I am a PhD candidate in philosophy at the University of Maryland, College Park. My areas of specialization are aesthetics and philosophy of mind, with a particular focus on imagination and supposition, creativity, fiction, and the emotions. I also have an MA in cinema studies. My areas of teaching competence are ethical theory and applied ethics.

My dissertation, tentatively titled “Emotions and Puzzles of Fictions,” is an examination of the philosophical puzzles that arise when we respond emotionally to fictions. I argue that the emotions we feel in response to non-existent objects are indeed genuine cases of emotion. This position, in turn, suggests a response to the paradox of fiction: that we do have emotions for objects in which we do not believe, that the pity we feel for, say, Anna Karenina is a genuine case of pity, and further that it is rational to feel such an emotion. I also discuss the paradox of tragedy, suggesting that this paradox is only apparent - it is coherent and rational to enjoy watching negatively emotional art. I conclude with discussing the emotions in relation to the phenomenon of imaginative resistance, a component which has been underexamined in the literature on imaginative resistance. My advisor is Jerrold Levinson.

I am also thrilled to be a mom, and seem to be developing an AOS in boys, with one toddling around and another on the way. I am married to Vincent, also a philosopher and the best omelet chef I know. I miss New York, but very much like living in Maryland, I enjoy cooking and eating way too much for my own good, and I am fond of all the arts, especially books and movies.

I can be reached at epicciuto@gmail.com.