Education

Ph.D., Philosophy, Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 1990. Thesis Title: "The Metaphysics of Affectivity and Ethical Responsibility."

M.A., Philosophy, Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut, 1987. Thesis Title: "Sartre and Husserl: The Disclosure of the Subject."

B.A., Philosophy, Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut, 1985.

Professor of Philosophy, University of Evansville. (Assistant Professor, 1991-1996; Associate Professor, 1996-2003; Professor, since 2003.) 

Director of the Digital Humanities Laboratory, The University of Evansville, since 2009.

Digital Humanities Fellow, The National Endowment for the Humanities, 2008-2009.

Visiting Scholar, Cognitive Science Program, Indiana University, 2007-2011.

Director of Cognitive Science, University of Evansville, since 2004.

Visiting Lecturer, University of Texas at Austin, 1990-1991. 

Lecturer, Marquette University, 1987-1989.

Publications

"Noesis and the Encyclopedic Internet Vision," Synthese, forthcoming.

"Facebook and the Question of Authentic Self-Identity," with Tamara Wandel. In Facebook and Philosophy, edited by Dylan Wittkower (Chicago: IL: Open Court), forthcoming.

Two Short Encyclopedia Articles: "Anaximander of Melitus" (44-45) and "Heraclitus of Ephesus." In The Biographical Encyclopedia of Astronomers, edited by Thomas Hockey (Springer, 2007).

"Phenomenology and Artificial Intelligence." In CyberPhilosophy: The Intersection of Philosophy and Computing, edited by James H. Moor and Terrell Ward Bynum (Oxford, UK: Blackwell, 2002), 66-77. Also in Metaphilosophy 33.1/2 (2002): 70-82.

"Doubt and Belief in the Tractatus de Intellectus Emendatione," with Lee Rice. In Spinoza: Critical Assessments. Volume One. Edited by Genevieve Lloyd (New York: Routledge, 2001), 358-377. Originally published in Studia Spinozana, IV (1989), 93-119. 

"Kant and the Problem of Ethical Metaphysics," Philosophy in the Contemporary World 7.2 (2001): 47-56. Also in In Proximity: Emmanuel Levinas and the Eighteenth Century, edited by Melvyn New, with Robert Bernasconi and Richard A. Cohen (Lubbock, TX: Texas Tech UP, 2001), 285-302.

"Passion and Sexual Desire in Descartes," Philosophy and Theology, 12 (2000): 223-243.

"Noesis: Philosophical Research Online: An Experiment in Progress," Newsletter on Philosophy and Computers, American Philosophical Association, Volume 98.2 (1999).

"Evaluating Search Engine Models for Scholarly Purposes: A Report from the Internet Applications Laboratory," D-Lib Magazine: The Magazine of Digital Library Research, The Corporation for National Research Initiatives, December (1998).

Levinas Beyond the Horizons of Cartesianism: An Inquiry into the Metaphysics of Morals. New York: Peter Lang, 1995.

"Freedom and Autonomy: The Kantian Analytic and a Sartrean Critique," Philosophy and Theology 5 (1990): 151-168.

"Desire and Love in Descartes's Late Philosophy," History of Philosophy Quarterly 6 (1989): 279-294.

"Motion, Mobility and Method in Aristotle's Physics: Comments on Physics II, 192b20-24," Review of Metaphysics 42 (1988): 357-374.

"Overcoming Inauthenticity through Anxiety: A Central Theme in Heidegger's Being and Time," Dialogue: The [Graduate and Undergraduate] Journal of Phi Sigma Tau 31 (1988): 23-24.

"What Can A Robot Teach Us about Kantian Ethics?" This paper is an extended version of the conference presentation "Between Angels and Animals" mentioned below.

"Mechanical vs. Symbolic Computation: Two Contrasting Strategies for Information Processing." This paper is being prepared for my December 2009 APA presentation in New York and for future publication.

"Information Technology and the Ethics of Clear Vision."

"Ethical Responsibility and the Knowlege of Other Minds."

"On the Use and Abuse of Descartes in Contemporary Cognitive Science."

Review of Rethinking Commonsense Psychology: A Critique of Folk Psychology, Theory of Mind and Simulation by Matthew Ratcliffe, Journal of Consciousness Studies, forthcoming.

