Tomi Francis
If you're here for the Longtermism graduate class, you can find the readings here.
I am a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Philosophy at the Global Priorities Institute, University of Oxford. My research is mostly in normative ethics (especially population ethics) and decision theory. I'm also interested in practical ethics, logic and the philosophy of mathematics. Currently I mostly think about questions which are relevant for assessing the strengths of our moral reasons to improve the long-term future of humanity. More about me here. Download my CV here.
Website updated: February 2023
Contact information:
Email: tomi dot francis at philosophy dot ox dot ac dot uk
Address: St John's College, St Giles', Oxford OX1 3JP, UK
Research
Publications
"Intrapersonal Arguments for the Repugnant Conclusion", Ethics (forthcoming).
"The Welfare Diffusion Objection to Prioritarianism", Economics and Philosophy (forthcoming). [Preprint]
"Anonymity and Non-Identity Cases", Analysis (forthcoming). [Article | Preprint]
Thesis
Totalism
Supervised by Prof. Hilary Greaves and Dr. Teruji Thomas. Currently under examination. [Manuscript]
Drafts
"In Favour of Making Happy People". [Draft]
A paper arguing that the Procreation Asymmetry is less compelling than it is commonly assumed (under review). [Link to draft]
A paper providing an impossibility theorem regarding avoidance of the Repugnant Conclusion which does not appeal to the Mere Addition Principle or any fellow-traveller (under review). [Link to draft]
A paper arguing against the claim that it is permissible to program a machine to acts in a certain way if and only if it would be permissible to act in that way. (With Todd Karhu, under review) [Link omitted, contact me for a draft]
A paper suggesting how to strengthen a recent intrapersonal argument for the Repugnant Conclusion due to Jake Nebel (under review). [Link omitted, contact me for a draft]
Papers under construction (I don't have publicly shareable versions of these, but email me if you're interested in seeing early versions.)
"A Defence of the Principle of Stochastic Dominance" (with Johan E. Gustafsson).
"Prudence in Different-Number Fission Cases"
"Population Axiology Without Identity"
"Ignore Outlandish Possibilities" (with Petra Kosonen)
"Partial Aggregation in Variable Population Cases"
"An Argument Against Full Incomparability" (with Johan E. Gustafsson)
"Transitivity and Option-Set-Dependent Betterness"
Teaching
Reading Lists
Prelims Moral Philosophy (Mill, Utilitarianism)
Teaching Experience
Oxford has three terms: Michaelmas term (MT), which usually runs from October to December, Hilary term (HT) from January to March, and Trinity Term (TT) from April to June.
HT2023: Co-Convenor (with Timothy L. Williamson): Graduate Class on Longtermism.
MT2022, HT2023: Graduate Student Tutor: Undergraduate Thesis, Supervisions for one student on a topic in epistemology. St Catherine's College, Oxford.
TT 2021: Graduate Student Tutor: Philosophy of Mathematics, Two tutorials for a visiting student. St Edmund’s Hall, Oxford
MT 2020, HT2022: Graduate Student Tutor: FHS Practical Ethics, Thesis supervisions for one student. University College, Oxford
TT 2020: Non-Stipendiary Lecturer: Moral Philosophy, Four sets of three tutorials. University College, Oxford
TT 2020: Non-Stipendiary Lecturer: FHS Practical Ethics, One set of eight tutorials. University College, Oxford
TT 2020: Non-Stipendiary Lecturer: FHS Ethics, Revision classes for eight students. University College, Oxford
TT 2020: Graduate Student Tutor: FHS Ethics, Revision classes for four students. Merton College, Oxford
TT 2020: Graduate Student Tutor: FHS Practical Ethics, One set of eight tutorials. Oriel College, Oxford
HT–TT 2020: Non-Stipendiary Lecturer: FHS Practical Ethics, Thesis supervisions for one student. University College, Oxford
HT 2020: Graduate Student Tutor: FHS Knowledge and Reality, Revision classes for one student. St Peter’s College, Oxford
HT 2020: Graduate Student Tutor: FHS Knowledge and Reality, One set of eight tutorials. St Peter’s College, Oxford
HT 2020: Non-Stipendiary Lecturer: FHS Ethics, Five sets of eight tutorials. University College, Oxford
MT 2019: Graduate Student Tutor: FHS Practical Ethics, One set of eight tutorials. University College, Oxford
MT 2019: Graduate Teaching Assistant: Introduction to Logic, Four classes. TA for Dr. Marion Durand, Corpus Christi College, Oxford
TT 2019: Graduate Student Tutor: FHS Ethics, Revision classes for one student. St Catherine’s College, Oxford
TT 2019 Graduate Student Tutor: Moral Philosophy, Two sets of two tutorials (cover tutor). St Catherine’s College, Oxford
HT 2019 Graduate Teaching Assistant: FHS Philosophical Logic, One set of eight classes. TA for Prof. James Studd, Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford
MT 2018 Graduate Student Tutor: FHS Ethics, One set of eight tutorials. St Catherine’s College, Oxford
MT 2018 Graduate Teaching Assistant: Introduction to Logic, One set of eight classes. TA for Prof. Alexander Paseau, Wadham College, Oxford
HT 2018 Graduate Teaching Assistant: Introduction to Logic, One set of eight classes. TA for Prof. Volker Halbach, New College, Oxford