Aaron Ancell

Aaron Ancell

  • Associate Professor, Philosophy
  • Ph.D. in Philosophy, Duke University
  • B.A. (Honours) in Philosophy, Simon Fraser University

Teaching Interests

Ethics; Political Philosophy

Research Interests

Ethics; Political Philosophy

Bio

Aaron Ancell is an assistant professor in the Department of Philosophy.

His research and teaching focus primarily on issues in business ethics and political philosophy.

Previously, he held postdoctoral fellowships at the the EJ Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard University, and at the Centre for Ethics at the University of Toronto. He earned his PhD from Duke University in 2017.

Scholarly Contributions and Creative Productions

Journal Articles

  • Ancell, A. (2025). Does corporate political advocacy wrong shareholders?. Journal of Business Ethics, (202) 459–471. (Link)
  • Ancell, A. (2025). Compelled Speech at Work: Employer Mobilization as a Threat to Employee Speech Rights. Philosophy of Management, (24) 55–71. (Link)
  • Ancell, A. (2023). Corporate Counterspeech. Ethical Theory and Moral Practice, (26) 4 489 - 492. (Link)
  • Ancell, A. (2022). Bias, Safeguards, and the Limits of Individuals. Business Ethics Journal Review, (10) 5 27-32. (Link)
  • Ancell, A. J. (2020). Political Irrationality, Utopianism, and Democratic Theory. Politics, Philosophy & Economics, (29) 2 21-Mar.
  • Ancell, A. (2019). The Fact of Unreasonable Pluralism. Journal of the American Philosophical Association, (5) 4 410-428.
  • Ancell, A., Sinnott-Armstrong, W. (2019). The need for feasible compromises on conscientious objection: Response to Card. Journal of Medical Ethics, (45) Issue 8 (Link)
  • Norman, W., Ancell, A. (2018). Democratic Theory for a Market Democracy: The Problem of Merriment and Diversion When Regulators and Regulated Meet. Journal of Social Philosophy, (49) 4 536-563.
  • Ancell, A. J. (2017). Democracy Isn't That Smart (But We Can Make it Smarter): On Landemore's Democratic Reason. Episteme, (14) 2 161-175.
  • Ancell, A. J., Sinnott-Armstrong, W. (2017). How to Allow Conscientious Objections in Medicine While Protecting Patient Rights. Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics, (26) 1 120-131.
  • Ancell, A., Steenbergen, G., Flanagan, O., Martin, S. (2014). Empiricism and normative ethics: What do the biology and the psychology of morality have to do with ethics?. Behaviour, (151) Issue 2-3 (Link)

    • Book Chapters

  • Ancell, A. (2026). Can loneliness be an injustice? Loneliness in Our Time: Multidisciplinary Perspectives. London: Bloomsbury
  • Ancell, A. (2021). "Liberalism" Truth and Governance: Religious and Secular Views. Brookings Institution Press

    • Conference Proceedings

  • McColeman, C., Ancell, A., Blair, M. (2011). “A Tale of Two Processes: Categorization Accuracy and Attentional Learning Dissociate with Imperfect Feedback”

    • Presentations

  • Ancell, A. (2026). “Should corporations take political stances?” Presented at the University of Oklahoma University of Oklahoma
  • Ancell, A. (2026). “Should corporations take political stances?” Presented at the Saint Joseph's University Saint Joseph's University
  • Ancell, A. (2026). “Businesses as Political Representatives” Presented at the Trinity Normative Philosophy Workshop Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland
  • Ancell, A. (2026). “Businesses as Political Representatives” Presented at the EM Normandie Business School, Paris Philosophy of Management EM Normandie Business School, Paris France
  • Ancell, A. (2025). “Can corporations be political representatives?” Presented at the Politics, Philosophy, and Economics Society London Conference Kings College, London
  • Ancell, A. (2025). “Can corporations be political representatives?” Presented at the Society for Business Ethics Annual Conference Copenhagen, Denmark
  • Ancell, A. (2025). “Can corporations be political representatives?” Presented at the Manchester Workshops in Political Theory University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
  • Ancell, A. J. (2024). “Employer Mobilization, Compelled Speech, and Double Counting” Presented at the Politics, Philosophy, and Economics Society Annual Conference New Orleans, LA
  • Ancell, A. J. (2024). “Should corporations stay out of politics?” Presented at the Ted Rogers School of Management, Toronto Metropolitan University Toronto, ON
  • Ancell, A. J. (2024). “Does corporate political advocacy wrong shareholders?” Presented at the Society for Business Ethics Annual Conference Chicago, IL
  • Ancell, A. J., Norman, W. J. (2023). “"Who Knows What and Who Cares? The Epistemic Challenge for Smart Regulation and Meaningful Corporate Responsibility in the Mid-21st Century"” Presented at the Politics, Philosophy, and Economics Society Conference New Orleans, LA
  • Ancell, A. J. (2023). “Should corporations stay out of politics?” Presented at the The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania Zicklin Center Normative Business Ethics Workshop Philadelphia, PA
  • LeBlanc, J., Ancell, A., Davi, W. (2023). “Bentley-Gallup Business in Society Report Event” Presented at the Bentley University Falcon Discovery Shared Experience Series Waltham, MA
  • Ancell, A. J. (2022). “Corporate Counterspeech” Presented at the Society for Business Ethics Society for Business Ethics Annual Conference Seattle, WA
  • Ancell, A. J. (2021). “Corporate Counterspeech” Presented at the Workshop on Counterspeech Online
  • Ancell, A. J. (2020). “Ideal and Non-Ideal Theory for Business Ethics: Lessons from Political Philosophy” Presented at the Society for Business Ethics Annual Conference Online
  • Ancell, A. J. (2020). “Who Knows What? Corporate Responsibility in the 21st-Century Regulatory State” Presented at the Hoffman Center for Business Ethics Brown Hoffman Center for Business Ethics Brown Bag Series
  • Ancell, A. J. (2019). “Dirty Compromises: The Ethics of Making Concessions to Injustice” Presented at the Lake Forest University Philosophy Colloquium Lake Forest, IL
  • Ancell, A. J., Norman, W. J. (2019). “Who Knows What: Corporate Responsibility in the 21st-Century Regulatory State” Presented at the Society for Business Ethics Society for Business Ethics Annual Conference Boston, MA

    • Service

    Service: Department

  • Committee Member for Hiring Committee 2024-01-01 - 2025-12-31
  • Committee Member for Hiring Committee 2023-01-01 - 2024-12-31
  • Committee Member for Hiring Committee 2021-01-01 - 2022-12-31
  • Committee Member for Hiring Committee 2020-01-01 - 2021-12-31

    • Service: University

  • Committee Member for Bentley Research Council 2025-09-01 - Present
  • Committee Member for Bartlett Chair Search Committee 2025-01-01 - Present
  • Committee Member for Academic Integrity Council 2024-09-01 - Present
  • Committee Member for Brightspace Implementation Faculty Stearing Committee 2022-08-01 - 2023-05-31
  • Committee Member for Communications Sequence Curriculum Design Working Group 2021-07-01 - 2022-04-30
  • Committee Member for LMS Evaluation Faculty Focus Group 2020-12-01 - 2021-03-31
  • Committee Member for Teaching and Scholarly Activites Committee 2020-05-01 - 2023-05-31
  • Mentor (Faculty) for College Kindness 2020-07-01 - 2022-05-31