Ryan Kulesa

Uehiro Scholarship for Future Generations

Joining us from: United States
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DPhil Philosophy (2024)

I am reading for the DPhil in Philosophy, specializing in moral philosophy. My current research focuses on questions concerning moral status: Whose interests matter, morally? Why do they matter? To what extent do they matter?

Current views of moral status have seriously counterintuitive implications: they either exclude or include far too many individuals as having significant moral status. For instance, some views of moral status entail, counterintuitively, that healthy new-born humans and temporarily comatose humans have a lower moral status than persons. Some even entail that some persons have a lower moral status than other persons. Views that avoid these implications, on the other hand, face other problems: many entail, counterintuitively, that permanently comatose humans and anencephalic foetuses have the same moral status as persons. I am developing a view that promises to solve these problems of (under) inclusion.

I wouldn't be able to pursue this project without the generous support provided by St Cross and the Uehiro Foundation. Since I am not from the UK, the overseas fees would have prevented me from pursuing study at Oxford. The scholarship has not only allowed me to study at Oxford, but has also given me the financial freedom to focus entirely on my studies.

St Cross, in addition to its generous financial support, has also been a great place to meet other scholars outside of my discipline. I've benefited greatly from meeting other international students, learning from their unique perspectives and expertise. Learning from my peers at St Cross has been and, I anticipate, will continue to be an important part of my professional development and social life.

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