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Amoralism and the Justification of MoralityDissertation, Duke University. 2001.Some have argued that specifically moral demands or norms are justified by the constraints of rationality. On this view, any agent who comes to doubt, challenge, or reject the authority of moral demands does so on penalty of irrationality. According to this view, the agent who asks the question Why be moral? can be given a rational justification for the demands that morality makes on her, regardless of her individual reasons and motives. ;I consider amoralism as a test case. Could a proposed jus…Read more
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190The possibility of amoralism: A defence against internalismPhilosophy 78 (1): 63-78. 2003.A defence of the possibility of amoralism is important to discussions about the foundations of ethics and the justification of morality. I argue against Michael Smith's attempt to show, through a defence of internalism, that amoralism is incoherent. I argue first, that a de dicto reading of the externalist's explanation of changes in motivation which are pursuant upon changes in judgement is not objectionable or implausible as Smith contends; and second, that internalism cannot account for the e…Read more
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213The Wrongs of PlagiarismTeaching Philosophy 30 (3): 283-291. 2007.I offer ten arguments to demonstrate why student plagiarism is unethical. In sum, plagiarism may be theft; involve deception that treats professors as a mere means; violate the trust upon which the professor-student relationship depends; be unfair to other students in more than one way; diminish the student’s education; indulge vices such as indolence and cowardice; foreclose access to the internal goods of the discipline; diminish the value of a university degree; undercut creative self-express…Read more
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30The Wrongs of PlagiarismTeaching Philosophy 30 (3): 283-291. 2007.I offer ten arguments to demonstrate why student plagiarism is unethical. In sum, plagiarism may be theft; involve deception that treats professors as a mere means; violate the trust upon which the professor-student relationship depends; be unfair to other students in more than one way; diminish the student’s education; indulge vices such as indolence and cowardice; foreclose access to the internal goods of the discipline; diminish the value of a university degree; undercut creative self-express…Read more
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93Public or Private Good? The Contested Meaning of MarriageSocial Philosophy Today 26 23-38. 2010.Addressing controversy over same-sex marriage, I defend the privatization response: disestablish civil marriage, leaving the question of same-sex marriage to private organizations; detach civil rights from erotic affiliation; and grant legal equality through the mechanism of civil unions. However, the privatization response does not fully address one key conservative argument to the effect that (heterosexual) marriage constitutes a public good of such importance that civil society has a sustaini…Read more
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17Public or Private Good? The Contested Meaning of MarriageSocial Philosophy Today 26 23-38. 2010.Addressing controversy over same-sex marriage, I defend the privatization response: disestablish civil marriage, leaving the question of same-sex marriage to private organizations; detach civil rights from erotic affiliation; and grant legal equality through the mechanism of civil unions. However, the privatization response does not fully address one key conservative argument to the effect that (heterosexual) marriage constitutes a public good of such importance that civil society has a sustaini…Read more
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8Problems and Solutions: Diversity in PhilosophyFlorida Philosophical Review 14 (1): 31-35. 2014.In this short essay, based on remarks presented at a panel discussion on diversity at the 2013 meeting of the Florida Philosophical Association, I discuss some of the interlocking ways in which women and racial/ethnic minorities have been under-represented, excluded, marginalized, and devalued in academic philosophy. I propose that even if the causes of the problem are many, solutions are nonetheless possible. I claim that substantial change in the profession will require the participation of th…Read more
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5Nothing New Left to Say: Plagiarism, Originality, and the Discipline of PhilosophyFlorida Philosophical Review 12 (1): 1-16. 2012.I argue that to see certain textual practices as instances of plagiarism depends upon prior assumptions about the nature of authorship and originality. I introduce key ideas from Kant's essay "On the Unauthorized Publication of Books" as a clue to the modern notion of authorship and from Foucault's "What Is an Author?" which offers a postmodern deconstruction of the author. I explain how the current proliferation of student plagiarism can be viewed as a radical departure from both of these views…Read more
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83Collective responsibility, universalizability, and social practicesJournal of Social Philosophy 38 (3). 2007.
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39Marriage: A Matter of Right or of Virtue? Kant and the Contemporary DebateJournal of Social Philosophy 44 (3): 213-232. 2013.
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16Getting (Un-)HitchedRadical Philosophy Review 22 (2): 257-284. 2019.In 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of same-sex marriage in Obergefell v. Hodges. Although I concur that same-sex couples should have the right to marry if anyone does, I argue that civil marriage is an unjust institution. By examining the claims employed in the majority opinion, I expose the Court’s romanticized, patriarchal view of marriage. I critique four central claims: (1) that marriage is central to individual autonomy and liberty; (2) that civil marriage is uniquely valuable; …Read more
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138How Important Is Student Participation in Teaching Philosophy?Teaching Philosophy 27 (3): 251-267. 2004.Student participation is essential to philosophy since dialogue is at the center of philosophical activity: it provides students an opportunity to articulate their philosophical ideas, it helps them connect philosophy to their practical experience, it serves as an opportunity for instructors to take an interest in their students’ views, and it promotes intellectual virtues like courage and honesty. However, lectures can serve many of the same functions, albeit in different ways, e.g. a lecturer …Read more
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5Informal Proceedings from the Panel Discussion on DiversityFlorida Philosophical Review 14 (1): 24-25. 2014.Recently, Anglo-American philosophy has become something of a scandal. The disturbing lack of women and minorities in the field, combined with revelations of institutional discrimination and sexual harassment in several departments of Philosophy, have placed philosophy in the national and international spotlight. Women, racial and ethnic minorities, and other under-represented groups in the discipline have created blogs, conferences, task forces, guides, and other sites to give voice to, and add…Read more
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5Web Resources on Women and Underrepresented GroupsFlorida Philosophical Review 14 (1): 44-47. 2014.
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Café noir : anxiety, existence, and the coffeehouseIn Fritz Allhoff, Scott F. Parker & Michael W. Austin (eds.), Coffee - Philosophy for Everyone: Grounds for Debate, Wiley-blackwell. 2011.
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University of South FloridaDepartment of Humanities and Cultural Studies
Department of PhilosophyAssociate Professor
Areas of Specialization
Deontological Moral Theories |
Ethical Theories, Miscellaneous |
Moral Phenomena |
Moral Psychology |
Other Academic Areas |