C.V.
Education
- Duke University. Ph.D. Philosophy. 2000. Dissertation: Motivational Internalism and the Authority of Morality. Advisor: Alasdair MacIntyre. Committee: Owen Flanagan, Martin Golding, Martin Stone, and Lynn Joy.
- University of Cambridge. M.Phil. Philosophy. 1993. Thesis: Popper, Gadamer, and Hermeneutics. Advisor: Michael Tanner. Committee: Susan James and Tom Baldwin.
- Trinity College, Dublin. B.A. Philosophy and Modern English (Double First Class Honours). 1992. Thesis in Philosophy: The Concept of 'Taste' in Addison, Hume, and Burke. Advisor: J.C.A. Gaskin. Thesis in Modern English: Politics vs. Literature: Orwell on Gulliver’s Travels. Advisor: W.J. McCormack.
Employment
- Dean of the School of Arts and Humanities, City University of New York–Lehman College. 2018–present
- Chair, Department of Philosophy, City University of New York–Lehman College. 2015–2018
- Professor of Philosophy, City University of New York–Lehman College. 2015–present
- Instructor, Program on Ethics, Politics and Economics, Yale Summer Session, Yale University. 2013–present
- Visiting Professor of Philosophy, University of International Business and Economics (Beijing). Summer Session (June) 2015
- Lecturer, Program on Ethics, Politics and Economics, Yale University. Fall Term 2011
- Adjunct Professor of Law, Washington and Lee University School of Law. 2013–2015
- Lecturer in Philosophy and the Law, Washington and Lee University School of Law. 2010–2011
- Professor of Philosophy, Washington and Lee University. 2012–2015
- Head, Department of Philosophy, Washington and Lee University. 2007–2011, 2012–2015
- Associate Professor of Philosophy, Washington and Lee University. 2006–2012
- Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Washington and Lee University. 2000–2006
- Graduate Instructor in Philosophy, Duke University. 1998–2000
- Lecturer in Philosophy (part-time), University College Cork. Hilary Term and Trinity Term 1995
- Tutor in European Studies, Trinity College, Dublin. 1993–1995
- Senior Tutor in Philosophy, University College Dublin. 1993–1994
Research Positions
- Visiting Researcher, Yale Law School. 2011–2012
- Visiting Fellow in the Department of Philosophy, Princeton University. 2006–2007
- Visiting Scholar in the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Cambridge. Michaelmas Term 2003
- Visiting Fellow, Clare Hall, Cambridge. Michaelmas Term 2003
Publications
Books
- Novels Never Lie (in discussion with publisher)
- The Ethics of Lying (Oxford University Press, under contract)
- Kant on Lies (Cambridge University Press, under contract)
Journal Guest Editor
- Philosophies : Reassessing the Categorical Imperative: Contemporary Views and Critiques (2025)
Book Chapters
- “Maria von Herbert and Kant on Concealing the Truth,” in Kant and Maria von Herbert: Friendship, Trust, and the Meaning of Life. Sources and Critical Explorations (working title), eds. Bernhard Ritter and Jens Timmermann (Oxford University Press, under contract)
- “Murderer at the Switch: Thomson, Kant, and The Trolley Problem,” in Death and Anti-Death, Volume 19: One Year After Judith Jarvis Thomson (1929-2020), ed. Charles Tandy (Ria University Press, 2021), 153-187
- “Classical Philosophical Approaches to Lying and Deception,” in The Oxford Handbook of Lying, ed. Jörg Meibauer (Oxford University Press, 2018), 13-31
- “Contemporary Approaches to the Philosophy of Lying,” in The Oxford Handbook of Lying, ed. Jörg Meibauer (Oxford University Press, 2018), 32-55
- “Secrets vs. Lies: Is There A Moral Asymmetry?” in Lying: Language, Knowledge, Ethics, and Politics, eds. Andreas Stokke and Eliot Michaelson (Oxford University Press, 2018), 161-182
- “Abortion and the Right to not be Pregnant,” in Philosophy and Political Engagement, eds. Allyn Fives and Keith Breen (Palgrave Macmillan, 2016), 57-77
- “Lying for the Sake of the Truth: The Ethics of Deceptive Journalism,” in Contemporary Media Ethics, eds. Mitchell Land, Koji Fuse and Bill W. Hornaday (Marquette Books, 2014), 219-237
- “MacIntyre and the Emotivists,” in What Happened in and to Moral Philosophy in the Twentieth Century? Essays in Honor of Alasdair MacIntyre, ed. Fran O’Rourke (University of Notre Dame Press, 2013), 167-201