Review of The Phenomenological Mind: An Introduction to Philosophy of Mind and Cognitive Science by Shaun Gallagher and Dan Zahavi, Philosophical Psychology, forthcoming.

Review of Moral Machines: Teaching Robots Right from Wrong by Wendall Wallach and Colin Allen, Philosophy Now 71 (2009). A slightly revised version of this review is soon to appear in Ethics and Information Technology.

"Searching for Philosophy: A Review of Google Scholar and Google News," Teaching Philosophy 28:4 (2005), 367-371.

Review of Philosophy and Computing: An Introduction by Luciano Floridi, Ethics and Information Technology 3.4 (2002), 299-301. Also in Newsletter on Philosophy and Computers, American Philosophical Association, (2001).

Review of Philosophical Papers: Betwixt and Between by Calvin O. Schrag, Review of Metaphysics 50 (1997): 691-693.

Review of Folk Psychological Narratives: The Sociocultural Basis of Understanding Reasons by Daniel Hutto, Journal of Consciousness Studies.

Review of The Ego Tunnel: The Science of the Mind and the Myth of the Self by Thomas Metzinger, Philosophical Psychology.

Invited Speaker, "Mechanical vs. Symbolic Computation: Two Contrasting Strategies for Information Processing," Society for Machines and Mentality, Eastern Division Meeting of the American Philosophical Association, New York City, December 27th - 30th, 2009.

Invited Speaker, "The Ethics of Facebook," Technology and Ethics Lecture Series, Ethics + Emerging Technologies Group, California Polytechnic State University, May 4th, 2009.

Presenter, "Between Angels an Animals: The Question of Robot Ethics, or Is Kantian Moral Agency Desirable?" Association for Practical and Professional Ethics, Eighteenth Annual Meeting, Cincinnati, Ohio, March 5th - 8th, 2009.

Invited Speaker, "Domain-specific search and the Encyclopedic Internet Vision," Invited Presentation, Network and Complex Systems Group, Indiana University, February 25th, 2008. (View Slides)

Presenter, "Intentionality and Association," The 3rd Annual Computing and Philosophy Conference (CAP@OSU), Oregon State University, August 2003.

Invited Speaker, "Introducing the International Association for Computing and Philosophy (IACAP)," The 16th Annual Computing and Philosophy Conference (CAP@CMU), Carnegie Mellon University, August 2001.

Presenter, "Information Metaphysics, Naturalism and the Computational Turn," The 1st Annual Computing and Philosophy Conference (CAP@OSU), Oregon State University, January 2001.

Invited Speaker, "The Noesis Model of Academic Publishing," Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association, Washington, D.C., August 2000.

Invited Speaker, "Noesis: From Search Engine/Index to Information Network," The 15th Annual Computing and Philosophy Conference, Carnegie Mellon University, August 2000.

Invited Speaker, "Noesis and the Electronic Dissemination of Professional Philosophy: Problems and Prospects," Pacific Division Meeting of the American Philosophical Association, Albuquerque, New Mexico, April 2000.

Panel Participant, "Philosophy on the Internet: Questions of Standards," Special Session Arranged by the APA Board of Officers, Eastern Division Meeting of the American Philosophical Association, Boston, December 1999.

Invited Speaker, "Managing Quality Content on the Web: A Preview," Eastern Division Meeting of the American Philosophical Association, Boston, December 1999.

Presenter, "Noesis: Philosophical Research On-Line," The 14th Annual Computing and Philosophy Conference, Carnegie Mellon University, August 1999.

Presenter, "The Noesis Model: A Progressive Experiment for the Dissemination of Professional Philosophy," The 12th Triennial Conference of the International Association of University Presidents: Touchstones for a Modern University Culture, Brussels, July 1999.

Invited Speaker, "Noesis: Philosophical Research On-Line" and "Argos and Exploring Ancient World Cultures," two sessions, The 1999 Indiana Classics Conference, DePauw University, April 1999.

