Nikhil Venkatesh (he/him)

School of History, Philosophy and Digital Humanities

Leverhulme Early Career Fellow

n.venkatesh@sheffield.ac.uk

9 Mappin Street

Full contact details

Nikhil Venkatesh
School of History, Philosophy and Digital Humanities
9 Mappin Street
Sheffield
S1 4DT

Profile

I specialise in moral, social and political philosophy. My research focuses on utilitarianism and socialism, aiming to bring the two traditions together in a way that sheds light on contemporary social issues and fundamental ethical questions.

I’m also interested in effective altruism, population ethics, trade unionism, Marxism, the ethics of data and AI, political economy, the philosophy of race and gender, and metaethics.

I studied at Oxford and University College London, and previously worked at the London School of Economics and King's College London.

Qualifications: PhD, University College London; MPhilStud, University College London; BA (Hons) Philosophy, Politics and Economics, University of Oxford.

Research interests

My research focuses on utilitarianism and socialism, aiming to bring the two traditions together in a way that sheds light on contemporary social issues and fundamental ethical questions.

I’m also interested in effective altruism, population ethics, trade unionism, Marxism, the ethics of data and AI, political economy, the philosophy of race and gender, and metaethics.

Publications

Journal articles

Venkatesh N (2025) Utilitarianism is a form of egalitarianism. Ergo an Open Access Journal of Philosophy, 12. View this article in WRRO
Venkatesh N (2025) Capitalism and the very long term. Moral Philosophy and Politics, 12(1), 33-58. View this article in WRRO
Venkatesh N (2025) Social anarchism and the rejection of moral tyranny, by Jesse Spafford. Mind, 134(536), 1218-1227. View this article in WRRO
Kowalczyk K & Venkatesh N (2024) Risk, non-identity, and extinction. The Monist, 107(2), 146-156. View this article in WRRO
Venkatesh N (2024) Williams’s integrity objection as a psychological problem. Topoi, 43(2), 491-501. View this article in WRRO
Venkatesh N (2023) Inefficacy, pre-emption and structural Injustice. Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society, 123(3), 395-404. View this article in WRRO
Venkatesh N (2022) Against commitment. Philosophical Studies, 179(12), 3511-3534. View this article in WRRO
Venkatesh N (2021) Is act-consequentialism self-effacing?. Analysis, 81(4), 718-726. View this article in WRRO
Venkatesh N (2021) Surveillance capitalism: a Marx-inspired account. Philosophy, 96(3), 359-385. View this article in WRRO
Zuber S, Venkatesh N, Tännsjö T, Tarsney C, Stefánsson HO, Steele K, Spears D, Sebo J, Pivato M, Ord T , Ng Y-K et al (2021) What should we agree on about the repugnant conclusion?. Utilitas, 33(4), 379-383. View this article in WRRO
Venkatesh N (2020) Repugnance and perfection. Philosophy & Public Affairs, 48(3), 262-284. View this article in WRRO