About

I am a PhD candidate in the Department of Philosophy at Indiana University Bloomington. In 2025-26, I was a Future Faculty Teaching Fellow & adjunct professor at Butler University in Indianapolis. Prior to this, I completed a MA and a BA, both in Philosophy, at Texas Tech University & Saint Cloud State University, respectively.

Most of my philosophical research concerns meaning in life, centered on questions of belonging & purpose, and connections between them, but I’m also interested in methodological & metaphilosophical issues raised by much current work on meaning in life. I also have interests in value theory, political philosophy, virtue ethics, existentialism, especially where these issues intersect with the above. Finally, I enjoy dabbling in classical Chinese philosophy, especially Mengzi & Zhuangzi.

When I’m not doing philosophy, I enjoy reading and learning about intellectual history, political theory, and economics; reading science-fiction and fantasy books (send me recommendations!), playing PC games, listening to live music, and biking everywhere. I have a guitar that someday I will learn how to play (maybe).

I can be contacted at kfosterv [at] iu [dot] edu