Invited Speaker, "The Fourth Tetralogy: An Online Exploration of Plato's Middle Dialogues" and "Philosophy on the Internet," the prototype for the Noesis search engine, The 13th Annual Computing and Philosophy Conference, 20th World Congress of Philosophy, Boston, August 1998.

Invited Speaker, "Argos and Exploring Ancient World Cultures: How a Limited Area Search Engine Can Supplement Course-based Internet Resources," Technology Enhancement of Teaching and Learning: Asynchronous Delivery from Course Development to Learner Support, Purdue University, October 1997.

Commentator, The Midwest Seminar in the History of Modern Philosophy, University of Chicago, 1992, and Washington University, 1993.

Invited Speaker, "The Source of the Moral 'Ought' and Implications for Health-Care Ethics," University of Texas at Austin, 1991.

Invited Speaker, "An Argument for Belief in Spinoza's Ethics," Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, 1990.

Invited Speaker, "Introducing Levinas to Undergraduate Philosophers," University of Texas at Austin, 1990.

Invited Speaker, "Descartes Beyond Transcendental Phenomenology: Preliminary Comments on Heidegger's Critique of the Cartesian Project," University of Texas at Austin, 1990.

Courses

For additional information, see my page dedicated to teaching at http://faculty.evansville.edu/tb2/teaching.htm.

Introduction to Cognitive Science, Introduction to Philosophy, Symbolic Logic, Ancient Greek Philosophy, Modern European Philosophy, Ethical Theory, Applied Ethics, Kantian Ethics, Kant's Critical Philosophy, 19th and 20th Century Continental Philosophy, Phenomenology, Existentialism, Plato's Psychological Dialogues (Symposium, Phaedrus, Republic & Phaedo), Plato's Republic, Plato's Later Dialogues (Parmenides, Theatetus, Sophist & Statesman), Plato and Nietzsche, Heidegger's Being and Time (graduate), Heidegger's Nietzsche, Kierkegaard's Stages of Life's Way, Kant and the Problem of Ethical Metaphysics (Kant and Levinas), Philosophy and the Judeo-Christian Tradition, Philosophy of Religion, Philosophical Anthropology, Philosophical Psychology, Philosophical Foundations of Neuroscience, Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence, Computation and Cognition, Artificial Intelligence and Human Cognition, Philosophy of Cognitive Science, Philosophy of Technology, Philosophy of Information Technology

Total funding awarded to date: $209,650. Details follow:

InPhO @ Work: Providing Integrated Access to Philosophy, National Endowment for the Humanities (C. Allen, PI); Subcontract to the University of Evansville, 2009-2011, $35,000.

Noesis: Philosophical Research Online, Digital Humanities Fellowship, National Endowment for the Humanities, 2008-2009, $75,400.

Travel Grant for Noesis: Philosophical Research Online, Alumni Research and Scholarly Activity Fellowship, University of Evansville, 2008, $750.

Library Development Grant for Resources in the Cognitive and Neural Sciences, Wheeler Fund, University of Evansville, 2007, $1,250.

Travel Grant for Noesis: Philosophical Research Online, Alumni Research and Scholarly Activity Fellowship, University of Evansville, 2007, $750.

Library Development Grant for Resources in Cognitive Science, Wheeler Fund, University of Evansville, 2004, $1,400.

Internet Technology Research and Development Grant, Office of the President, University of Evansville, 1999-2001, $42,900.

Software Development Grant, The Experiential and Collaborative Environment for Learning, University of Evansville, 1998, $7,500.

Software Development Grant, The Experiential and Collaborative Environment for Learning, University of Evansville, 1997, $2,500.

Internet Technology Research and Development Grant, Office of the President, University of Evansville, 1996-1998, $42,200.

Co-Chair, with Mark Bishop, The 2012 AISB/IACAP World Congress, A Joint Venture of the Society for the Study of Artificial Intelligence and Human Behavior and the International Association for Computing and Philosophy, England, July, 2012.

Member, Programme Committee, Computability in Europe, CiE 2011, Models of Computation in Context, Sofia, Bulgaria, June, 2011.

Member, Planning Committee, Workshop on Ethical Guidance for Research and Application of Pervasive and Autonomous Information Technology, Poynter Center for the Study of Ethics and American Institutions and the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics, Cincinnati, Ohio, March 3rd - 4th, 2010.

