As a nominee of the ESJP you obviously study or studied Philosophy, but could you tell us something more about yourself and how your interest in Philosophy came to be?
I didn’t plan to end up studying philosophy at a university level when I finished high school. I did my bachelor’s in economics and grew more and more sceptical about the assumptions behind economic models. I discovered, almost by chance, that there was a whole Master program in London dedicated to Philosophy of Economics and related subjects. I enrolled and realised quite soon that that philosophical niche was what I really wanted to delve into!
What works or thinkers inspired you most in your development as a student in Philosophy?
I have quite a trivial answer. I got interested in the work of Amartya Sen and Ian Carter for my Bachelor's Thesis, which was on freedom of choice. Reading their work made me curious about the broader realm of “philosophy of economics”, where I was (and still am) really fascinated by the sharpness of thought of Robert Sugden, who, being both an economist and a philosopher, has written on a myriad of different topics at the intersection of the two fields with incredibly interesting remarks.
Could you shortly introduce the topic of your paper and tell us why you wanted to write about this topic?
In my paper, I write about nudges, which are policy interventions implemented either at the firm level or at the government level. Since the topic is intensively discussed and debated, I had the impression that I knew something about it, but my appreciation of the literature was extremely shallow. Because of this, I wanted to read a bit more on the theoretical ground for nudges to shed light on what my stance on the topic really was. I still feel I have a superficial understanding of the topic, but hopefully slightly less than before!
The ESJP works with a double-blind peer-reviewed process that most academic journals also use, followed by an intensive editorial process in which you get feedback on your work. What did you take out of this experience?
It was an extremely stimulating and intellectually challenging experience! I got pushed to revise extensively the work I initially submitted for an assignment in the “New Developments in Economics” course. Having a number of different feedback rounds helped hugely in organising the revision process in a fruitful way. For the first rounds, I had to revise the general structure and the solidity of my argument. Then, I got gently nudged into taking care of the specific details of the essay. I grew more and more aware of the difficulty to express clearly in writing what seems to be already crystal-clear in one’s own head. Thanks to the thoroughness of the feedbacks, I was able to understand what I needed to rewrite completely or rephrase.
Since your paper was first nominated by a teacher for our journal and then passed the double-blind peer-reviewed process, you have shown to be able to write a noteworthy and qualitative philosophical paper. What is your secret?
I would be happy to know it myself, but I guess I don’t really have one. I tend to read a lot before writing and end up pushing the start of the writing phase further and further until, at some point (usually too late to have a relaxed writing process), I realise what my argument will be and how I should structure it. Some of my best essays have been written in a day and a half of (literally) non-stop writing after a moment of “enlightenment”! I wouldn’t suggest this strategy to anyone, but I cannot do without it, so, even if I try to plan ahead every time, I guess I will keep up with my non-strategy for some more time.
You are still a student (or you just graduated) and already have a first publication, what’s next? What are your plans for the future?
I have just started a PhD in philosophy at Erasmus University Rotterdam! So far, the plan is to conduct research on the broader realm of rational choice theory and freedom of choice. I would like to continue with a career in academia, but I still have four years ahead of me to think about this life-project more thoroughly!