I am a Chancellor’s Postdoctoral Fellow in the department of philosophy at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville. My main philosophical interests lie at the intersection of moral psychology, metaethics, and ancient philosophy (especially Aristotle). I am also interested in the history of skepticism in the ancient world, especially the varieties of linguistic skepticism found in ancient India and China (early Buddhism and Daoism, respectively). I received my PhD in Philosophy from the University of Pittsburgh in 2024.

My current work is concerned with the nature of pleasure and its relationship to value, perception, and motivation. Taking inspiration from Aristotle, I am developing an account of pleasure on which it is best understood as a non-intellectual form of evaluative cognition. 

Outside of philosophy I enjoy playing classical guitar, writing music, yelling angrily about hockey, and reading or watching good science fiction.

You can contact me at vfeldbl@siue.edu.