-
17Kant and the Scottish Enlightenment (edited book)Routledge. 2017.Most academic philosophers and intellectual historians are familiar with the major historical figures and intellectual movements coming out of Scotland in the 18 th Century. These scholars are also familiar with the works of Immanuel Kant and his influence on Western thought. But with the exception of discussion examining David Hume’s influence on Kant’s epistemology, metaphysics, and moral theory, little attention has been paid to the influence of the Scottish Enlightenment thinkers on Kant’s p…Read more
-
51This Paper Attacks a Strawman but the Strawman Wins: A reply to van Basshuysen and WhiteKennedy Institute of Ethics Journal 31 (4): 429-446. 2021.ARRAY
-
6Beware of Prosecutors Bearing Gifts: How the Ancient Greeks Can Help Cure Our Addiction to Excessive PunishmentIn Matthew C. Altman (ed.), The Palgrave Handbook on the Philosophy of Punishment, Palgrave-macmillan. pp. 377-393. 2022.This chapter argues that the approach to punishment the U.S.—in particular, how it is determined what punishments are appropriate for which crimes—not only fails to achieve justice, but also drives much of the dysfunction in the U.S. criminal justice system. We then compare this system of punishment to the approach to trial and punishment used in ancient Athens and explain why this approach to punishment would lead to more trials and more just outcomes. The concern, however, is that using this—o…Read more
-
4Introduction: Higher Education and the Future of WorkPublic Affairs Quarterly 36 (3): 185-186. 2022.
-
Free speech, celebrity status, and ethical obligationsIn J. P. Messina (ed.), New Directions in the Ethics and Politics of Speech, Routledge. 2022.
-
2Freud's Mass Psychology: Questions of ScaleSpringer. 2002.Freud's Mass Psychology examines one of the key concepts in the theory of the psyche. Surprenant treats it as an epistemological issue rather than exclusively as a socio-political issue. Focusing on this neglected concept enables the author to raise anew the question of the 'application' of psychoanalysis, beyond a mechanistic understanding of this term and of Freud's writings. This study brings together important topics associated with psychoanalysis, recent French philosophy, and political tho…Read more
-
100How Government Leaders Violated Their Epistemic Duties During the SARS-CoV-2 CrisisKennedy Institute of Ethics Journal 30 (3): 215-242. 2020.Sovereign is he who provides the exception.…The exception is more interesting than the rule. The rule proves nothing; the exception proves everything. In the exception the power of real life breaks through the crust of a mechanism that has become torpid by repetition.In spring 2020, in response to the COVID-19 crisis, world leaders imposed severe restrictions on citizens’ civil, political, and economic liberties. These restrictions went beyond less controversial and less demanding social distanc…Read more
-
642Cultivating Virtue: Moral Progress and the Kantian StateKantian Review 12 (1): 90-112. 2007.After examining the ethical and political writings of Immanuel Kant, one finds an apparent paradox in his philosophy as his perfectionist moral teachings appear to be linked to his anti-perfectionist political theory. Specifically, he writes that the perfection of moral character can only take place for an individual who is inside of civil society, a condition where no laws may legitimately be implemented expressly for the purpose of trying to make individuals moral. Kant believes that living in…Read more
-
54Kant and Education: Interpretations and Commentary (edited book)Routledge. 2011.Immanuel Kant’s moral philosophy, political philosophy, and philosophy of judgement have been and continue to be widely discussed among many scholars. The impact of his thinking is beyond doubt and his ideas continue to inspire and encourage an on-going dialogue among many people in our world today. Given the historical and philosophical significance of Kant’s moral, political, and aesthetic theory, and the connection he draws between these theories and the appropriate function and methodology o…Read more
-
18The Value and Limits of Academic Speech: Philosophical, Political, and Legal Perspectives (edited book)Routledge. 2018.Free speech has been a historically volatile issue in higher education. In recent years, however, there has been a surge of progressive censorship on campus. This wave of censorship has been characterized by the explosive growth of such policies as "trigger warnings" for course materials; "safe spaces" where students are protected from speech they consider harmful or distressing; "micro-aggression" policies that often strongly discourage the use of words that might offend sensitive individuals; …Read more
-
58Policing and Punishment for ProfitJournal of Business Ethics 159 (1): 119-131. 2019.This paper examines ethical considerations relating to the current role of financial incentives in policing and punishment in the USA, focusing on the two methods of punishment most popular in the USA: fines and forfeitures and incarceration. It examines how financial incentives motivate much of our penal system, including how and when laws are enforced; discusses relevant ethical considerations and concerns connected with our current practices; proposes a theoretical solution for addressing the…Read more
-
20Rethinking Punishment in the Era of Mass Incarceration (edited book)Routledge. 2017.One of the most important problems faced by the United States is addressing its broken criminal justice system. This collection of essays offers a thorough examination of incarceration as a form of punishment. In addition to focusing on the philosophical aspects related to punishment, the volume's diverse group of contributors provides additional background in criminology, economics, law, and sociology to help contextualize the philosophical issues. The first group of essays addresses whether or…Read more
-
1Policing and Punishment: Philosophical Problems and Policy Solutions (edited book)Routledge. 2017.
