‘A philosopher worthy of the name has never said more than a single thing:
and even then it is something he has tried to say, rather than actually said’
— Henri Bergson

My research focuses on one core idea: political ideas can inspire rich, rewarding, and meaningful ways of life. This is especially true as religion retreats globally. Something inevitably fills this gap, providing a value system, coherent narratives about the self and the world, and practices that make these meaningful and lasting.

Political ideas and institutions often step into this role and I have written three books on the topic: Human Rights as a Way of Life: on Bergson’s Political Philosophy (Stanford, 2013), Human Rights and the Care of the Self (Duke, 2018), and Liberalism as a Way of Life (Princeton, 2024).

My current project, Soulcrafters, extends this inquiry globally, examining how contemporary regimes—including China, Islamic states, and populist and authoritarian countries—actively shape citizens’ characters and sense of self.

The philosopher Henri Bergson (1859 - 1941) writing in his office. Photograph by DORNAC, extracted from the Larousse Archives, Paris.

I am also a specialist in the philosophy of Henri Bergson (1859–1941). In his day, Bergson was an academic star and cultural sensation—Parisians called it Bergsonmania, with his lectures becoming must-see events. He even caused Broadway’s first-ever traffic jam when New Yorkers rushed to hear him speak! Bergson is both a profound thinker and beautiful writer, and alongside fantastic colleagues, I’ve worked to introduce him to an Anglophone audience through edited collections, English editions of his lectures at the Collège de France, and original research. If you’re curious about Bergson, I recommend his wonderful 1920 lecture delivered at Oxford, “The Possible and the Real.” Currently, Nils F. Schott and I are co-editing four volumes of Bergson’s lectures at the Collège de France (2024, 2026, 2027) for Bloomsbury..

I have received fellowships from Princeton University (Center for Human Values), Cornell University (The School of Criticism and Theory), The University of Connecticut (Program on Humanitarianism), The Australia National University (Humanities Centre), Osaka University, The WZB Berlin Social Science Center, and the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

PDFs of my journal articles and chapters are found on my Academia.edu site.