I am a professor of French literature and intellectual history at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and the author of several books on animal ethics, veganism, and anthropocentrism. My work examines how humans have thought about animals, food, violence, and humanity itself across history, from Antiquity to the modern world.
More recently, my research has also turned toward the ways in which societies have imagined the possible existence of extraterrestrial civilizations, and the psychological, social, theological, and anthropological consequences that the official recognition of such beings might have for our species.
At a deeper level, these two lines of inquiry—animals and extraterrestrials—are, for me, two ways of approaching the same fundamental question, one that has preoccupied me for a long time: What is humanity? Where do we come from? What are our limits, our responsibilities, our prerogatives, and our possible futures within a cosmos that appears vast, elusive, and largely unknown?
I explore these questions through my core disciplines: the history of ideas, literature, philosophy, and historical sociology. I remain convinced that the humanities have never been more relevant when it comes to understanding what it means to be human. Far from standing in opposition to the sciences, the humanities must work alongside advances in biology, astrophysics, neuroscience, and computer science, engaging in a genuine dialogue with contemporary scientific thought.
My research and teaching naturally take place within the university, but they also extend beyond it through newer media formats. These include the podcast Out of Curiosity and a series of short, educational videos on veganism and animal ethics, available in both French and English on Instagram and YouTube. Through these projects, I aim to make complex ideas accessible without sacrificing depth, and to invite a wider audience into conversations about humanity, ethics, and the future.