Member, Organizing and Program Committee, "Complex Adaptive Systems and the Threshold Effect: Views from the Natural and Social Sciences," Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence Fall Symposium Series, Arlington, Virginia, November 5th - 7th, 2009.

Member, Turing Centenary Advisory Committee, The Alan Turing Year: A Centenary Celebration of the Life and Work of Alan Turing (ATY), 2009-2012.

Editor of a special issue of Ethics and Information Technology, "Robot Ethics and Human Ethics," 2009-2010.

Book Manuscript Reviewer/Referee, Cambridge University Press (2009); MIT Press (2009).

Referee, The Journal of Business Ethics, 2009; Ethics and Information Technology, 2009; The Journal of Computing and Cultural Heritage, 2009.

Invited Participant, "Workshop on Ethics in Science and Engineering: Redefining Tools & Resources," sponsored by the National Center for Digital Government; the Science, Technology and Society Initiative; the University Libraries of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst; and the National Science Foundation, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, October, 23rd, 2009.

Invited Participant, "Workshop on Mapping the History and Philosophy of Science," sponsored by the National Science Foundation and the James S. McDonnell Foundation, Indiana University, June 17th - 18th, 2009.

Member, Poster Prize Committee, The Society for Philosophy and Psychology, June, 2009.

Area Editor, Philosophy of Computing and Information, PhilPapers, edited by David Chalmers and David Bourget, since 2009.

Grant Reviewer and Panelist, The Digital Humanities Start-Up Grant Program, National Endowment for the Humanities, Washington, D.C., June 2nd, 2009.

Executive Director, International Association for Computing and Philosophy (IACAP), 2001-2004 & 2008-2013.

Program Chair, Annual North American Meeting of the International Association for Computing and Philosophy, "Networks and Their Philosophical Implications," Indiana University (NA-CAP@IU), 2008-2009.

Member, Website Services Committee, Consortium on Cognitive Science Instruction (CCSI), 2008-2012.

Invited Participant, "Promoting Digital Scholarship: Formulating Research Challenges in the Humanities, Social Sciences and Computation," Council on Library and Information Resources and the National Endowment for the Humanities, Washington, D.C., September 15th, 2008.

Co-editor (with Colin Allen) of a special issue of Synthese: An International Journal for Epistemology, Methodology and Philosophy of Science, "Representing Philosophy," 2007-2009.

Program Chair, Annual North American Meeting of the International Association for Computing and Philosophy, "The Limits of Computation," Indiana University (NA-CAP@IU), 2007-2008.

Researcher, InPhO: The Indiana Philosophy Ontology Project, Cognitive Science Program, Indiana University, since 2007.

Program Chair, Annual North American Meeting of the International Association for Computing and Philosophy, "Free and Open Source Software and Open Access Publication," Loyola University (NA-CAP@Loyola), 2006-2007.

Book Proposal Reviewer, Cambridge University Press (2008); Columbia University Press (2006); Routledge (2006 & 2008); Polity Press (2008).

Member, Steering Committee, North American Division of the International Association for Computing and Philosophy, 2004-2008.

Program Chair, The 16th Annual Computing and Philosophy Conference at Carnegie Mellon University (CAP@CMU), August 2001.

Member, The American Philosophical Association Committee on Philosophy and Computers, 2000-2003.

Philosophy Editor, Student Advantage Research, 1999-2000.

Author, Miscellaneous Encyclopedia Articles (on classical themes and for various projects), 1998-2003.

Editor, Noesis: Philosophical Research Online, since 1998.

Grant Reviewer, Curriculum Development Grant Program, Seton Hall University, 1997.

Grant Reviewer, The National Endowment for the Humanities, 1997.

Editor, Argos: Limited Area Search of the Ancient and Medieval Internet, 1996-2000.

Referee and Program Planner, The Midwest Seminar in the History of Modern Philosophy, University of Chicago, 1991, and Washington University (St. Louis), 1993.

Referee, The Journal of the History of Philosophy, 1990, 1992 & 1993.

Service to the
University

Member, Planning Committee, The Math, Engineering and Science Undergraduate Conference (MESCON), The University of Evansville, 2009-2010.

