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Areas of Specialization: Ethics, Social-Political Philosophy, Metaphysics.

Areas of Competence: Cognitive Science, Philosophy of Science.

Google Scholar

 

Employment

University of Tampa

Associate Professor of Philosophy (tenured) - March 2018-present.

Department Chair - June 2018-present.

Assistant Professor of Philosophy (tenure-track) - 2015-18.

Assistant Professor of Philosophy (non-tenure-track) - 2009-15.

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University of British Columbia

Assistant Professor without Review (non-tenure-track) - 2008-9.

 

Education

University of Arizona - PhD in Philosophy, Cognitive Science Minor, December 2008.

    - Dissertation: "A Non-Ideal Theory of Justice."

    - Committee: Thomas Christiano, Gerald Gaus, Michael Gill.

Syracuse University - PhD program, 1999-2001.

Tufts University - B.A. in Philosophy and Psychology/Clinical, Magna Cum Laude​, 1998.

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Books

  1. (2020). Neurofunctional Prudence and Morality: A Philosophical Theory. Routledge.

  2. (2016).  Rightness as Fairness: A Moral and Political Theory. Palgrave Macmillan.

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Peer-Reviewed Journal Publications

  1. Forthcoming. Panpsychism and A.I. Consciousness. Synthese [w/Corey J. Maley].

  2. Forthcoming. Jury Theorems for Peer-Review. British Journal for the Philosophy of Science [w/Remco Heesen & Liam Kofi Bright].

  3. Forthcoming. From Rational Self-Interest to Liberalism: A Hole in Cofnas’s Debunking Argument of Moral Progress. Inquiry: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Philosophy.

  4. Forthcoming. Two New Doubts about Simulation Arguments. Australasian Journal of Philosophy [w/Micah Summers].

  5. (2021). The Normative Stance. The Philosophical Forum.

  6. (2019). Nonideal Justice as Nonideal Fairness. Journal of the American Philosophical Association.

  7. (2019). The Dark Side of Morality: Group Polarization and Moral Epistemology. The Philosophical Forum.

  8. (2018). Mental Time-Travel, Semantic Flexibility, and A.I. Ethics. A.I. & Society.

  9. (2016). A Refutation of the Lewis-Stalnaker Analysis of Counterfactuals. Metaphysica.

  10. (2015). How to Rationally Approach Life's Transformative Experiences. Philosophical Psychology.

  11. (2014). First Steps Toward a Nonideal Theory of Justice. Ethics & Global Politics.

  12. (2014). A Unified Explanation of Quantum Phenomena? The Case for the Peer-to-Peer Simulation Hypothesis as an Interdisciplinary Research Program. The Philosophical Forum.

  13. (2014). Justice as Fairness in a Broken World. Philosophy and Public Issues.

  14. (2014). Why Hobbes Cannot Limit the Leviathan: A Critical Commentary on Larry May's Limiting Leviathan. Hobbes Studies.

  15. (2014). A Better, Dual Theory of Human Rights. ​The Philosophical Forum.

  16. (2013). Groundwork for a New Moral Epistemology. Klesis.

  17. (2013). A New Theory of Free Will. The Philosophical Forum.

  18. (2013). A Lot More Bad News for Conservatives, and a Little Bit of Bad News for Liberals? A Follow-up Study. Neuroethics.

  19. (2013). Bad News for Conservatives? Moral Judgments and the Dark Triad Personality Traits: A Correlational Study. Neuroethics​.

  20. (2012). Unifying the Categorical Imperative. Southwest Philosophy Review​.

  21. (2012). Reconceptualizing Human Rights. Journal of Global Ethics.

  22. (2011). People Do Not Have a Duty to Avoid Voting Badly: Reply to Brennan. Journal of Ethics and Social Philosophy.

  23. (2009). In Defense of Discretionary Association Theories of Political Legitimacy: Reply to Buchanan. Journal of Ethics and Social Philosophy​.

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Publications in Edited Collections

  1. (Forthcoming). The Original Position. In Philosophy Illustrated: 40 thought experiments to broaden your mind. Helen De Cruz (ed.), Oxford University Press.

  2. (2021). Morality as an Evolutionary Exaptation. In J. De Smedt & H. De Cruz & (eds.), Empirically Engaged Evolutionary Ethics, Springer – Synthese Library.

  3. (2018). Humans and Hosts: What's the Difference?, in Westworld and Philosophy, Wiley-Blackwell, Chapter extract featured at beyondwestworld.com.

  4. (2017). The Rationality of Voting and Duties of Elected Officials. In Ethics in Politics: The Rights and Obligations of Individual Political Agents (Routledge).​

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Encyclopedia Entries

  1. (2020). Transformative Experiences. International Encyclopedia of Ethics.

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Invited Publications

  1. (2013). Nonideal Justice and a Decent Health Care Minimum. APA Newsletter on Philosophy and Medicine.

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Publications in Popular Press

  1. (2015). "The Peer-to-Peer Simulation Hypothesis and a New Theory of Free Will", Scientia Salon.

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Book Reviews

  1. (2020). Assessing empirically based ethics: James Davison Hunter and Paul Nedelisky: Science and the good: the tragic quest for the foundations of morality. New Haven: Templeton Press and Yale University Press. Metascience.

  2. (2019). Mark Silcox, A Defense of Simulated Experience: New Noble Lies, Routledge. Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews.

  3. (2019). T.M. Scanlon, Why Does Inequality Matter?, Oxford: OUP. Australasian Journal of Philosophy [Book Note].

  4. (2019). Michael Goodhart, Injustice: Political Theory for the Real World, Oxford: OUP. Political Theory.

