Welcome! I’m a philosopher working primarily on ancient philosophy (especially Aristotle), social-political philosophy, and their intersection. I received my Ph.D. from UCLA in 2025, with a dissertation on justice and exchange in Nicomachean Ethics 5.5.

My article, “Aristotle on Needs, Justice, and Exchange,” was published last fall in Ancient Philosophy. In it, I explain why Aristotle can intelligibly conclude that need is the measure of exchange from the fact that need is the motive for exchange. In “Equalizing the Producers in Nicomachean Ethics 5.5″ (forthcoming in Phronesis), I tackle Aristotle’s puzzling claim that the exchangers themselves, and not only their products, must be “equalized” in a just exchange.

You can find my current research projects here, my CV here, some sample syllabi here, and my complete teaching evaluations here.

I can be reached at dpederson@ucla.edu.