Dr Harry Alanen
I received my DPhil from Oxford in 2022. My thesis - Aristotle on Action and Agency - explores Aristotle’s philosophy of action against the backdrop of contemporary action-theory, arguing that his approach to the explanation of behaviour is unique.
I am also a Visiting Scholar at the University of Helsinki, where I am a member of the "History and Diversity in Aristotelian Zoology"-project. Before joining Merton, I was a visiting Fulbright scholar at the University of Pittsburgh (in 2023-24).
My research focuses on the explanation of behaviour covering a wide range of philosophical issues including metaphysics, philosophy of mind, ethics, and the history of philosophy.
At Merton I mainly teach Ethics and Moral Philosophy, and function as the Director of Studies for students studying PPE and Philosophy joint degrees in the Humanities.
Forthcoming. “Induction, Perception, and Scientific Method in Aristotle’s Natural Philosophy”. Forthcoming in: M. Perälä & H. Lagerlund (eds.) Aristotelian Induction, under contract with CUP.
2019. “A Review of C.M.M. Olfert’s Aristotle on Practical Truth (OUP, 2017)”. In: Ancient Philosophy Today: DIALOGOI, Vol.1, 133-141.
2018. “Davidson on Aristotle and Philosophy of Action”. In: J. Kuorikoski & T. Toppinen (eds.) Action, Value and Metaphysics: Proceedings of the Philosophical Society of Finland Colloquium 2018, ACTA PHILOSOPHICA FENNICA 94, 35-68.