- “The Truth about Kant on Lies,” in The Philosophy of Deception, ed. Clancy Martin (Oxford University Press, 2009), 201-224
- “Lying,” The Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2nd edition (Macmillan, 2006): 618-619
- “Getting your sources right: What Aristotle didn’t say,” in Researching and Applying Metaphor, eds. Lynne Cameron and Graham Low (Cambridge University Press, 1999), 69-80
- “Truth and metaphor: a defence of Shelley,” in Metaphor and Rational Discourse, eds. Bernhard Debatin, Timothy R. Jackson and Daniel Steuer (Max Niemeyer Verlag, 1997), 137-146
Articles
- “The Definition of Lying,” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (originally "The Definition of Lying and Deception" 2008; revised 2015) (in progress)
- "The Definition of Deception" (with Don Fallis), (originally "The Definition of Lying and Deception" 2008; revised 2015) (in progress)
- “Why deception is worse than coercion,” Truth and Lies in Politics, special issue of cultura & psyché: Journal of Cultural Psychology (forthcoming)
- “Let's Make Santa Claus a Fiction,” Nursery World , December 2023: 13
- “Do Embryos Have a Right to Life?,” IAI News, May 1, 2019
- “The Santa Claus Lie,” IAI News, December 19, 2018
- “Novels Never Lie,” British Journal of Aesthetics 59 (2019): 323-338
- “Innocent Burdens,” Washington and Lee Law Review 71 (2014): 1429-1469
- “Spinoza, Bad Faith, and Lying: A reply to John W. Bauer,” Wassard Elea Rivista 1 (2013): 115-121
- “Kant on Lying as a Crime against Humanity,” Parmenideum IV, No. 2 (2012): 63-88
- “Kant on Keeping a Secret,” Listening: Journal of Religion and Culture 44 (2009): 21-36
- “Two Definitions of Lying,” International Journal of Applied Philosophy 22 (2008): 211-230
- “The Morality of On Liberty,” Studies in the History of Ethics - Symposium on Mill’s Ethics (2007)
- “A Definition of Deceiving,” International Journal of Applied Philosophy 21 (2007): 181-194
- “Kant and the Perfect Duty to Others Not to Lie,” British Journal for the History of Philosophy 14 (2006): 653-685
- “Kant and Maria von Herbert: Reticence vs. Deception,” Philosophy 81 (2006): 417-44
- “The Good, the Bad, and the Obligatory,” The Journal of Value Inquiry 40 (2006): 59-71
- “Emotivism and Internalism: Ayer and Stevenson,” Studies in the History of Ethics (2005)
- “Kant on Lies, Candour and Reticence,” Kantian Review 7 (2003): 102-33
Book Reviews
- Speech and Morality: On the Metaethical Implications of Speaking, by Terence Cuneo, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews (25 May, 2016)
- Kant’s Theory of Virtue: The Value of Autocracy, by Anne Margaret Baxley, Journal of Moral Philosophy 11 (2014), 245-248
- Deception: From Ancient Empires to Internet Dating, edited by Brooke Harrington, Philosophy in Review 22 (2012), 275-278
- Lying and Deception: Theory and Practice, by Thomas L. Carson, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews January 13 2011
- Moral Animals: Ideals and Constraints in Moral Theory, by Catherine Wilson, International Journal of Philosophical Studies 15 (2007), 385-90
- Rights and Reason: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Rights, by Jonathan Gorman, International Journal of Philosophical Studies 13 (2005), 285-89
- Dismantling Democratic States, by Ezra Suleiman, in The Review of Politics 67 (2005), 153-55
- “Descartes Our Contemporary,” review of Descartes: An Intellectual Biography, by Stephen Gaukroger, and Descartes and his Contemporaries: Meditations, Objections, and Replies, edited by Roger Ariew and Marjorie Grene, in The European Legacy 4 (1999), 98-101
- Ethics and Practical Reason, edited by Garrett Cullity and Berys Gaut, in International Journal of Philosophical Studies 7 (1999), 119-20
- The Rhetoric of Berkeley’s Philosophy, by Peter Walmsley, The Berkeley Newsletter 14 (1996), 15-17
- The Poetics of Mind, by Raymond Gibbs, International Journal of Philosophical Studies 4 (1996), 202-03
- Philosophy and Philosophers: An Introduction to Western Philosophy, by John Shand, History of European Ideas 21 (1995), 584-85
