Teaching
Selected Classes Taught: A Few of My Favorite
Reasoning and Rational Decision-Making
Logic gives us a system of inference to be sure that we move from truth to truth or that it is likely that we move from truth to truth. This class introduces students to the various logical systems we have: deductive, inductive, and game theory. In doing so, it introduces them to some of the key ideas and concepts, like truth tables, validity, Bayesian logic, statistical significance testing, and expected utility theory. During the class, students learn to think about and apply these ideas to medical testing and research, big data, nuclear proliferation, and climate change.
Business Ethics
Business is all about profits, or so we are led to believe. The goal of a corporation is to make money. But, are there limits to what corporations and people can do in pursuit of their interests? Can they lie, cheat, and steal in the name of profit? This class examines these questions by critically engaging with the nature of our capitalist system. It looks at what justifies capitalism and then critically engages with it. Students learn to discuss major political philosophies as well as theories of property rights, markets, and poverty. And, along the way, students might just get to spend a little of their professor's own money in the name of altruism.
Bioethics: Life, Death, and Medicine
Death is thought to be bad, one of the worst harms that can befall a person. Yet, philosophers since the ancient Greeks have challenged this idea. Perhaps, when we die, we are nothing, so death isn't all that bad. These aren't just philosophical puzzles; these questions inform discussions in medicine. For example, if death isn't always bad, then what does this say about euthanasia? If death is never bad, what does this say about infanticide? And, what does all of this tell us about a doctor's obligation to do no harm? This class aims to show how we can use the metaphysics of death to make better medical decisions about life and death.
Selected Classes I'd Like to Teach
Philosophy of Technology
Technology raises a whole slew of philosophical questions, ranging from the nature of technology to how to manage it to who's responsible for it when something goes wrong. Looking at various technologies, nanotechnology, cybernetics, geoengineering, to name a few, this class explores these different questions. At the end of the day, this class will help us to better understand technology, what their ramifications are, and how to utilize them. In the end, students should have a better understanding of how not to create Frankenstein's monster and what to do should that occur.
Ethics and Uncertainty
Uncertainty is thought to be a problem for rational decision-making. However, uncertainty raises questions not just about how we should pursue our own interests but what we should do when our actions affect others but we aren't sure how, in what ways, or to what extent. Importantly, these uncertainties play out in a range of real-world scenarios: public health, genetics, and terrorism, to name a few. By engaging with the ethical uncertainties in these cases, we come to explore and have a better understanding of and new insights into traditional ethical ideas, like rights, the value of a person, and fairness.
Harry Potter and Philosophy
The fictional world of Harry Potter is a place full of wonder, awe, and darkness. Its characters face sinister villains and do amazing feats. This world is not just fun to read about, it is fun to think about as well. Could we come back as a ghost, like Sir Headless Nick? Could we transcend death with a Horcrux, like Lord Voldemort? What are our obligations to face down evil, like Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Dumbledore's Army? This class explores these and other questions as we discuss the nature of death, family, good and evil, and enjoying art from less-than-stellar artists.