  5. (2019). Reflections on a Future of Sex With Robots (Review of J. Danaher & N. McArthur [eds.], Robot Sex: Social and Ethical Implications, Cambridge: MIT Press), Metascience.

  6. (2018). James Griffin, What Can Philosophy Contribute to Ethics?, Oxford: OUP. Journal of Moral Philosophy.

  7. (2017). Experimental Philosophy and the Fate of the Philosopher’s Armchair. review of Jennifer Nado [ed.], Advances in Experimental Philosophy and Philosophical Methodology (Bloomsbury), Metascience.

  8. (2016). Review of L.A. Paul, Transformative Experience (OUP). Australasian Journal of Philosophy.

  9. (2014). Review of C.A.J. Coady, ​Messy Morality: The Challenge of Politics (OUP). Mind.

  10. (2012). Review of Michael Freeman, ​Human Rights, 2nd Edition. Teaching Philosophy.

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Awards and Other Distinctions

2021-22. Research Innovation and Scholarly Excellence (RISE) Award, Faculty Grant, University of Tampa (project title: ‘Prudence, Morality, and Justice: A Unified Theory of Business Ethics’).

2017. Excellence in Teaching Award, College of Arts & Letters, University of Tampa.

2015. Co-winner, Joseph Ellin Memorial Prize for Best Paper, 9th Annual Meeting of the Lighthearted Philosophers’ Association.

2014. Charm Quark Winner (third-place), 3 Quarks Daily Philosophy Blogging Award (judged by Huw Price).

2012. Selected Participant, NEH Summer Seminar, "Liberty, Equality, and Justice: Philosophical Problems in Domestic and Global Contexts", Washington University in St. Louis.

2010. Selected Participant, Yale Experiment Month Initiative - sponsored by the APA, coordinated by Yale Cognitive Science.

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Conferences Organized

2013-2017. Organizer, The Philosophers' Cocoon Annual Philosophy Conference.

First Annual Conference (2013)

Second Annual Conference (2014)

Third Annual Conference (2015)

Fourth Annual Conference (2016)

Fifth Annual Conference (2017)

2012-2018. Lead Organizer, "Annual Human Rights Day at UT", an all-day student-faculty conference on human rights.

2018 Program

2017 Program

2016 Program

2015 Program

2014 Program

2013 Program

2012 Program

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Service

University of Tampa

  • Faculty Senate

    • Representative, College of Arts and Letters (2016-18)

  • Chair, Ad-Hoc Workgroup on Free Speech and Academic Freedom (2017-18).

  • Committee Service

    • Academic Appeals Committee (2017-18).

    • Admissions Committee (2015-16)

    • Academic Standards Committee (2011-14)

    • Academic Integrity Committee (2010-11)

    • CAL Committee for the Assessment of Learning (2010-11).

 

UT College of Arts & Letters ​

  • College Tenure & Promotion Committee (2018-present).

  • Faculty Mentor (Spring 2018).

  • Presentation of CAL Activities to University of Tampa Board of Trustees (Fall 2016).

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Department of Philosophy & Religion

  • Department Chair (June 2018-present).

  • Search Committee (2015, 2016, 2017, and 2019).

  • Assessment Coordinator, Department of Philosophy & Religion (2011-13, 2015-2018).

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Student Engagement

  • Faculty Fellow, Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity.

  • Coach/Advisor

    • Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl Debate Team: 2014 Southeast Regional Champions; 2012, 2014, 2015, and 2017 National Qualifiers.

    • Bioethics Bowl Debate Team: 2017 Southeast Regional Champions.

  • 2013-15. Faculty Advisor, Young Libertarians student club.

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Community & Profession

 

Outreach and Media Coverage

April 2018. Featured on beyondwestworld.com.

August 2014. Featured author on Flickers of Freedom blog.

April 2014. Work on free will and physics featured on Episode 2 of SpaceTimeMind podcast.

2012-present. Contributor at:

Brains blog.

Experimental Philosophy blog.

Flickers of Freedom blog.

Public Reason blog.

November 2011. Work on personality traits and moral judgments featured on:

Foxnews.com

One hour interview on The Michael Medved Show.

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Courses Taught

University of Tampa

BAC 490 - Applied Learning Experience.

PHL 200 - Introduction to Philosophy.

PHL 202 - Ethics.

PHL 208 - Business Ethics.

PHL 209 - Biomedical Ethics.

PHL 215 - Ancient Philosophy: Plato and Aristotle.

PHL 217 - Social and Political Philosophy.

PHL 218 - Minds, Brains, & Metaphysics.

PHL 220 - Problems of Philosophy: Pop Culture & Philosophy

PHL 311 - Philosophy of Law.

PHL 312 - Philosophy of Human Rights

PHL 313 - Justice

PHL 314 - International Justice

PHL 315 - Morality of War

PHL 350 - Special Topics.

Contemporary Analytic Philosophy.

The Morality of War.

International Justice.

Human Rights.

Theories of Justice.

Contemporary Ethics.

Philosophies of Race and Gender.

PHL 450 - Independent Study.

The Simulation Hypothesis

The Nature of Consciousness.

The Nature of Moral Normativity.

The Morality of Cosmetic Surgery.

Ayn Rand's Objectivist Ethics.

Sovereignty and Intervention.

Justice and Free Markets.

PHL 499 - Honors Thesis

 

University of British Columbia

PHIL 330 - Social and Political Philosophy.

PHIL 230 - Introduction to Moral Theory.

 

University of Arizona

PHIL 110 - Logic and Critical Thinking.

TRAD 104 - Justice and Virtue.

TRAD 104 - Science and Inquiry.

PHIL 233 - Philosophy of Religion.

PHIL 322 - Business Ethics.

PHIL 323 - Environmental Ethics.