- “Was Flann O’Brien a Post-modernist?,” review of Flann O’Brien: A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Post-modernist, by Keith Hopper, in ROPES: Review of Postgraduate Studies 4 (1995), 56-57
Sage Encyclopedia Entries
- “Fraud" (612-615); "Locke, John" (927-929); and "Brandeis, Louis D." (135-138), in The Sage Encyclopedia of World Poverty, 2nd edition, ed. Mehmet Odekon (Sage, 2015)
- “Learning Objects,” in The Sage Encyclopedia of Educational Technology, ed. Michael J. Spector (Sage, 2015), 475-477
- “Fair Lending Practices,” in the Encyclopedia of Human Services and Diversity, ed. Linwood H. Cousins (Sage, 2014), 508-512
- “Deception: Characteristics of" (246-250); “Deception and Technology” (255-260); “History of Deception: 1600 to 1700” (456-460); “History of Deception: 1800 to 1900” (464-468); “History of Deception: 1900 to 1950” (468-472); “History of Deception: 1950 to the Present" (472-477); “Lying: Accusations” (608-611); “Morals and Ethics” (676-682); “Plato” (768-770); “Saint Augustine” (827-829); and “Transparent Liars” (896-898), in the Encyclopedia of Deception, ed. Timothy R. Levine (Sage, 2014)
Popular Culture
- “The Lasso of Truth?”, in Wonder Woman and Philosophy, ed. Jacob Held (Wiley-Blackwell, 2017), 173-187
- “The Noble Art of Lying,” in Mark Twain and Philosophy, ed. Alan H. Goldman (Rowman and Littlefield, 2017), 95-111
- “Recovering Lost Moral Ground: Can Walt Make Amends?” (co-authored with Joseph Mahon), in Philosophy and Breaking Bad, eds. Kevin Decker, Dave Koepsell, and Robert Arp (Palgrave Macmillan, 2016), 143-160
- “Kant, Morality, and Hell,” in The Concept of Hell, eds. Robert Arp and Ben McCraw (Palgrave Macmillan, 2015), 113-126
- “Why Men of Action Don’t Lie,” in The Princess Bride and Philosophy, eds. Richard Greene and Rachel Robinson-Greene (Open Court, 2015), 13-26
- “The Curse of Living Forever” in Dracula and Philosophy, ed. Nicolas Michaud (Open Court, 2015), 3-11
- “Steve Jobs and Reality Distortion” in Steve Jobs and Philosophy, ed. Shawn E. Klein (Open Court, 2015), 3-13
- “The Seven Deadly Sins of Girls” (co-authored with Nicole Kimes Walker), in Girls and Philosophy, eds. Richard Greene and Rachel Robison-Greene (Open Court, 2014), 117-128
- “The Devil You Don’t Know” in The Devil and Philosophy, ed. Robert Arp (Open Court, 2014), 241-248.
- “All’s Fair in Love and War? Machiavelli and Ang Lee’s Ride With the Devil,” in The Philosophy of Ang Lee, eds. Robert Arp, Adam Barkman, and Jim McRae (University Press of Kentucky, 2013), 265-290
- “A Double-Edged Sword: Honor in The Duellists,” in The Culture and Philosophy of Ridley Scott, eds. Adam Barkman, Ashley Barkman, and Nancy King (Lexington Books, 2013), 45-60
- “Is Loyalty A Virtue?” in Sons of Anarchy and Philosophy, eds. George A. Dunn and Jason T. Eberl (Wiley-Blackwell, 2013), 29-37
- “The Bigger The Lie, The More People Will Believe It” (with Cristina Ceballos) in Psych and Philosophy, ed. Robert Arp (Open Court, 2013), 103-111
- “Doing the Wrong Thing for a Good Reason” in The Good Wife and Philosophy, eds. Kimberly Baltzer-Jaray and Robert Arp (Open Court, 2013), 89-99
- “To Catch A Thief: The Ethics of Deceiving Bad People” in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and Philosophy, ed. Eric Bronson (Wiley-Blackwell, 2011), 198-210
Conference Proceedings
- “Kant on Lies,” Proceedings of the Eighth Annual Harvard/MIT Graduate Student Conference, ed. Ólafur Páll Jónsson (Department of Linguistics and Philosophy, MIT, 2000): 25-40
- “Kant, Maria von Herbert and Evil”, Proceedings of the Ninth Annual Women’s Studies Conference (Duke University Women’s Studies Program, 1999), 84-92
- “Moral Luck and Gender”, Proceedings of the Eighth Annual Women’s Studies Conference (Duke University Women’s Studies Program, 1998), 113-117
- “Descartes and Feminist Theory”, in Inroads: Women and Gender across the Academic Landscape (Duke University Women’s Studies Program, 1997), 124-127
Dissertation
- Motivational Internalism and the Authority of Morality: A Study in the History of Metaethics (VDM Verlag Dr. Müller, 2011)
Journalism
- “Sins of the Father,” review of Once Upon A Secret: My Hidden Affair With JFK by Mimi Beardsley Alford, Politico.ie, 17 April 2012
