Graduate Students
Mark Anderson
e-mail: mbanderson1@wisc.edu
Tim went to Texas A&M for his B.A. and M.A. (both in philosophy). He wrote his master’s thesis on Kant’s conception of freedom. His main Areas of Interest is early modern philosophy (especially Leibniz and Spinoza), but he is also interested in ancient Greek philosophy.
Martin Barrett
e-mail: mbrrtt@pobox.com
Jeff Behrends
Areas of Interest: metaethics, philosophy of mind, philosophy of language
Phone: 608-263-3700
e-mail: jbehrends@wisc.edu
Office: 5166 H.C. White
Jeff works primarily on issues in ethical theory, specifically meta-normativity and value theory. His paper “A New Argument for the Multiplicity of the Good-for Relation” has recently been published in The Journal of Value Inquiry. Currently, he is most interested in issues concerning the relationship between desires and objective normative reasons for action. Jeff also has interests in philosophy of mind, as well as philosophy of language.
Hayley Clatterbuck
Areas of Interest: Philosophy of Science, Philosophy of Biology, Epistemology
Phone: 608-273-3700
e-mail: clatterbuck@wisc.edu
Office: 5167 Helen C. White
Hayley is a third-year student whose primary interests are in philosophy of science—particularly philosophy of biology and epistemology. She also has a strong interest in human evolution. When she is not working, Hayley enjoys cycling on the beautiful and virtually car-free dairy roads around Madison.
Daniel is interested in Metaethics (esp. Moral Epistemology) and Philosophy of Religion. In both of these philosophical areas, he is interested in the arguments that begin with an empirical premise regarding the origins of our (moral or religious) beliefs and end in an epistemological conclusion regarding the rationality of those beliefs. In his dissertation, then, he is defending the claim that many of our moral beliefs are justified a priori on the basis of “mental state intuitions,” and that appreciation of the evolutionary and cultural influences of these beliefs does not generate a defeater for this justification. If you are working on, or considering working on, a similar topic, please don’t hesitate to contact me at dcrow@wisc.edu.
Daniel Crow’sWeb site
Andrew Cuda
Areas of Interest: philosophy of science
Phone: 608-263-3700
e-mail: accuda@wisc.edu
Office: 5168 Helen C. White
Andrew is primarily interested in the philosophy of science. He is currently working on problems concerning laws of nature.
Kevin Dewan
Areas of Interest: philosophy of mind, philosophy of psychology, moral psychology
Phone: 608-263-3700
e-mail: dewan@wisc.edu
Office: 5162 Helen C. White
Kevin works in philosophy of psychology and philosophy of mind. Lately he has become interested in moral psychology. He is interested in the concepts of innateness and human nature; the implications of cross-cultural cognitive variation for psychology and philosophy; and philosophical issues concerning culture. He also enjoys thinking about and teaching applied ethics. Apart from philosophy, he enjoys studying Hindi and Urdu and learning about the history and culture of South Asia.
Kevin Dewan'sWeb site
Lydia du Bois
Areas of Interest: philosophy of language, philosophy of mind, epistemology
Phone: 608-263-3700
e-mail: ldubois2@wisc.edu
Office: 5142 Helen C. White
Lydia completed her undergraduate studies in philosophy at the University of Cape Town and then moved to Vancouver, Canada, where she completed her M.A. in philosophy at Simon Fraser University. Her interests cover a broad range of areas, including philosophy of mind (perception and questions about concepts), philosophy of language (externalism), and epistemology (as it relates to the interests already mentioned). She also has a budding interest in the history and philosophy of psychiatry. In the history of philosophy, she particularly enjoys reading Berkeley's New Theory of Vision and she likes exploring 20th century analytic philosophy.
Stewart Eskew
Areas of Interest: Metaethics, Philosophy of Science, Philosophy of Education, Epistemology
Phone: 608-263-3700
e-mail: eskew@wisc.edu
Office: 5168 H.C. White
Stewart is interested in issues in metaethics and epistemology. More specifically, he is interested in the nature of practical and epistemic reasons, moral epistemology, non-naturalist moral realism, peer disagreement, and the epistemic status and reliability of intuition. He also has teaching and research interests in the philosophy of science, the philosophy of education, and applied ethics.
Stewart Eskew'sWeb site
He is currently working on a dissertation on how agents come to have justified verdictive moral judgments and justified beliefs in general moral principles.
