In partnership with the Templeton Religion Trust, I explore aesthetic cognitivism—a perspective that views art as a source of understanding, offering cognitive and emotional insights that go beyond traditional knowledge and potentially foster spiritual growth.
My research, funded through grants completed from 2020–2022 and ongoing through 2026, investigates how screen stories shape moral understanding and how engagement with fictional characters fosters moral reasoning through emotional and cognitive processes.
This grant examines how moving image narratives shape moral understanding, addressing themes of personal morality and social justice. I investigate the unique capacity of films to evoke empathy, challenge biases, and deepen ethical insight through storytelling.
This grant explores how engagement with fictional characters fosters moral reasoning through emotional and cognitive processes. Using methods like eye tracking and EEG, I study how films evoke empathy and enhance ethical understanding.
The outputs of these grants include completed and ongoing scholarly publications, edited volumes, and conference presentations that explore the relationship between screen stories, moral understanding, and character engagement.
The success of these grants stems from interdisciplinary collaboration. I led the first grant, with Allison, Dan, and Murray contributing as speakers in online seminars, and joining the second grant team as collaborators.
The research highlighted here represents a portion of my academic contributions. To explore more of my work—including books, scholarly papers, and media features—use the button below.
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