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Doctoral Research
Doctoral Research
The Philosophy of Civil Conflict: Political Hatred, Social Fragmentation, and the Conditions for a Modern-Day Civil War in the United States
The Philosophy of Civil Conflict: Political Hatred, Social Fragmentation, and the Conditions for a Modern-Day Civil War in the United States
Alexandria J. Maloney's doctoral research examines the philosophical conditions that make civil conflict possible and the foundations necessary to sustain peace. Her dissertation explores whether the United States could experience another civil war within our lifetime, focusing on how political disagreement develops into hatred, social fragmentation, and the justification of violence.
Drawing on political philosophy, ethics, and theories of political authority, her work investigates how societies construct enemies, how individuals come to view violence as morally permissible, and how declining institutional legitimacy can threaten democratic stability.
At the heart of her research is a central premise: To understand how societies can sustain peace, we must first understand the conditions that make civil conflict possible.
Central Research Question
Could the United States experience another civil war within our lifetime, and what philosophical conditions might make such a conflict possible or prevent it?
Areas of Research
Areas of Research
1. Political Hatred, Identity & Social Fragmentation
Examining the philosophical foundations of hatred, dehumanization, collective identity, and ideological division. This research explores how political disagreement develops into hostility and how communities become increasingly divided.
2. Civil Conflict, Political Violence & Democratic Legitimacy
Investigating the philosophical conditions under which political violence becomes justified or accepted. Areas of inquiry include political authority, the social contract, institutional breakdown, and the historical and contemporary conditions that make civil war possible.
3. Conflict Prevention, Reconciliation & Social Cohesion
Exploring the ethical and institutional foundations of peaceful coexistence. This research examines how societies preserve legitimacy, rebuild trust, and prevent political divisions from developing into sustained internal conflict.
Selected Publications & Working Papers
Selected Publications & Working Papers
Scholarly Publications
"How Far Is Too Far? On Representing Hate, Harm, and Historical Violence in Contemporary American Art" [Accepted for publication: Sofia Philosophical Journal]. A philosophical examination of historical memory, moral responsibility, and the representation of collective violence.
Conference Papers
"Amnesia, Reckoning, and the Representation of Historical Violence" [Accepted for Conference Presentation: International Studies Association] A philosophical examination of historical memory, moral responsibility, and the representation of collective violence.
"Strategic Stability in the Age of AI: A Policy Framework for Legitimacy, Governance, and Civilizational Social Cohesion" [Reviewed by RAND Corporation] Examines how artificial intelligence is reshaping strategic stability, institutional legitimacy, and social cohesion, proposing a governance framework to strengthen societal resilience and national security amid rapid technological change.
Academic Research Papers
Mythologies of the future: ideology, anthropotechnics, posthumanism: “Designing Belonging: Will Future Technologies Engineer Social Cohesion or Perfect Division?”
Contemporary American Aesthetics and the Puzzles of Art: "How Far Is Too Far? On Representing Hate, Harm, and Historical Violence in Contemporary American Art"
Modal Metaphysics: “Modal Tolerance and the Limits of Intuition”: A Case Study on the Possibility of a Modern U.S. Civil War"
Contemporary Epistemology: “Do We Still Share Reality?” Epistemic Fragmentation and the Precondition for Civil War"
Continental Philosophy: “Violence and the Making of Social Order" Nietzsche, Schmitt, and Girard on the Hidden Foundations of Cohesion
Existential Dialectics: “Ethics Before Ontology: Heidegger, Levinas, and the Question of the Other”
Social Philosophy: "Formal and Informal Justice"
Subject and Project(ivity): "Hate as a Failure of Project(ivity)"
Philosophy of Culture After Modernity: "Hate After Modernity: Imagination, Recognition, and the Breakdown of Cultural Mediation"
Language, World, and Cultural Relativity: “The Moral Grammar of Hate: A Modern Interpretation of Emmanuel Levinas and Moral Responsibility"
Policy Research & Commentary
Article. (December 2024). Atlantic Council. “Experts React: Alexandria J. Maloney: Trump should anticipate the need for US engagement in Africa”. (link)
Magazine Feature. (November 2024). Monarch Magazine. “Profile: Alexandria Maloney”. (link)
Article. (July 2023). Cornell Brooks School of Public Policy. “Alexandria Maloney MPA ’19: Building the Next Generation of Inclusive Leaders”. (link)
Research Paper. (December 2018). Cornell University Institute of Public Affairs. “A Systems Thinking Approach to Diversity and Inclusion in Five U.S. Foreign Affairs Agencies”. (link)
John Cabot University. (2015) Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs, Thesis: “US-Cuba Relations”.
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