- “Apphole,” review of Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson, Politico.ie, 17 February 2012
- Contributor (“The Steering Column”), The Trident (2010-2011) (Washington & Lee University)
- Contributor, The Chronicle (1997-1999) (Duke University)
- "Up Me Jumper", In Dublin, 1993
- “Conflict and the University,” Spark: The Cambridge Arts Magazine Vol. 1, Issue 1, Easter Term 1993, 11 (University of Cambridge)
- “Deconstructed Mystery,” Varsity, 379, Friday 27th November 1992 (University of Cambridge)
- Film reviews, Dublin Event Guide, 1990-1992
- “The Samuel Beckett Fraud Squad,” Icarus, 96, Autumn1991 (Trinity College, Dublin)
- “Film-Reviewing and Responsibility,” Icarus, 95, Summer 1991 (Trinity College, Dublin)
- Editor, Trinity News, 1990-1992 (Trinity College, Dublin)
- Film reviews, Trinity News, 1989-1992 (Trinity College, Dublin)
- Films reviews, T.C.D. Miscellany, 1989-1990 (Trinity College, Dublin)
- Editor, The Phil, September 1989 (Trinity College, Dublin)
- “Nice Title – Shame About the Pictures!”, Galway Advertiser Youth Edition, 31 March 1988, 17
Works In Progress
- “Kant and Intending to Deceive God” (in preparation)
- “Kant, Deceptionism, and Lies” (in preparation)
- “Novels Never Lie (And They Never Mislead Either): A Reply to Dixon” (in preparation)
- “Thomson and Indecent Abortions” (in preparation)
- “The Duty of Beneficence in Kant” (in preparation)
- “‘God is not a Deceiver’: Descartes on Deception and God” (in preparation)
Presentations
- “Job's Comforters, or How Kant is a Deceptionist: Comments on “Lying to God: Kant’s Turn from Augustine to Aquinas” (Roy Sorensen and Ian Proops),” American Philosophical Association, Central Division Meeting, New Orleans, February 23, 2024
- “Novels Never Lie (And They Don't Mislead, Either),” Workshop on lies and deception, University of Waterloo, February 15, 2024
- “Comments on “Kant, Murderes, and Lying to the Nazi at the Door: A Non-Moral Solution” (Vivian Feldblyum),” American Philosophical Association, Eastern Division Meeting, New York, January 17, 2024
- “Kant and the Ethical Duty Not to Lie,” The Liverpool Royal Institute of Philosophy Stapledon Colloquium, Department of Philosophy, University of Liverpool, November 16 (remote)
- “Thomson and Indecent Abortions,” Zagreb Applied Ethics Conference (ZAEC 2023), Society for the Advancement of Philosophy, Institute of Philosophy, Zagreb, Croatia, September 21, 2023
- “Maria von Herbert and Kant on Concealing the Truth”, Kant in Progress (workshop), University of St. Andrews, August 4, 2023
- “Novel Assertions and Novel Lies”, Between Fiction and Non-Fiction, Uppsala University, June 13-14, 2023
- “Why Deception is Worse than Coercion,” Truth and Lies in Politics, Sigmund Freud University, Vienna, March 29, 2023
- “Environmental Ethics – or Why Should I Care About the Environment?’, The Sara Little Turnbull Visiting Designer Speaker Series, Spring 2022: Eco-Urgency: Now or Never, City University of New York–Lehman College February 19, 2022
- “Kant and the Three Duties Not to Lie,” Intellectual History Seminar, Department of Philosophy, University of Tartu, Estonia, October 18, 2021
- “Are There Any “Lieworks”?,” Fiction and Lies, the University of Bologna, July 6, 2021
- “Response to “Manipulation, Mistakes, and the Question of Perspective,”” American Philosophical Association, Central Division Meeting, Chicago, February 29, 2020
- “Response to Kant’s Supposed Right to Lie,” Symposium: “Kant’s Supposed Right to Lie”, University of St. Andrews, December 3, 2019
- “Is Lying the Worst Kind of Deception?”, BRAK (Brno Analytic Conference CaL2019: Cognition and Lying, Masaryk University, November 28, 2019
- “Lies and Memoirs,” Deception and Authenticity in Art: Morality, Language, and Aesthetics, Uppsala University, April 9, 2018
- “Is Lying to Someone’s Face the Worst Kind of Deception?”, Yale Summer Session Evening Lecture Series, Yale University, July 27, 2017
- “Kant, Korsgaard, and Lies,” guest lecture, PHI 202/CHV 202 Introduction to Moral Philosophy, Princeton University, March 27, 2017
- “Kant’s Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals,” Contemporary Civilization Faculty Meeting, Center for the Core Curriculum, Columbia University, January 24, 2017
