i'm an associate professor of philosophy at mcgill university, where i direct the philosophy, technology, & policy lab.

my earlier work was in ethical theory & metaethics. i now work on questions about power, legitimacy, & governance in digital infrastructure. i'm currently writing about the illegitimate power of centralized social media platforms & ai systems, & on the prospects for decentralized alternatives.

before joining mcgill, i was a research assistant professor at unc-chapel hill & core faculty in the unc/duke program in philosophy, politics, & economics. i completed my ph.d. at the university of arizona (2017) & an m.a. from brandeis (2011). i was a visiting fellow at harvard in 2017 & at the anu in 2019.

i co-organize CHillNorm with Alex Worsnip & Margaret Shea.

the best way to get in touch with me is by email at chris.howard@mcgill.ca.


edited book

articles & chapters

reviews

work in progress (email for drafts)


upcoming & recent talks

[paper on decentralized ai]

  • Oxford Institute for Ethics in AI, 5/2026
  • Ethics & Tech Roundtable, McGill, 3/2026

[paper on decentralized social]

  • Workshop, Kyoto University, 6/2026
  • Center for Bioethics, NYU 4/2026
  • Centre for Ethics, University of Toronto, 1/2026
  • Ninth Annual PPE Society Meeting, 11/2025