Tom Frost
e-mail: thomasjfrost@yahoo.com
Tom’s main philosophical interests are in metaphysics and epistemology, as well as in their applications to both philosophy of mind and philosophy of religion. Most specifically, he is interested in modal epistemology, introspection and self-awareness, consciousness, dualism, and personal identity. He is currently writing his dissertation in modal epistemology, developing his own view of the nature of conceivability and it’s relationship to possibility as a response to modal skepticism.
Molly works on issues in ethical theory, philosophy of mind, and metaphysics. Her recent conference papers address the logical paradoxes related to time travel and the relevance of social psychology to the free will debate. She is co-author of the commentary, “Cut the Fat! Defending Trans Fat Bans,” published in the American Journal of Bioethics. Her dissertation will investigate the normative basis of our duties to future generations.
If asked casually about his interests, Michael will claim that philosophy of biology and cognitive science are his primary interests (as well as philosophy of science more broadly construed). If one were to push him a bit further, he would admit that the primary focus of his research is in philosophy of ecology. More specifically, he is obsessed with philosophical issues surrounding ecological modeling, which is the subject of the dissertation that he is working on. His other interests include epistemology (both traditional and formal), philosophy of mind, and environmental ethics.
Timothy Hansel
e-mail: thansel@wisc.edu
Fred Harrington
Areas of Interest: ethical theory, social and political philosophy, bioethics
Phone: 608-263-3700
e-mail: fjharrington@wisc.edu
Fred’s primary philosophical interests are in ethical theory, social and political philosophy, and bioethics. He has also presented papers on epistemology and philosophy of mind. He is currently finishing a dissertation on the concept and metaphysical groundings of moral rights, with a particular focus on human rights.
Casey Hart
e-mail: cthart@wisc.edu
Casey works in philosophy (epistemology and metaphysics) of science, and philosophy of biology—sometimes venturing into formal epistemology, and maintaining some back-burner interests in philosophy of mind, psychology, and language.
Justin Horn
Areas of Interest: Metaethics, Normative Ethics, Political Philosophy
Phone: 608-263-3700
e-mail: horn2@wisc.edu
Office: 5170 Helen C. White
Justin’s primary philosophical interests are in metaethics, especially questions about moral ontology and moral epistemology. He is currently writing a dissertation about the relevance (or not) of evolutionary theory to debates about the truth of moral realism. He also has interests in normative ethics, applied ethics, and political philosophy.
Alex Hyun
Areas of Interest: metaethics, philosophy of religion, epistemology
Phone: 608-263-3700
e-mail: abhyun@wisc.edu
Office: 5173 Helen C. White
Alex’s main philosophical interests are in metaethics and philosophy of religion, and he’s especially interested in issues that lie at the intersection of these two fields.
Holly Kantin
Areas of Interest: metaphysics, epistemology
Phone: 608-263-3700
e-mail: hakantin@wisc.edu
Holly works mainly in metaphysics and epistemology and is especially concerned with issues of ontology. Her recent work is on the ontology of material objects and personal identity. Her interests in epistemology focus mainly on issues of justification and responsible belief. She is the co-author of a paper entitled, “Is Evidence Knowledge?” with Juan Comesaña, which is forthcoming in Philosophy and Phenomenological Research. She also has interests in ethics and the philosophy of language.
David works mainly in ethics. He defends views regarding the epistemic status of moral intuitions, the existence and significance of moral dilemmas, Darwinian evolution and metaethics, overdetermination and the morality of groups, the moral difference between pets and livestock, and the possibility of non-naturalist moral perception. Visit his website to read some of his papers on these topics.
David Killoren’sWeb site
Matt Kopec
Areas of Interest: Epistemology, Philosophy of Science, Applied Philosophy
Phone: 608-263-3700
e-mail: kopec@wisc.edu
Office: 5142 Helen C. White
Matt is currently finishing his dissertation entitled “Norms of Group Rationality” where he uses some tools and insights from formal epistemology and the philosophy of science to address issues in social epistemology. He is also working on side projects concerning the epistemic significance of disagreement, the biological status of human races, the ethics of DNA ancestry testing in forensics, and methodological problems in the social sciences. His article “A More Fulfilling (and Frustrating) Take on Reflexive Predictions” is due to appear in Philosophy of Science in December 2011.