- “The Duty of Beneficence in Kant,” Colloquium, CUNY Graduate Center, November 16, 2016
- “Are All Abortions Permissible? Thomson on Indecent Abortion,” Working Papers in Ethics and Moral Psychology, Ichan School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, September 27, 2016
- “The Truth About Lies,” HowTheLightGetsIn, Philosophy and Music Festival, Hay-on-Wye, May 31, 2016
- “Lies and Jokes,” Theoretical Issues in Humor: Building Bridges across Disciplines, Lodz, March 18, 2016
- “Assertion and Lying,” Lying and Deceiving Conference, Institute of Philosophy, School of Advanced Study, University of London, November 14, 2015
- “Secrets vs. Lies,” New Work on Lying, Center for the Study of Mind in Nature, Oslo, May 10, 2015
- “Lying Without Deceiving?,” International Workshop on Lying and Deception, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, September 2, 2014
- “Innocent Burdens: On Judith Jarvis Thomson’s “A Defense of Abortion,”” Roe at 40 – The Controversy Continues, Washington and Lee University School of Law, November 8, 2013
- “MacIntyre on Truthfulness and Lying,” International Society for MacIntyrean Enquiry, American Catholic Philosophical Association, November 1, 2013
- “Devlin, Mill, and the Enforcement of Morality,” Clemson University, October 24, 2013
- “Comments on “What is Moral Anthropology?,” [Alan McLuckie] Second Biennial Meeting of the North American Kant Society, Cornell University, June 1, 2013
- “Chisholm and Feehan on Asserting and Lying,” Joint Session of the Aristotelian Society and the Mind Association, University of Stirling, July 8, 2012
- “Kant on Lying as a Violation of the Right of Humanity,” Elea, June 2, 2012
- Comments on “Towards an Epistemology of Privacy” and “Oblivion: Privacy and Information Life Cycles,” Information Ethics Roundtable, Hunter College, April 28, 2012
- “The Duty of Beneficence in Kant,” Yale University, April 13, 2012
- “Secrets and Lies,” Grinnell College, March 7, 2012
- “The Lying Wars: Deceptionists and Anti-Deceptionists,” Yale Law School, February 8, 2012
- “Lying and the Intention to Deceive,” Lying and Insincerity Workshop, St. Andrews University,November 26, 2011
- “Comments on “What is Deceptive Lying?,”” [Don Fallis] American Philosophical Association, Pacific Division Meeting, San Diego, April 21, 2011
- “Lies and Deception,” Wellesley College, March 10, 2011
- “Descartes on Deception,” Joint Session of the Aristotelian Society and the Mind Association, University College Dublin, July 10, 2010
- “Why There Are no ‘Bald-Faced Lies,’” Misinformation and Disinformation: Information Ethics Roundtable, University of Arizona, April 4, 2009
- “Was Hobbes a Conventionalist about Morality?,” Freedom and Sovereignty, Globalization and Colonization, Davis and Elkins College, November 14, 2008
- “Kant and the Duty to Help Others,” Rhodes College, April 17, 2008
- “Murder and the Trolley Problem,” Texas Christian University, April 8, 2008
- “Lying and Deceiving,” Class of ’62 Lecture, Washington and Lee University, March 5, 2008
- “State Secrets and State Lies,” Perpetual Kant: Peace, Politics, and our Enlightenment Heritage, Lewis University, February 22, 2008
- “Foot, Thomson, and the Trolley Problem,” Virginia Philosophical Association, October 27, 2007
- “The Non-Demandingness of the Duty of Beneficence,” Boston University, September 28, 2007
- “Mill’s Enforcement of Morality,” National Endowment of Humanities Seminar, Georgia State University, August 4, 2007
- “A Definition of Deception,” Joint Session of the Aristotelian Society and the Mind Association, University of Bristol, July 8, 2007
- “Kant and the Trolley Problem,” Canadian Society for the Study of Practical Ethics, University of Saskatchewan, May 28 ,2007,
- “Thomson and Abortion,” Princeton Bioethics Forum, Princeton University, April 3, 2007
- “The Morality of On Liberty,” Felician College, March 17, 2007
- “Kant’s Duty of Beneficence,” Ethics and Demandingness, University of Dundee, July 16, 2006
- “Sissela Bok on Permissible Lying,” Joint Session of the Aristotelian Society and the Mind Association, University of Southampton, July 9, 2006.
