Welcome to the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Department of Philosophy homepage.
Welcome to Matthew Cashen and Bryan Lueck who are joining the department as Assistant Professors in Fall 2008.
Bryan Lueck received his Ph.D. from The Pennsylvania State University in 2007. His research focuses on issues in contemporary Continental philosophy, and specifically on developing a reinterpretation of Immanuel Kant's ethical thought using the resources of phenomenology and post-structuralism. He recently published an article entitled "Toward a Serresian Reconceptualization of Kantian Respect" in Philosophy Today.
Matthew Cashen received his PhD in philosophy from Washington University in 2007. He works in ancient philosophy and ethics, specializing in classical and contemporary Aristotelian virtue theory. Matthew is interested primarily in the intersection of ancient and modern ethics, and recently, he has focused on Aristotelianism in contemporary biomedical ethics. He has presented his work at numerous conferences and he has just begun work on a book on the role of “external goods” like health, wealth, and friendship in ancient and modern ethical theory.
Greg Littmann joined the SIUE Philosophy Department as an Assistant Professor in 2006. Greg received his Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2004. He has published a paper “A Critique of Dialetheism” (with Professor Keith Simmons), in The Law of Non-Contradiction; New Philosophical Essays, edited by Graham Priest, J.C. Beall, and B. Armour-Garb, (Oxford University Press, 2004). He is presently writing a book on the subject of dialetheism.
Christopher Pearson, the Minor Advisor, joined the SIUE Philosophy Department as an Assistant Professor in 2007. Christopher received his Ph.D from the University of Washington-Seattle in 2007. His paper, “Is Heritability Explanatorily Useful?” is in the forthcoming Studies in the History and Philosophy of the Biological and Biomedical Sciences.
The principal mission of the Philosophy Department is to foster humane learning in a free, pluralistic democratic society, which entails an effort to discern and to give expression to the highest and deepest of human values and skills. The Department will achieve excellence in its three-fold task of providing: 1) innovative, high quality degree programs for its majors and minors; 2) outstanding general education courses, including Critical Thinking, for SIUE students; and 3) excellent courses in applied ethics for students in SIUE professional programs and schools.
The Philosophy Department will be recognized nationally for the excellence of its graduates, programs, and faculty. Our graduates will demonstrate excellence in their philosophical work, which will be characterized by: Cogency of Argument, Clarity of expression, Knowledge of issues and alternatives, Accuracy of interpretation, Creativity or originality of expression. Our diverse faculty will be exemplary teacher-scholars dedicated to helping students become lifelong learners and effective leaders in their professions and communities.