EDUCATION
Ph. D. Philosophy, University of California, San Diego
Dissertation: Toward A Sensible Sentimentalism
M.A. Philosophy, University of California, San Diego
B.A. Philosophy, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
EMPLOYMENT
2025- Professor - Santa Clara University
2020-2025 Associate Professor – Santa Clara University
2014-2020 Assistant Professor – Santa Clara University
2013-2014 Renewable Term Lecturer – Santa Clara University
PUBLICATIONS
BOOKS
2024 Exploring extended realities: Metaphysical, psychological, and ethical issues (edited with
Andrew Kissel)
2022 The Ethics of Virtual and Augmented Reality: Building Worlds (Routledge)
Under Contract with Routledge: The unbound self: How AI, XR, and biotech will change what it means to be us (with Susan Kennedy)
ARTICLES
Forthcoming Ethical issues in virtual reality for clinical psychology. (With Thomas Parsons, Andrew Kissel,
Lihong Ou). In Bouchard, S. (Ed) Virtual Reality and Mental Disorders. CRC Press/Taylor &
Francis Group
2026 Rethinking XR inclusivity means rethinking embodiment. Ethics and Information Technology
2026 Don’t play that game: Can simulations inculcate vice? (With Susan Kennedy). In Malanowski, S.C.,
& Baima, N.R. (Eds) Virtue Theory and Video Games. Routledge
2025 Suicide, social media, and artificial intelligence. (With Susan Kennedy). In Cholbi, M. & Stellino, P.
(eds), Oxford Handbook of the Philosophy of Suicide
2025 Embodiment, relationships, and sexuality in the Metaverse: A critical analysis (with Shelby Jennett,
Laura Clark, Julian Dreiman, Sydney Campbell, and Raghav Gupta). Science and Engineering
Ethics
2024 Extended reality, control, and problems of the self: An ethical analysis (with ShelbyJennett, Dorian
Clay, and Mohit Gandhi). In Ramirez, E. & Kissel, A. (eds). Exploring extended realities:
Metaphysical, psychological, and ethical issues
2024 Through a glass virtually: On the future of extended realities (with Andrew Kissel). In Ramirez, E.
& Kissel, A. (eds). Exploring extended realities: Metaphysical, psychological, and ethical issues
2023 XR embodiment and the changing nature of sexual harassment. With Shelby Jennett,
Jocelyn Tan, Raghav Gupta, and Sydney Campbell. Societies
2021 What it's like to be a ______: Why it's (often) unethical to use VR as an empathy
nudging tool. With Miles Elliott & Per Milam. Ethics and Information Technology
2021 Ethical solutions for commercial VR/AR applications. With Jocelyn Tan, Miles Elliott,
Mohit Gandhi, & Lia Petronio. In Navid Shaghaghi, Fabrizio Lamberti, Brian Beams,
Reza Shariatmadari, Ahmed Amer (Eds.) Intelligent Technologies for Interactive
Entertainment. Springer
2020 Ethical issues with simulating the Bridge problem in VR. Science and Engineering Ethics
2020 How to (dis)solve the Gamer's Dilemma. Ethical Theory and Moral Practice
2019 Psychopathy, autism, and basic moral emotions: Evidence for sentimentalist
constructivism. In Robyn Bluhm and Şerife Tekin (Eds.) Bloomsbury Companion to
the Philosophy of Psychiatry. New York; London: Bloomsbury
2018 Shame, embarrassment, and subjectivity: Holding psychopaths accountable. European
Journal of Analytic Philosophy. Invited contribution for a special issue on
psychopathic responsibility
2018 Ecological and ethical issues in virtual reality research: A call for increased
scrutiny. Philosophical Psychology https://doi.org/10.1080/09515089.2018.1532073
2018 Real moral problems in the use of virtual reality. With Scott LaBarge. Ethics and
Information Technology https://doi.org/10.1007/s10676-018-9473-5
2017 Empathy and the limits of thought experiments. Metaphilosophy 48 (4): 504-526. 2017
2017 A conditional defense of shame and shame punishment. Symposion: Theoretical and
Applied Inquiries in Philosophy and Social Sciences, 4 (1), 77-95
2017 Neurosurgery for psychopaths? The problems of empathy and neurodiversity. American
Journal of Bioethics: Neuroscience DOI: 10.1080/21507740.2016.1218387
2017 Can Suicide in the Elderly Be Rational? Lawrence J. Nelson and Erick Ramirez in
Robert McCue and Meera Balasubramaniam (Eds.) Rational Suicide in the Elderly:
Clinical, Ethical, and Sociocultural Aspects. Springer
2015 Receptivity, Reactivity, and the Successful Psychopath. Philosophical Explorations 18
(3), 330-343
2014 Philosophy of Mental Illness. The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
2013 Psychopathy, Moral Reasons, and Responsibility. In Herrera, C. and Perry, A (eds.)
Ethics and Neurodiversity. Cambridge Scholars Publishing: Cambridge, UK., pp. 217-
237
2013 Critical Review: The Emotional Construction of Morals. Philosophical Psychology, 16
(3), 461-475
EDUCATION
Ph. D. Philosophy, University of California, San Diego
Dissertation: Toward A Sensible Sentimentalism
M.A. Philosophy, University of California, San Diego
B.A. Philosophy, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
EMPLOYMENT
2025- Professor - Santa Clara University
2020-2025 Associate Professor – Santa Clara University
2014-2020 Assistant Professor – Santa Clara University
2013-2014 Renewable Term Lecturer – Santa Clara University
PUBLICATIONS
BOOKS
2024 Exploring extended realities: Metaphysical, psychological, and ethical issues (edited with
Andrew Kissel)
2022 The Ethics of Virtual and Augmented Reality: Building Worlds (Routledge)
Under Contract with Routledge: The unbound self: How AI, XR, and biotech will change what it means to be us (with Susan Kennedy)
ARTICLES
Forthcoming Ethical issues in virtual reality for clinical psychology. (With Thomas Parsons, Andrew Kissel,
Lihong Ou). In Bouchard, S. (Ed) Virtual Reality and Mental Disorders. CRC Press/Taylor &
Francis Group
2026 Rethinking XR inclusivity means rethinking embodiment. Ethics and Information Technology
2026 Don’t play that game: Can simulations inculcate vice? (With Susan Kennedy). In Malanowski, S.C.,
& Baima, N.R. (Eds) Virtue Theory and Video Games. Routledge
2025 Suicide, social media, and artificial intelligence. (With Susan Kennedy). In Cholbi, M. & Stellino, P.
(eds), Oxford Handbook of the Philosophy of Suicide
2025 Embodiment, relationships, and sexuality in the Metaverse: A critical analysis (with Shelby Jennett,
Laura Clark, Julian Dreiman, Sydney Campbell, and Raghav Gupta). Science and Engineering
Ethics
2024 Extended reality, control, and problems of the self: An ethical analysis (with ShelbyJennett, Dorian
Clay, and Mohit Gandhi). In Ramirez, E. & Kissel, A. (eds). Exploring extended realities:
Metaphysical, psychological, and ethical issues
2024 Through a glass virtually: On the future of extended realities (with Andrew Kissel). In Ramirez, E.
& Kissel, A. (eds). Exploring extended realities: Metaphysical, psychological, and ethical issues
2023 XR embodiment and the changing nature of sexual harassment. With Shelby Jennett,
Jocelyn Tan, Raghav Gupta, and Sydney Campbell. Societies
2021 What it's like to be a ______: Why it's (often) unethical to use VR as an empathy
nudging tool. With Miles Elliott & Per Milam. Ethics and Information Technology
2021 Ethical solutions for commercial VR/AR applications. With Jocelyn Tan, Miles Elliott,
Mohit Gandhi, & Lia Petronio. In Navid Shaghaghi, Fabrizio Lamberti, Brian Beams,
Reza Shariatmadari, Ahmed Amer (Eds.) Intelligent Technologies for Interactive
Entertainment. Springer
2020 Ethical issues with simulating the Bridge problem in VR. Science and Engineering Ethics
2020 How to (dis)solve the Gamer's Dilemma. Ethical Theory and Moral Practice
2019 Psychopathy, autism, and basic moral emotions: Evidence for sentimentalist
constructivism. In Robyn Bluhm and Şerife Tekin (Eds.) Bloomsbury Companion to
the Philosophy of Psychiatry. New York; London: Bloomsbury
2018 Shame, embarrassment, and subjectivity: Holding psychopaths accountable. European
Journal of Analytic Philosophy. Invited contribution for a special issue on
psychopathic responsibility
2018 Ecological and ethical issues in virtual reality research: A call for increased
scrutiny. Philosophical Psychology https://doi.org/10.1080/09515089.2018.1532073
2018 Real moral problems in the use of virtual reality. With Scott LaBarge. Ethics and
Information Technology https://doi.org/10.1007/s10676-018-9473-5
2017 Empathy and the limits of thought experiments. Metaphilosophy 48 (4): 504-526. 2017
2017 A conditional defense of shame and shame punishment. Symposion: Theoretical and
Applied Inquiries in Philosophy and Social Sciences, 4 (1), 77-95
2017 Neurosurgery for psychopaths? The problems of empathy and neurodiversity. American
Journal of Bioethics: Neuroscience DOI: 10.1080/21507740.2016.1218387
2017 Can Suicide in the Elderly Be Rational? Lawrence J. Nelson and Erick Ramirez in
Robert McCue and Meera Balasubramaniam (Eds.) Rational Suicide in the Elderly:
Clinical, Ethical, and Sociocultural Aspects. Springer
2015 Receptivity, Reactivity, and the Successful Psychopath. Philosophical Explorations 18
(3), 330-343
2014 Philosophy of Mental Illness. The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
2013 Psychopathy, Moral Reasons, and Responsibility. In Herrera, C. and Perry, A (eds.)
Ethics and Neurodiversity. Cambridge Scholars Publishing: Cambridge, UK., pp. 217-
237
2013 Critical Review: The Emotional Construction of Morals. Philosophical Psychology, 16
(3), 461-475
Last updated April 2026