​I am a philosopher working mainly in ethics, including meta-ethics, moral psychology, and moral epistemology, and the application of theoretical questions to our social and political lives – especially in relation to animals, gender, and the environment. My main research topics at the moment are: attention, moral modality (impossibility and necessity), suffering, and trust.    
Generally, I'm interested in what it means to live a good life and how to achieve it –– within and without the study.
The two philosophers I am most influenced by are Iris Murdoch and Simone Weil. 

Beyond ethics, I am also interested in philosophy of language, philosophy of literature, and Buddhist philosophy. 

I am Associate Editor at the The Journal of Ethics


I used to publish under the name 'Silvia Panizza' until 2019, when I added my mother's last name. For some reflections on the (public) reasons, see this blog post.

When I'm not worrying about the good, I like spending time with my cat Jean and being in the water, swimming and diving. I am an AIDA 3 and Molchanovs Wave 2 certified freediver. 

You can downlod my full CV here

Some talks in Spring-Summer 2026:
  • 'Attention as openness to the real’ Attention and the Virtues of the Mind and Heart conference, Princeton University (March 2026)
  • ‘Necessity and impossibility in ethics’, Columbia University (March 2026)
  • ‘Moral hinges and deep disagreement’ Wittgenstein research workshop, The New School, New York (March 2026)​
  • 'Framing animals' European Environmental Philosophy Series (EEPS), Centre for Environmental and Technology Ethics, Prague (May 2026)
  • 'In defence of consolation' (with E.M. Düringer), The Philosophy of Iris Murdoch conference, LMU Munich (June 2026)
  • ‘What does attention have to do with morality?’ Bolmarcich Memorial Lecture, Lincoln Centre for Applied Ethics, Arizona State University (ASU) (October 2026)


​Contacts:
​[email protected] 
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