- ““God Is Not A Deceiver”: Descartes on God and Deception,” St. Thomas University, April 2006
- “Why There Are No Moral Dilemmas,” Luther College, April 2006
- “Lying, Deceiving, and Being Economical with the Truth,” Fred Fox Benton, Jr., Memorial Lecture, Institute for Honor, Washington and Lee University, February 25, 2006
- “Kant and the Different Formulae of the Categorical Imperative,” Longwood University, February 2006
- “Kant on Reticence vs. Deception,” Center for Ethics and Public Affairs Faculty Seminar, The Murphy Institute, Washington and Lee University, January 13, 2006
- “Comments on “Making Sense of Prayer,”” Virginia Philosophical Association, Virginia Wesleyan College, October 2005
- “Is Socrates A Liar?,” Appalachian State University, September 2005
- “The Good, the Bad and the Obligatory,” Joint Session of the Aristotelian Society and the Mind Association, Manchester University, July 10, 2005
- “Kant and Maria von Herbert on Lying and Reticence,” St. Thomas University, April 2005
- “Emotivism and Internalism”, University of Virginia, November 2004
- “Descartes’s Fourth Meditation: God, Judgment and Truth,” Hampden-Sydney College, October 2004
- “Comments on ‘Sympathy and Inclusiveness,’” Virginia Philosophical Association, Virginia Military Institute, October 2004
- “Kant and the Ethical Duty to Others Not to Lie,” Joint Session of the Aristotelian Society and the Mind Association, University of Kent at Canterbury, July 10, 2004
- “What Is A Lie?,” The Roberts Lecture, Grinnell College, April 2004
- “Kant and the Ethical Duty Not to Lie,” St. Thomas University, February 2004
- “Lying and the Intention to Deceive,” St. Johns College Philosophy Club, St Johns College, Cambridge, November 2003
- “The Origins of Internalism,” The Moral Sciences Club, University of Cambridge, November 2003
- “Rigorism and Duties of Wide Obligation,” University of Nevada at Las Vegas, March 2003
- “Was Socrates a Liar?,” Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, January 2003
- “Lying as a Violation of a Duty to Oneself,” Kantian Ethics Conference, San Diego University, Jan. 17, 2003
- “Metaphysical Doubts and Cartesian Circles,” Radford University, April 2002
- “Desires and Reasons,” James Madison University, November 2001
- “The Desire to Do One’s Duty,” Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, November 2001
- “Lying and Deception”, Southern Virginia University, October 2001
- “Kant on Lying and Truthfulness,” American Philosophical Association, Eastern Division Meeting, New York, December 2000
- “Kant on Lies,” Harvard University/MIT Graduate Philosophy Conference, Harvard University, March 2000
- “Two Prohibitions on Lying,” Pittsburgh Graduate Philosophy Conference, University of Pittsburgh/Carnegie Mellon University, March 18, 2000
- “Kant on Lying and Reticence,” Southeastern Seminar in Early Modern Philosophy, Duke University, November 1999
- “Kant, Maria von Herbert and Evil,” Women’s Studies Graduate Research Conference, Duke University, November 1998
- “Aristotle and Moral Luck”, North American Graduate Research Conference, Saint Louis University, October 1998
- “Altruism: From Darwin to Trivers,” Evolving the Human Mind, University of Sheffield, June 27, 1998
- “Plato and the Passivity of the Visual Arts,” Über Blick: Looking Over Visuality, Columbia University, March 1998
- “Dostoevsky on God and Morality,” Symposium on Dostoevsky, Duke University, December 1997
- “Moral Luck and Gender”, Women’s Studies Graduate Research Conference, Duke University, November 1997
- “Integrity and Ground Projects,” Joint Session of the Aristotelian Society and Mind Association, University of Warwick, July 1997
- “The Moral Status of the Novel,” Brown University Graduate Student Philosophy Conference, Brown University, February 1997
- “Descartes and Feminist Theory,” Inroads: Women and Gender Across the Academic Landscape, Duke University, January 1997
- “Art as Experience: Dewey and the Radical Pragmatist Aesthetic,” Radicalism in Aesthetics and Politics, Duke University, November 1996
- “Chomsky on Descartes, Language and Robots,” Rutgers University Graduate Philosophy Conference, Rutgers University, April 1996
- “Descartes on Pure Thought and Dreaming,” Southeastern Seminar in Early Modern Philosophy,North Carolina State University, April 1996
- “Coinage versus Usage: How Richards and Gibbs get Aristotle wrong on Metaphor,” British Association or Applied Linguistics, University of York, January 1996
- “Ruskin and The Pathetic Fallacy,” Patheticism, Trinity College, Dublin, August 1995
- “Truth and Metaphor,” Metaphor and Rational Discourse, Trinity College Dublin, May 1995
- “Stanley Fish and Interpretation Theory,” The Philosophy Society, University College Dublin, November 1993
- “Why Descartes is not a “Brain-in-a-Vat,”” Irish Philosophical Society, Limerick, April 1993
