. Both had their invited lectures cancelled at the last...
The dirty politics of scapegoating – and why victims are always the harmless, easy targets
Nov 22, 2016 23:05 pm UTC| Insights & Views Politics Economy
The word scapegoat is being used a lot in discussions about politics in 2016. The new US president-elect, Donald Trump, appealed to some voters with rhetoric that appeared to scapegoat Mexicans and Muslims for various...
Electricity from farm waste: how biogas could help Malawians with no power
What the Supreme Court is doing right in considering Trump’s immunity case
US election: why it’s not the protesters’ votes that the Democrats should worry about
IceCube researchers detect a rare type of energetic neutrino sent from powerful astronomical objects