Patricio A. Fernandez

Associate Professor

Office Location

South Hall 5718

Specialization

  • Ethics
  • Philosophy of Action
  • Ancient Philosophy
  • Philosophy of Economics. 

Education

PhD, Harvard University

Research

My current research concerns the nature of practical reasoning and of its connection to action, as well as how a right understanding of these issues bears on a general picture of the human mind and on a conception of the normative standards that apply to it. Relatedly, I am interested in the relation between the ordinary ethical knowledge of moral agents and the philosophical ethical knowledge of moral theorists. My research on these questions draws inspiration from ancient theories of the practical life and human deliberation, especially Aristotle’s, which I also continue to explore in their own right.

 

Publications

  1. “When Life Imitates Art: Vital Locomotion and Aristotle’s Craft Analogy,” forthcoming in Heat, Pneuma and Soul in Ancient Philosophy and Medicine, C. King and H. Bartos, eds. (Cambridge University Press). Joint with J. Mittelmann.
  2. “The Good Will Be First.” Oxford Studies in Normative Ethics 8 (2018) : 78-101.
  3. “Crafts and Souls as Principles of Change.” Phronesis 62 (2017): 136-169. Joint with J. Mittelmann.
  4. “Practical Reasoning: Where the Action Is.” Ethics 126 (2016): 869-900.
  5. “A Realistic Practical Conclusion.” American Philosophical Quarterly 52 (2015):115-128
  6. “Reasoning and the Unity of Aristotle’s Account of Animal Motion.” Oxford Studies in Ancient Philosophy 47 (2014): 151-203.
  7. “Stare Decisis: Rhetoric and Substance.” The Journal of Law, Economics, & Organization 28 (2012): 313-336. Joint with G. Ponzetto.
  8. “Case Law vs. Statute Law: An Evolutionary Comparison.” Journal of Legal Studies 37 (2008): 379-430. Joint with G. Ponzetto.