- “An Epistemological Similarity between Hobbes and Kierkegaard,” Cambridge Seminar in Philosophy,
Panelist
- “Lies and Beauty,” panel, HowTheLightGetsIn, Philosophy and Music Festival, Hay-on-Wye, May 31, 2016 (with Mark Salter and Helen Lederer, chaired by Jacques Peretti)
- “Lies,” Misinformation and Disinformation: Information Ethics Roundtable, University of Arizona, April 4, 2009 (with Don Fallis, Tom Carson, and Roy Sorensen)
- “The Just Society,” Princeton University, October 3, 2006 (with Nan Keohane, Gary Bass, and Elizabeth Bogan)
Chair
- Session chair, “The Natural Method: Ethics, Mind and Self – Themes from the Work of Owen Flanagan,” Duke University, September 29, 2017
- Scheduled session chair, “The Philosophy of Deception,” American Philosophical Association, Pacific Division, Meeting, San Francisco, March 31, 2016 [session cancelled]
- Co-organizer and multiple session chair, Locke Workshop (inaugural workshop), Washington and Lee University, October 26-27, 2012
- Session chair, Information Ethics Roundtable, Hunter College, April 28, 2012
- Program organizer and session chair, Virginia Philosophical Association 71st Annual Meeting, Marymount, University, October 22-23, 2010
- Session chair, “Metaethics,” Joint Session of the Aristotelian Society and the Mind Association, University, College Dublin, July 11, 2010
- Session chair, “Instrumental Reasoning and the Motivational Power of Beliefs,” American Philosophical, Association, Central Division Meeting, Cleveland, April 2003
- Session chair, “The Construction of Gender in Fiction,” Eighth Annual Women’s Studies Graduate, Research Conference, Duke University, November 1997
- Session chair, “Manufacturing and Marketing the Colonial Spectacle,” Culture and Colonialism Conference, University College Galway, June 1995
Seminars and Workshops
- NEH Seminar, Philosophical Perspectives on Law, Democracy and Human Rights, Georgia State University, July-August 2007
- Institute for Humane Studies (Invited Participant), workshop on the work of Jennifer Baker, George Mason University, April 2006
Radio
- “Lies and Lying,” WMRA, January 15, 2010 (with co-discussant Greg Henriques)
Referee
- American Philosophical Quarterly (2)
- Analysis (7)
- Archiv für Geschichte der Philosophie (1)
- Australasian Journal of Philosophy (9)
- British Journal of Aesthetics (2)
- British Journal of the History of Philosophy (1)
- Canadian Journal of Philosophy (3)
- Dialectica (1)
- Digressus (1)
- Ergo (1)
- Erkenntnis (10)
- Ethics (2)
- European Journal of Political Theory (1)
- Ethical Perspectives (1)
- Ethical Theory and Moral Practice (2)
- History of Philosophy Quarterly (1)
- International Journal of Philosophical Studies (1)
- Journal of the American Philosophical Association (2)
- Journal of Applied Philosophy (1)
- Journal of Moral Philosophy (1)
- Journal of Philosophy (3)
- Journal of Philosophical Research (1)
- Journal of Politics (1)
- Journal of Practical Ethics (1)
- The Journal of Value Inquiry (1)
- Kantian Review (1)
- Kriterion (1)
- Mind (1)
- New Horizons (1)
- Noûs (2)
- Philosophers’ Imprint (3)
- Philosophical Psychology (1)
- Philosophical Quarterly (5)
- Philosophical Studies (11)
- Philosophy (3)
- Pacific Philosophical Quarterly (1)
- Public Affairs Quarterly (1)
- Ratio (1)
- The Review of Politics (1)
- Social Theory and Practice (1)
- The Southern Journal of Philosophy (3)
- Studi Kantiani (1)
- Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics (1)
- Theoria (1)
Manuscript reader
- Oxford University Press (4)
- Wiley-Blackwell (1)
- Blackwell Publishing (1)
- Rowman and Littlefield (1)
Service to the Profession
- Member, External Review Team, Undergraduate and Graduate Programs in Philosophy, McMaster University, March 2018
- External Reviewer, candidate for promotion to (full) Professor, January 2018
- Conference submissions reader, Yale/UConn Graduate Conference in Philosophy, Yale University, April 27–28, 2012
- Invited participant, Planning Workshop and Curriculum Visioning for Yale-NUS College, Yale University, August 4–6, 2011
- Conference submissions reader, Virginia Philosophical Association meeting, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2014
- Grant application reviewer, Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada, December 10, 2010
- President, Virginia Philosophical Association, 2009–2010
- Vice-President, Virginia Philosophical Association, 2008–2009
- Secretary, Virginia Philosophical Association, 2007–2008
- External examiner, Honors Program in Philosophy, University of Virginia, May 2003; May 2008
- Editorial assistant to Brian Leiter, Philosophical Gourmet Report, June 2000
- Undergraduate representative member of the hiring committee, Department of Mental and Moral Sciences, Trinity College,
Dublin, 1990-1991
Honors and Awards
