Sean M. Costello

Sean M. Costello is a doctoral candidate in Philosophy, where he is working on early modern philosophy. He is writing a dissertation on 'Early Modern Dualism and Unities of Consciousness' – focusing on Descartes, More, and Clarke. Tad Schmaltz is the chair of his committee.

He holds an undergraduate degree in philosophy from the University of Notre Dame and a master’s degree in ancient philosophy from the University of Oxford (Hertford College).

His primary research interests lie in understanding, through the lens of the history of philosophy, how the world metaphysically is and how it is that we, as living beings, navigate and psychologically experience it. In addition to his dissertation, Sean's current work focuses on issues regarding perception (especially visual perception), memory, and consciousness in the writings of figures in the early modern period, such as Descartes, Henry More, Anne Conway, and Samuel Clarke. He has also done work in ancient and medieval philosophy, on figures such as Plato, Aristotle, Chrysippus, and Aquinas.

Representative Publications

• 'Anne Conway on Memory'. British Journal for the History of Philosophy 31.5 (2023). 912-931. Available here.
• 'Nocturnal Vision in Plato's Timaeus'. Ancient Philosophy 44.1 (2024). 59-81. Available here.
• 'Aristotle on Light and Vision: An "Ecological" Interpretation'. Apeiron 55.2 (2022). 247-279. Available here.

AOS:

• Early Modern Philosophy
• Ancient Philosophy

AOC:

• Medieval Philosophy
• Philosophy of Mind
• Metaphysics