At Stanford, Thorpe steeped herself in Kantian ethics. If you don't freely act, then it's hard to say you're responsible and blame-worthy and all that. So moral philosophers have an interest in claiming that we're free, and Kant did a lot of work in this area that is still relevant today. Despite her affinity for Kant, Thorpe admits that, ironically, the final version of her dissertation mentions his name only once. That quest led Thorpe to her current work, which is situated in a debate about reasons for action.
Philosophers have put forward two views about reasons, Thorpe explains.
The externalist, on the other hand, might say that you do have a reason to hold the door open, regardless of these factors. Thorpe wants to shy away from the idea that people ought to act morally because society tells them to. These kinds of ideas drive me.