- Phi Beta Kappa Keynote Speaker, City University of New York–Lehman College, April 26, 2018
- PSC CUNY Grant, City University of New York–Lehman College, 2016-2017 ($300)
- Lenfest Faculty Sabbatical Grant, Washington and Lee University, May 2011 ($30,831)
- Hewlett-Mellon Fellowship, Washington and Lee University, May 2006 ($20,000)
- Lenfest Faculty Summer Grant, Washington and Lee University, 2015 ($4,500) [declined], 2014 ($4,500), 2013 ($4,500), 2012 ($4,500), 2011 ($4,500), 2010 ($4,500), 2009 ($6,000), 2008 ($2,400),
- Glenn Grant, Washington and Lee University, 2007 ($2,400), 2006 ($2,400), 2004 ($1,200), 2003 ($1,600), 2001 ($1,600)
- Nominated for NEH Summer Stipend, Washington and Lee University, September 2010
- NEH Fellowship Panel, July 2008 ($3,000)
- Life Member, Clare Hall, Cambridge, 2004 –
- Junior Faculty Leave, Washington and Lee University, 2003 (Fall Term)
- American Philosophical Association, Graduate Student Travel Stipend, 2000 ($300)
- Preparing Future Faculty Fellow, Duke University, 1999–2000
- Graduate Scholar in Women’s Studies, Duke University, 1999–2000
- Conference Travel Fellowship, The Graduate School, Duke University, 1996, 1998 (x2), 2000
- Departmental Fellowship, Department of Philosophy, Duke University, 1995–2000
- University of Sheffield, Department of Philosophy, Travel Stipend, 1998
- The Aristotelian Society and the Mind Association, Travel Stipend, 1997
- University of Cambridge, Department of Philosophy, Conference Travel Grant, 1993
- Clare College, Cambridge, Travel Stipend, 1993
- John Isaac Beare Prize in Philosophy, Trinity College, Dublin, 1990
- Robert Henry Wallace Exhibition, Trinity College, Dublin, 1989
- Composition Prize in English, Trinity College, Dublin, 1989
- Winner, Lucille Redmond Short-Story Competition, Galway County Library, June 1988
- Winner, Irish Schools Third World Development Project (Galway), spring 1987
- American Philosophical Association (1997–)
- The Aristotelian Society (1993–)
- Secretary, Mental and Moral Sciences Club, Trinity College, Dublin, 1990-1991
- Pro-Secretary, Dublin University Philosophical Society, Trinity College, Dublin, 1989-1990
Board Memberships
- DukeNY Board, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Representative (2021-2023)
Courses Taught
The City University of New York – Herbert H. Lehman College
- PHI 176 Philosophy of Freedom
- PHI 242/HST 250 History of Philosophy I: Ancient
- PHI 232 Classical Ethical Theories
- PHI 235 Philosophy of Law / POL 312 Jurisprudence / LSP 351 Honors Seminar in Humanities
Yale University
- EPE S270/PLSC S336/Phil S451 Lies and Deception (Summer 2013–)
- EPE 270/PLSC 336/Phil 451 Lies and Deception (Fall 2011)
University of International Business and Economics
- PHI 110 Introduction to Philosophy
Washington and Lee University
- Phil 110 Ancient Philosophy
- Phil 120 Modern Philosophy
- Phil 212/Rel 212 Philosophy of Religion
- Phil 232 Nietzsche
- Phil 240 Contemporary Ethics
- Phil 252 Philosophy of Law
- Phil 340 History of Ethics
- Phil 342 Metaethics
- Phil 360 Roe v. Wade and the Abortion Question
- Phil 395 Moral Realism (Winter 2001)
- Phil 395 / Univ 201 Lies, Deception and Secrecy (Winter 2003)
- Phil 395 / Intr 341 Bio-Medical Ethics (Spring 2004)
- Phil 399 The Limits of Morality (Winter 2013)
Duke University
- Phil 42 Introduction to Philosophy
University College Cork
- Phil 214 Philosophical Anthropology
Guest Teaching
Princeton University
- Guest taught a class meeting of PHI 202/CHV 202 Introduction to Moral Philosophy (Profs. Elizabeth Harman/Sarah McGrath), March 27, 2017. Topic: Kant on lies.
- Guest caught a class meeting of FRS 171: Ethics in Everyday Life (Prof. Peter Singer), September 27, 2006. Topic: Kant vs. Bentham on lies.
- Guest taught (remotely, via Zoom) one class meeting of senior seminar on Kant (Prof. Desmond Hogan), April 7, 2021. Topic: Kant on lies.
University of Arizona
- Guest taught (remotely, via Skype) a class meeting of graduate seminar IRLS 696e: Misinformation and Disinformation (Prof. Don Fallis), January 29, 2013. Topic: What is deception?
Northeastern University
- Guest taught (remotely, via Zoom) a class meeting of PHIL 2016: The Philosophy and Ethics of Lying and Deception (Prof. Don Fallis), October 4, 2023. Topic: What is wrong with lying?
- Guest taught (remotely, via Zoom) a class meeting of PHIL 2016: The Philosophy and Ethics of Lying and Deception (Prof. Don Fallis), February 6, 2023. Topic: What is wrong with lying?
- Guest taught (remotely, via Zoom) a class meeting of PHIL 2016: The Philosophy and Ethics of Lying and Deception (Prof. Don Fallis), October 4, 2021. Topic: What is wrong with lying?
- Guest taught (remotely, via Zoom) a class meeting of PHIL 2016: The Philosophy and Ethics of Lying and Deception (Prof. Don Fallis), October 5, 2020. Topic: What is wrong with lying?