Marc A. Alspector-Kelly

 

Associate Professor and Chair of Graduate Studies

Department of Philosophy

Western Michigan University

 

Areas of Specialization:            

            Philosophy of Science

            Epistemology

            Metaphysics

           

Areas of Competence:          

            History of Analytic Philosophy

            Logic

 

Degrees:

            University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan

                        Ph.D. April 1999, Philosophy

            University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada

                        M.A. 1990, Philosophy

                        B.A.(honors) 1987, Double Honors Degree in Philosophy and Psychology

 

Publications:

“On Quine on Carnap on Ontology”, Philosophical Studies Vol. 102 (January 2001), pp. 93-122.

 

“Should the Empiricist be a Constructive Empiricist?”, Philosophy of Science Vol. 68 No. 4 (December 2001), pp. 413-431.

 

“Stroud’s Carnap”, Philosophy and Phenomenological Research Vol. 64 No. 2 (March 2002), pp. 276-302.

 

“The NOAer’s Dilemma: Constructive Empiricism and the Natural Ontological Attitude”, Canadian Journal of Philosophy Vol. 33 No. 3 (September 2003), pp. 307-322.

 

“Seeing the Unobservable: van Fraassen and the Limits of Experience”, Synthese Vol. 140 No. 3 (June 2004), pp. 331-353

 

“Constructive Empiricism and Epistemic Modesty: Reply to Van Fraassen and Monton”, Erkenntnis Vol. 64, Number 3 (October 2006) pp. 371-379

 

“Pretending to See”, Philosophical Psychology Vol. 19, No. 6 (December 2006) pp. 713–728.

 

“Knowledge Externalism”, Pacific Philosophical Quarterly, Vol. 87 (2006) pp. 289–300.

 

 

Under Revision:

“How to Be a Naturalist”-In the “revise and resubmit” stage for Australasian Journal of Philosophy

 

Presentations:

           

“Avoiding Accidents: Justification Internalism and Knowledge Externalism”, accepted for presentation at the 2007 American Philosophical Association Central Division Meeting.

“Empiricism as Stance and Empiricism Naturalized”, American Philosophical Association Central Division Meeting, 2006.

            “How to Be a Naturalist”, American Philosophical Association Central Division Meeting 2005.

            “Knowledge Externalism”,

                        Department of Philosophy, Western Michigan University, 2003.

“Two Empiricists: Quine and van Fraassen on Scientific Realism”
Department of Philosophy, Western Michigan University, 2001.

“Making Sense of NOA”

                        Department of Philosophy, University of Western Ontario, 2001

“On Quine on Carnap on Ontology”

                        Department of Philosophy, University of Toronto, 2000

            "Naturalism and Philosophical Intuition"

Sixteenth Annual Michigan Philosophy Colloquium, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 1997

            "Problems with the Reticulational Model: A Critique of Laudan's Science and Values"

Western Canadian Philosophical Association, Winnipeg, Canada, 1990

 

Reviewing and Refereeing:

-Review of 170-page manuscript submitted to the Western Ontario Series in the Philosophy of Science to determine suitability for publication at invitation of Managing Editor. Reviewed Fall 2001.

                        -Referee for:

-Philosophy of Science Winter 2002

-Canadian Journal of Philosophy Fall 2002.

-Philosophy of Science Winter 2003

-British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, Fall 2005

-International Journal for the Philosophy of Science Summer 2006

 

Fellowships and Awards:

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Doctoral Fellowship (SSHRC), 1990-1994

            Paul David Russell Gold Medal (highest standing in Honors Philosophy), 1987

 Teaching Experience

            Assistant Professor, Western Michigan Univesity, 2001-Present

                        Undergraduate:

                        Critical Reasoning

                        Philosophy of Science

                        Theory of Knowledge

                        Senior Seminar (“Naturalism”)

                        Internalism/Externalism (Independent Study)

            Graduate:

                        Advanced Philosophy of Science

                        Contemporary Empiricism

                        Scientific Realism

Realisms

-Comparison of realism debates in the philosophies of science, mathematics, ethics, and the theory of truth.

Truth (Independent Study)

Naturalism (Independent Study)

The A Priori (Independent Study)

Visiting Assistant Professor, University of Michigan, 2000-2001

            Introduction to Logic

Visiting Assistant Professor, University of Toronto, 1999-2000

Philosophy of Natural Science

            Scientific Revolutions: The Invention of Science

            Introduction to Philosophy

Lecturer, University of Cincinnati, 1998-1999

            Introduction to Logic

Prior to 1998:

University of Michigan

                        Introduction to Logic

                        Introduction to Symbolic Logic

                        Introduction to Philosophy

Washtenaw Community College (Ann Arbor, Mich.)

                        Introduction to Philosophy

University of Manitoba

                        Introductory Logic

                        Ethics and Society

                        Introduction to Philosophy

 

Service

-Chair of Search Committee for Assistant Professor (2007)

-Chair of Search Committee for Assistant Professor (2005)

            -Search Committee Member Visiting Assistant Professor (2003)

            -Search Committee Member for Department Chair (2002)

            -Faculty Senator (2002-present)

            -MA Thesis Committee Member (Melissa Ebbers)

            -Reader for the Heraclitean Society Essay Prize (each year since 2001)

            -Graduate Student Teaching Mentor (2001-present)

            -Coordinator of Department Colloquia (“Brownbags”), 2003-present

            -Graduate Admissions Director

            -Graduate Program Director