-
165Politics and Practical Wisdom: Rethinking Aristotle’s Account of PhronesisTopoi 31 (2): 221-227. 2012.This paper examines the nature of Aristotelian phronesis , how it is attained, and who is able to attain it inside the polis . I argue that, for Aristotle, attaining phronesis does not require an individual to perfect his practical wisdom to the point where he never makes a mistake, but rather it is attained by certain individuals who are unable to make a mistake of this kind due to their education, habituation, and position in society
-
Kant and the Cultivation of VirtueRoutledge. 2014.In this book, Chris W. Surprenant puts forward an original position concerning Kant’s practical philosophy and the intersection between his moral and political philosophy. Although Kant provides a detailed account of the nature of morality, the nature of human virtue, and how right manifests itself in civil society, he does not explain fully how individuals are able to become virtuous. This book aims to resolve this problem by showing how an individual is able to cultivate virtue, the aim of Kan…Read more
-
28Physical Education as a Prerequisite for the Possibility of Human VirtueEducational Philosophy and Theory 46 (5): 527-535. 2014.This article examines the role of physical education in the process of moral education, and argues that physical education is a necessary prerequisite for the possibility of human virtue. This discussion is divided into four parts. First, I examine the nature of morality and moral decision-making. Drawing on the moral theories presented by Plato, Aristotle and Kant, I argue that morality is connected with reason and the attainment of objectively good goals. Second, I examine the role of moral ed…Read more
-
3303A Reconciliation of Kant's Views on RevolutionInterpretation 32 (2): 151-169. 2005.Kant's views on revolution are notoriously paradoxical: on the one hand he appears to condemn all instances of revolution, but on the other he expresses enthusiasm for the French Revolution and other revolutionary acts. I argue that we can reconcile Kant’s views on revolution by examining instances when an individual is under a moral obligation to revolt. First, I show how Kant reconciles his position on the French Revolution with his position on revolution in general. His answer, however, rais…Read more
-
36Kant’s Postulate of the Immortality of the SoulInternational Philosophical Quarterly 48 (1): 85-98. 2008.In the Critique of Practical Reason, Kant grounds his postulate for the immortality of the soul on the presupposed practical necessity of the will’s endless progress toward complete conformity with the moral law. Given the important role that this postulate plays in Kant’s ethical and political philosophy, it is hard to understand why it has received relatively little attention. It is even more surprising considering the attention given to his other postulates of practical reason: the existence …Read more
-
92Liberty, Autonomy, and Kant's Civil SocietyHistory of Philosophy Quarterly 27 (1). 2010.Morality, as Immanuel Kant understands it, depends on the capacity of a person to be the agent and owner of his own actions, not merely a conduit for social and psychological forces and influences over which he has little or no control. As a result, Kant’s moral philosophy focuses primarily on the topic of individual freedom and the necessary preconditions of the possibility of that freedom. In the Groundwork and second Critique, Kant’s discussion of the connection between morality and freedom c…Read more
-
96Minority Oppression and Justified RevolutionJournal of Social Philosophy 41 (4): 442-453. 2010.This paper operates from the assumption that revolution is a legitimate tool for members of oppressed minority groups to secure their rights. I argue that this type of robust right of revolution cannot be derived from Locke’s justification of revolution in the Second Treatise. For Locke, revolution is justified when the government uses its power in a manner contrary to the principles on which the state was established. Whether or not an action is contrary to these principles is determined by the…Read more
-
60Situationism and the Neglect of Negative Moral EducationEthical Theory and Moral Practice 18 (4): 835-849. 2015.This paper responds to the recent situationist critique of practical rationality and decision-making. According to that critique, empirical evidence indicates that our choices are governed by morally irrelevant situational factors and not durable character traits, and rarely result from overt rational deliberation. This critique is taken to indicate that popular moral theories in the Western tradition are descriptively deficient, even if normatively plausible or desirable. But we believe that th…Read more
New Orleans, Louisiana, United States of America
Areas of Specialization
Normative Ethics |
Social and Political Philosophy |
17th/18th Century Philosophy |