Byron Williston

My MA thesis was on Nietzsche's concept of nihilism and my PhD dissertation was on Descartes' philosophy of emotions. I wrote widely on the history of modern philosophy in the first few years of my career, while also developing an interest in action theory, especially motivated irrationality. Around the turn of the century, I got freaked out about climate change and have written a lot since then about the ethical and political complexities of this issue. Drawn irresistibly (I guess) to the philosophical dimensions of existential threats, I have now turned to teaching and writing about the ethics and politics of AI.

I am willing to supervise students wanting to work on any of the themes listed under Research Interests. 

In addition to the books listed below, I have published numerous articles, book reviews, and book chapters on the history of modern philosophy (Descartes to Nietzsche), Heidegger's philosophy of technology, motivated irrationality, the problem of nihilism, philosophy of emotion, ethics of belief, and more. Papers have appeared in (among other venues): American Philosophical Quarterly, Journal of Value Inquiry, Journal of Global Ethics, British Journal for the History of Philosophy, Journal of the History of Ideas, Ethical Theory and Moral Practice, and Ethics and the Environment.

2023. The Ethics of Climate Change: An Introduction, second edition. Routledge

2023. Environmental Ethics for Canadians, third edition. Oxford University Press

2020. Philosophy and the Climate Crisis: How the Past Can Save the Present. Routledge

2019. Canadian Environmental Philosophy, edited with Frank Jankunis and Tyler DesRoches. McGill-Queens University Press

2015. The Anthropocene Project: Virtue in the Age of Climate Change. Oxford University Pres

2005. Passion and Virtue in Descartes, edited with André Gombay. Humanity Press.

Under review:

Governing the Climate Crisis in Canada: Nation-Building for Planetary Health and Global Stability