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29Luck Libertarianism? A Critique of Tan’s Institutional ViewSouthwest Philosophy Review 31 (1): 187-196. 2015.
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28A Peircean Epistemic Argument for a Modest MulticulturalismContemporary Pragmatism 8 (2): 163-185. 2011.Extending recent appropriations of Charles S. Peirce's work in political theory, we argue that the same epistemic norms that justify democracy offer a plausible basis for justifying multiculturalist policies aimed at protecting at-risk cultural groups. Because this epistemic argument is compatible with a full range of reasonable comprehensive doctrines, it fully accommodates the fact of reasonable pluralism, thereby skirting the Rawlsian objection to which the multiculturalisms of Charles Taylor…Read more
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28The Democracy Reader: From Classical to Contemporary Philosophy (edited book)Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. 2021.This timely anthology gathers forty historical and contemporary readings edited for accessibility. Short introductions precede each reading and a general introduction increase student comprehension across the spectrum of readings. The volume is ideal for all levels of students in civics, political theory, and philosophy courses.
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26Weighing Unjust LivesIn Finkelstein Claire, Larry Larry & Ohlin Jens David (eds.), Weighing Lives in War, Oxford University Press). pp. 284-297. 2017.Are the lives of those fighting on the unjust side of a war worth less than the lives of those fighting on the just side? It is tempting to answer Yes. There is a powerful and popular rationale for this verdict: Things are intrinsically better when people get what they deserve. According to this view, the goodness of a life is the product of one’s desert-adjusted welfare. In this essay, I highlight the troubling implications that adjusting for desert has in the context of war. The implausibility…Read more
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25Leviathans Restrained: International Politics for Artificial PersonsHobbes Studies 28 (2): 149-174. 2015.This essay challenges the analogy argument. The analogy argument aims to show that the international domain satisfies the conditions of a Hobbesian state of nature: There fails to be a super-sovereign to keep all in awe, and hence, like persons in the state of nature, sovereigns are in a war every sovereign against every sovereign. By turning to Hobbes’ account of authorization, however, we see that subjects are under no obligation to obey a sovereign’s commands when doing so would contradict th…Read more
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22Can Peircean Epistemic Perfectionists Bid Farewell to Deweyan Democracy?Contemporary Pragmatism 6 (2): 165-183. 2009.There is a tension between Robert Talisse's rejection of Deweyan democracy and his project of formulating a workable Peircean conception of democracy. If he follows Rawls in taking reasonable pluralism to be a permanent condition, then his Peircean conception of democracy is undermined. But, if he does not commit to the permanence of reasonable pluralism, then his rejection of Deweyan democracy is problematic. Since he chooses the latter interpretation, Talisse must bite the bullet and recognize…Read more
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11Morality, Just Post Bellum and International Law (edited book)Cambridge University Press. 2012.This collection of essays brings together some of the leading legal, political and moral theorists to discuss the normative issues that arise when war concludes and when a society strives to regain peace. In the transition from war, mass atrocity or a repressive regime, how should we regard the idea of democracy and human rights? Should regimes be toppled unless they are democratic or is it sufficient that these regimes are less repressive than before? Are there moral reasons for thinking that s…Read more
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10Two Concepts of TestsAPA Newsletter on Teaching Philosophy 2 (14): 2-4. 2015.In this brief paper, I explain the pedagogical importance of the distinction between direct and indirect assessment methods.
Areas of Specialization
Normative Ethics |