I am an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Previously, I held postdoctoral fellowships at MIT and UC Berkeley, and completed a PhD at Princeton University.

Here is my CV.
My email is michal.masny[]colorado.edu

My research focuses on four topics in moral and political philosophy: well-being, the future of humanity, biomedical ethics, and work.

I am currently finishing a series of papers about the role that paid work plays in our lives, the impact of technological and social transformations on our opportunities to attain various non-monetary goods of work, and the desirability of a world without work.

I am originally from a small town near Warsaw, Poland. My first name, Michał, is pronounced there 'Me-how', but you can also call me 'Michael'.

I'm also a runner, and enjoy racing marathons and ultramarathons. On the ultramarathon side, I've done several 50Ks, one 50-miler, two 100K races, and two 100-milers.

Publications

forth.

The Shape of History Journal of Moral Philosophy

2026	Does the Same Theory of Welfare Apply to All Welfare Subjects? Ethics, 136 (2): 384–397

2025	Extension and Replacement Philosophical Studies, 182 (5):1115-1132.

2025	Meaningful Lives and Meaningful Futures Journal of Ethics and Social Philosophy, 30 (1): 1-9.

2025	Junk, Numerosity, and the Demands of Epistemic Consequentialism Erkenntnis, 90: 1095-1114

2023	Wasted Potential: The Value of a Life and the Significance of What Could Have Been Philosophy & Public Affairs, 51 (1): 6-32.

2023	Healthspan Extension, Completeness of Life, and Justice Bioethics, 37: 239-245.

2021	What Should We Agree on about the Repugnant Conclusion? Utilitas, 33 (4): 379-383. With 28 co-authors.

2021	Schopenhauer on Suicide and Negation of the Will British Journal for the History of Philosophy, 29 (3): 494-516.

2020	On Parfit's Wide Dual Person-Affecting Principle Philosophical Quarterly, 70 (278): 114-139.

2020	Friedman on Suspended Judgment Synthese, 197 (11): 5009-5026.

In progress

Three manuscripts on well-being and the future of work.

*Titles and details redacted for peer review, but please email me if you're interested in reading these papers – comments welcome!

Teaching

My teaching, much like my research program, seeks to connect philosophical theory with issues of pressing public concern. At Princeton, UC Berkeley, and MIT, I taught undergraduate and graduate courses on the ethics of technology and biomedical ethics. At MIT, I was also involved in the Social and Ethical Responsibilities of Computing (SERC) program.

This semester, I'm teaching an undergraduate course on the ethics of technology at CU Boulder.