Matt Kopec’sWeb site
Jason Leardi
Areas of Interest: Philosophy of Mind, Philosophy of Science, Epistemology
Phone: 608-263-3700
e-mail: leardi@wisc.edu
Office: 5160 Helen C. White
Zi Lin (Lindsay)
Areas of Interest: Moral philosophy, Free will, Philosophy of Action, Political Philosophy, Kant
Phone: 608-263-3700
e-mail: zlin29@wisc.edu
Office: 5112 Helen C. White
Brian McLoone
Areas of Interest: philosophy of biology, philosophy of psychology
Phone: 608-263-3700
e-mail: mcloone@wisc.edu
Office: 5142 Helen C. White
Mark Mitchell
e-mail: mgmitchell@wisc.edu
Josh is a first-year graduate student interested in metaethics and epistemology, especially peer-disagreement. He’s also interested in philosophy of science and metaphysics.
Derrick Murphy
Areas of Interest: Metaphysics, Philosophy of Mind
Phone: 608-263-3700
e-mail: dsmurphy3@wisc.edu
Office: 5164 Helen C. White
Derrick’s work is focused mainly in Metaphysics and Philosophy of Mind, especially where the two intersect. He is specifically interested in issues having to do with ontology, modality and causation as well as ontology of mind, the hard problem of consciousness and mental causation. Outside of philosophy, Derrick spends his time watching TV shows of the critically-acclaimed-underperforming-in-the-ratings variety and listening to music from decades before he was born.
Blake is interested in questions related to emotion, theory of mind, causal judgments, moral judgments, and language evolution.
Blake Myers-Schulz’sWeb site
Peter Nichols
Areas of Interest: Ethics, Metaphysics, Epistemology
Phone: 608-263-3700
e-mail: plnichols@wisc.edu
Office: 5162 Helen C. White
Pete works primarily in ethics, metaphysics, and epistemology. His dissertation develops and defends a version of wide reflective equilibrium and applies this methodology to the personal identity debate, arguing that it can help us move past the current stalemate between rival theories of personal identity and “what matters in survival.” His recent publications include “Substance Concepts and Personal Identity,” in Philosophical Studies (2010), and “Abortion, Time-Relative interests, and Futures Like Ours,” in Ethical Theory and Moral Practice (forthcoming). Pete’s extra-philosophical interests include music, birdwatching, camping, hiking, biking, travel, and baseball.
Peter Nichols’sWeb site
Emi Okayasu
philosophy of science, philosophy of biology
Phone: 608-263-3700
e-mail: okayasu@wisc.edu
Office: 5142 Helen C. White
Emi is a first year grad student interested in philosophy of biology and philosophy of science. She is particularly interested in philosophical methodology and pedagogy, and how they relate to the study of science.
Jeffery Pretti
Areas of Interest: Philosophy of Language, Philosophy of Mind, Epistemology
Phone: 608-263-3700
e-mail: pretti@wisc.edu
Office: 5146 Helen C. White
Jeffery is primarily interested in the areas of philosophy of mind, philosophy of language, and epistemology, specifically regarding the issues of representational content, meaning, and intention. His current work is focused on exploring a semantic solution to the problem of substitutivity in simple sentences. In addition, he enjoys thinking about and discussing issues of epistemic justification, higher-order theories of consciousness, personal identity, and embodied cognition. He has also taken up a random fascination with Spinoza’s ontology.
Jeffery Pretti’sWeb site
Mike Roche
Areas of Interest: philosophy of mind, philosophy of science, logic
Phone: 608-263-3700
e-mail: mroche@wisc.edu
Office: 5173 Helen C. White
Mike’s primary philosophical interests are in the philosophy of mind, psychology, and cognitive science. He has most recently been working on papers on mental causation and also introspection/self-knowledge. He is very interested in the causal exclusion problem facing nonreductive materialism, and has finished a paper exploring causal overdetermination as a response to it. Over the last few years, Mike has presented papers critical of the inner sense theory of introspection. Other interests include the philosophy of science, philosophy of biology, logic, and epistemology. He is currently writing a dissertation on self-knowledge.
Daniel Schneider
Areas of Interest: philosophy of science, ancient philosophy
Phone: 608-263-3700
e-mail: dcschneider@wisc.edu
Office: 5174 Helen C. White
Daniel is interested in Early Modern Philosophy, Ancient Philosophy and Philosophy of Science. He is particularly interested in the works of Spinoza and the development of a viable rationalist epistemology. He is currently working on a dissertation that examines the foundations of Spinoza’s metaphysics and reexamines the traditional Rationalist/Empiricist dispute.
