Dr. Michael Milona

Dr. Michael Milona received his PhD in Philosophy from the University of Southern California in August 2016. Prior to that, he completed his MA at Virginia Tech and his BA at James Madison University.

Dr. Milona’s primary research area is ethics, including metaethics, normative ethics, moral psychology, and the history of ethics. The central question of his work is how we acquire moral knowledge. For example, how do we know that we ought to keep our promises, or that helping those in need is good? In exploring possible answers, Dr. Milona is interested in offering a theory that can also make sense of why some ethical questions are, in contrast, so systematically puzzling. He defends the view that emotions are ultimately the foundation for how we know what is right or wrong, good or bad.

Dr. Milona’s published work has appeared in venues such as Philosophical Studies, Oxford Studies in Metaethics, and Ethical Theory and Moral Practice. While on a postdoctoral fellowship, he was awarded the American Philosophical Association’s 2017 Routledge, Taylor and Francis Prize for one of the two best articles published by someone in a NTT position. This work on moral knowledge has also led to related research programs on specific emotions, especially on the nature and value of hope.

Dr. Milona’s work on hope was initially supported by the John Templeton Foundation’s Hope and Optimism Initiative in conjunction with Cornell University. His work on hope has appeared in journals such as Ergo and the Canadian Journal of Philosophy. 

"I chose Ryerson University because the Department of Philosophy includes excellent scholars who represent a wonderfully wide range of philosophical traditions. There are few departments as rich as Ryerson's. I am also excited to live in Toronto, both for its academic and culinary qualities."