Ali Erani

Hi, I’m Ali (they/them)! Before joining the department in 2024, I studied philosophy and biology at the University of Chicago and then worked for a few years as a cell biologist. I’m interested in ethics and the philosophy of action/agency, and I have a general fondness for the history of philosophy. Some questions: how do we ground our ethical commitments? What does it mean to act for a reason? How do we go beyond toy cases of rational, intentional action and understand expressions of agency within social context (e.g., under conditions of oppression)? Relatedly, but as more of a personal/side project, I am interested in trans philosophy. To be more specific, I’d like to think about transness as essentially involving a kind of self-creative activity which is part of our living well. List of interests of course subject to change and expansion!

Outside of philosophy, I enjoy crocheting, doing crosswords, and eating yummy food/drinking yummy tea. I consider myself the department’s (and maybe the city’s) foremost fan of Dippy the Diplodocus, located conveniently across from the Cathedral of Learning.