My Current Projects…
I’m working on two projects. One is about the implications of the axiological paradoxes of the past half century. The other is about the search for extraterrestrial life. I have recently finished a book manuscript about this: Will We Find Life Beyond Earth? A Philosophy of the Search for Extraterrestrial Life. If you’d like to see it, get in touch. Further information and links to papers below.
Moral Paradox and Metaethics: An engagement with paradox has been at the heart of moral philosophy from the 1970’s to present. I argue that this of metaethical significance. Unless we can resolve the paradoxes, scepticism and nihilism loom. Recent papers on this project:
- A New Case for Moral Skepticism: The Argument from Paradox. Forthcoming at Journal of Philosophy.
- A What Now Problem for Moral Realists. Forthcoming in Kalf and Verbeek eds. New Perspectives on the Now What? Question.
Epistemology in the Search for Extraterrestrial Life: Scientists are optimistic that we will soon discover alien life. But is this likely? And what would it actually take?
- Comparing Astrobiologists’ Confidence in Extraterrestrial Life Claims for K2-18 b and Cheyava Falls. Forthcoming at Nature Astronomy. (Co-authored).
- Methodological Conservatism in the Assessment of Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena. Forthcoming at Ergo.
- Optimism in the Search for Extraterrestrial Life: A Philosophical Perspective. Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society (2025).
- New Work on Biosignatures. Mind (2023).
- Confidence of Life Detection: The Problem of Unconceived Alternatives. Astrobiology (2023). (Co-authored)
- Arguing about Extraterrestrial Intelligence. Philosophical Quarterly (2023).
Earlier Books and Papers
Some other books and selected papers below:
Christopher Cowie Philosophy 