Lisa Tessman

Lisa Tessman is an American philosopher who holds positions as a philosophy professor at Binghamton University in New York and as a senior researcher at the University of Oslo. She served as president of the Eastern Division of the American Philosophical Association (APA) from 2023 to 2024. Her scholarly work primarily engages with ethics, moral psychology, and feminist philosophy, with a particular focus on understanding how individuals experience morality when subjected to non-ideal and oppressive circumstances. Tessman's research is characterized by its integration of ethical inquiry with a feminist perspective, examining the social and political contexts that shape moral experiences. Her first major publication, "Burdened Virtues: Virtue Ethics for Liberatory Struggles," delves into the costs individuals may incur when practicing virtues under oppressive systems. Her subsequent monograph, "Moral Failure," addresses the complexities of unavoidable moral conflicts and the challenges of meeting all moral demands, drawing insights from diverse sources like Holocaust testimony, feminist care ethics, and discussions on moral demandingness. She has also contributed to the field through her editorial work, including editing "Feminist Ethics and Social and Political Philosophy: Theorizing the Non-Ideal" and co-editing "Jewish Locations: Traversing Racialized Landscapes."