Gina is interested in ethics and social and political philosophy. She has a paper on education co-written with Harry Brighouse entitled “Understanding the Context for Existing Reform and Research Proposals,” which will appear in an edited volume on social inequality and educational disadvantage. Currently, she is thinking about the political legitimacy of state interventions intended to encourage more gender egalitarian family forms.
Ben’s primary philosophical interests are in philosophy of mind and jurisprudence. In 2007, he graduated from the College of Wooster with a BA in philosophy and history. He spent the next four years working in Washington, D.C. for a member of the House of Representatives. In his spare time he enjoys hiking, kayaking and jazz.
Eric Senseman
Areas of Interest: epistemology, philosophy of science, ethics
Phone: 608-263-3700
e-mail: esenseman@wisc.edu
Office: 5191 Helen C. White
Elena Spitzer
Areas of Interest: philosophy of science, philosophy of biology, bioethics
Phone: 608-263-3700
e-mail: emspitzer@wisc.edu
Office: 5160 Helen C. White
Elena is a second-year graduate student interested in philosophy of science and philosophy of biology. She graduated from UC-Berkeley In 2007 with a double major in philosophy and molecular biology, and worked for Google for three years before joining the philosophy department. She is particularly interested in philosophical issues in genetics, genomics, and bioinformatics.
Jared is a first-year graduate student with interests in philosophy of science, metaphysics, and epistemology.
Reuben Stern
Areas of Interest: philosophy of science, philosophy of language, metaphysics, philosophy of biology
Phone: 608-263-3700
e-mail: stern4@wisc.edu
Dennis' main philosophical interests are in philosophy of mind, psychology, and cognitive science. He is especially interested in psychiatry, the nature of mental illness and health, and the role of emotions in our mental lives. Though he finds these interests engaging, this does not prevent his desiring more time to spend on ancient and early modern philosophy.
Olav is a first-year graduate student who is primarily interested in issues in the general philosophy of science.
Leigh Vicens
Areas of Interest: philosophy of religion, philosophy of mind, philosophy of action
Phone: 608-263-3700
e-mail: vicens@wisc.edu
Office: 5191 Helen C. White
Leigh is particularly interested in philosophy of religion and the metaphysics of mind and action. She is currently in the midst of work on her dissertation, which focuses on theological determinism and related issues regarding causation, agency, freedom and responsibility. Leigh is supported by a university fellowship, and also serves as a priest at a local Episcopal church, where she is in charge of adult education and pastoral care.
Leigh Vicen’sWeb site
Matt Waldren
Areas of Interest: political philosophy, ethics
Phone: 608-263-3700
e-mail: mlwaldren@wisc.edu
Office: 5154 Helen C. White
Matt works in political philosophy. His dissertation concerns the connection between political philosophy and educational aims.
Matt Waldren’sWeb site
Jason Walker
e-mail: jasonrwalker@yahoo.com
Naftali Weinberger
Areas of Interest: Philosophy of Science
Phone: 608-263-3700
e-mail: sweinberger@wisc.edu
Office: 5146 Helen C. White
Naftali is a third-year gradute student currently spending his time thinking about various issues in the philosophy of science, particularly those related to causation. When not doing philosophy, he can usually be found either cycling around town or enjoying Madison’s excellent beer offerings. His recent article in Philosophy of Science deals with the issue of when we can say that two models in genetics are predictively equivalent.
Brynn works in political philosophy and ethics. She is particularly interested in the relationship between family and justice, and her dissertation focuses on what obligations grown children have to their parents. In 2010, she co-authored a paper with Dan Hausman entitled “To Nudge or Not to Nudge?” which was published in the Journal of Political Philosophy, and she was also named a UW–Madison Letters & Science Teaching Fellow. Brynn is currently a Visiting Instructor at Beloit College.
Brynn Welch’sWeb site
Danielle Wylie
Areas of Interest: Philosophy of Psychology, Philosophy of Mind, Ethics (especially metaethics)
Phone: 608-263-3700
e-mail: djwylie@wisc.edu
Office: 5172 Helen C. White
Danielle primarily focuses on the cognitive processes and structures underlying moral judgments and moral concepts. She is also interested in intuitions and moral responsibility.
Danielle Wylie’s Web site