Education
University of Virginia, PhD, August 1987
Baylor University, MA, August 1983
Oklahoma Baptist University, BA (summa cum laude with honors), May 1981
Courses I Teach
Logic and Critical Thinking (various formats)
Intro to Philosophy courses
History of Philosophy: Ancient, Medieval, Early and Late Modern
Contemporary Philosophy (Continental, American, Feminism)
Ethics (including a course on "animal rights and animal minds")
Interdisciplinary Humanities
Philosophy of Mind
Philosophy of Religion
Non-western Philosophy
Asian Philosophy
Senior Seminar (thesis supervision)
400-level seminars: Postmodernism, Presocratics, Plato, Rorty
Publications
“Empty and Extended Craving: An application of the extended mind thesis to the four noble
truths” in Contemporary Buddhism Vol. 12, No. 2 (November 2011).
“’If you touch them, your balls will drop off!’: A Review of South Park and Philosophy:
Bigger, Longer, and More Penetrating” in Teaching Philosophy 32:2 (June 2009)
“” in Mind & Society: Cognitive Studies in Economics and
Social Sciences (published online 6 February 2007:
“: How to Identify a Proxytype” in Essays in Philosophy:
Philosophy of Perception Vol. 5, No. 1 (2004)
“Connectionist Agency” in Philosophy in the Contemporary World Vol. 10, No. 2 (2003)
"The Morally Excellent Brain" in Contemporary Philosophy Vol. XXIII, No.5&6 (2001)
"" in The Padeia Project
On-Line: Proceedings of the Twentieth World Congress of Philosophy
(Boston: American Organizing Committee, Inc.), (Fall 1999)
"Acquiring Ethical Ends" (an essay on Aristotle's Ethics) in Ancient Philosophy 10 (1990), 63-79
Book Review of J.L. Ackrill's A New Aristotle Reader for Philosophical Books (July 1988), 130
"Essence, Existence, and Nominal Definition in Aristotle's Post. Analytics II 8-10"
in Phronesis (33:2, 1988), 133-154, co-authored by Daniel Devereux and David DeMoss
"Episteme as Doxa in Theaetetus" in Contemporary Essays on Greek Ideas: The
Kilgore Festschrift (Baylor University Press 1987)
Honors, Awards, Grants
Faculty Development Grant from ɳ University: “The Empty and Extended Self: An
interpretation of Buddhist concepts in the light of contemporary cognitive science
and philosophy.” This was for a sabbatical project. (2010)
S.S. Johnson Foundation Award for Excellence in Teaching (2002)
(“In recognition of outstanding service as teacher and mentor to the students
of ɳ University and for significant contributions to the academic life of
our learning community through excellence and innovations in teaching.”)
Sabbatical Proposal for 2002-2003 accepted by ɳ University; project title:
“The Morally Excellent Brain” (2002)
Faculty Development Grant from ɳ University: "The Connectionist Self" (2001)
Nominee for Professor of the Year by ɳ University to be selected by the
Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (1998)
Junior Faculty Award from ɳ University (1997)
("In recognition of outstanding service as teacher and mentor to the students
of ɳ University and for significant contributions to the academic life of
our community early in his professional career.")
Summer Faculty Scholar for ɳ University; project title:
"Aristotle, Connectionism, and the Morally Excellent Brain" (1997)
Honor Roll of Outstanding Freshman Advocates as listed by The National Resource Center
for The Freshman Year Experience and Students in Transition; nominated by
ɳ University for the Center's Outstanding Freshman Advocate Award (1997)
Nominee for NEH Summer Research Stipend by ɳ University (1996)
Project Adviser for Willamette University student receiving an NEH Younger
Scholars Award to write an essay on Nietzsche (1991)
Dissertation Fellowship from University of Virginia (1986-1987)
The Raven Society (University of Virginia 1986)
Finalist for National Graduate Fellows Program (1985)
DuPont Scholarships (1984-1986)
Teaching Assistantships at University of Virginia and Baylor University (1982-86)