Kate Brelje is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Philosophy. Her current research engages feminist philosophy, normative ethics, aesthetics and environmental philosophy. Her dissertation is on ethics of care and plant life. The first half of the dissertation argues for an ethic of care that extends beyond human persons. The second half approaches care ethics in three distinct case studies of human-plant relationships: bonsai plants, tomato plants, and sequoia trees. Each of these three provides distinct relational contexts: artistry and kinship, domestication and use, and wilderness and awe, respectively. Kate enjoys art (textiles and two-dimensional), hiking with her dog, and cooking vegan fare.
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Miriam Solomon