Chair, Cognitive Science Curriculum Review and Revision Committee, 2007-2008.

Co-chair (with Lora Becker), Cognitive and Neural Science Consortium (CNS), since 2007.

Member, Ad Hoc Code of Conduct Ethics Committee, 2007.

Member, Ad Hoc University Religious Identity Committee, 2006-2007.

Robotics Minor Representative, Engineering Minor Curriculum Development Committee, College of Engineering and Computer Science, 2006.

Member, Neuroscience Curriculum Review and Revision Committee, Department of Psychology, 2006.

Co-chair (with Lora Becker),  Crick Lecture Series in the Cognitive and Neural Sciences, since 2005.

Member, Cognitive Psychology Hiring Committee, Department of Psychology, 2004-2005.

Director of Cognitive Science, University of Evansville, since 2004.

Member, Ad Hoc Committee to Investigate Data Loss in the University Computer Network, 2004.

Member, Datatel Investigation Committee, 2004.

Member, Academic Technology Assessment Committee, 2003-2004. (Chair, Diagnostics and Assessment Subcommittee, 2003).

Chair, Cognitive Science Curriculum Development Committee, 2002-2004.

Associate Director and Academic Advisor, The Interdisciplinary Program in Internet Technology, College of Engineering and Computer Science, 2001-2002.

Member, Internet Technology Curriculum Development Committee, College of Engineering and Computer Science, 2000-2001.

Director, The Internet Applications Laboratory, University of Evansville, 1998-2002.

Chair, Discussion 300 Curriculum Development Committee, 1994-1995.

Faculty Advisor, Mortar Board National College Senior Honor Society: University of Evansville Chapter, 1993-1994.

Mentor, Undeclared Freshmen Program, 1993-1994.

Member, World Cultures Revision Committee, 1992-1997.

Member, University Curriculum Committee, 1992-1996.

Presenter, "The Philosophical Implications of Signal Transduction," Cognitive and Neural Science Research Group, University of Evansville, September, 30th, 2009. Based on original research into Dynamic Associative Networks (DANs) conducted in the Digital Humanities Laboratory.

"Is Noesis Noetic and Why Does this Matter?" Cognitive and Neural Science Research Group, University of Evansville, 2008. (View Slides)

"Some Cognitive Functions of Elementary Artificial Networks," Cognitive and Neural Science Research Group, University of Evansville, 2008. (View Slides)

"Emergence, Interactivity and the Game of Life: An Argument against Intelligent Design," Physics Club Lecture, University of Evansville, 2005.

"Pedagogy and Situated Cognition: Technique and Technology in the Evolution of Intelligence," Andiron Lecture, University of Evansville, 2005.

"Edison, Bell and the Future of Educational Technology," Wednesday Mornings at the University of Evansville, 2005.

"Personal Identity and Community in the Age of Information," Andiron Lecture, University of Evansville, 2002.

"The University of Evansville's Program in Internet Technology," Board of Trustees, University of Evansville, 2001. Also presented to the Washington D.C. Area Alumni Association of the University of Evansville, Washington D.C., 2001.

"A Progress Report on Research from the Internet Applications Laboratory," Evansville Chamber of Commerce Meeting at the University of Evansville, 2001.

"Exploring Ancient World Cultures on the World Wide Web," World Culture Faculty, Fall Faculty Conference, University of Evansville, 1995, 1996, 1997 & 1999.

"Ancient Near-Eastern Literature and the Deconstruction of Civility," World Cultures Faculty, University of Evansville, 1995.

"The Internet as a New Instructional Technology," Board of Trustees, University of Evansville, 1995.

"The Origins of Science in Ancient Greece," World Cultures Faculty, University of Evansville, 1994.

"Emmanuel Levinas and the Prophetic Voice of Postmodernity," Andiron Lecture, University of Evansville, 1993.

Some
Publicity

Peter Suber, "Noesis: Is It a Library with Built-in Searching or a Search Engine with a Built-in Library?" Syllabus Magazine, March 2002.

Bill Uzgalis, "Searching Phenomenology and Cyberspace: An Interview with Anthony Beavers," Newsletter on Philosophy and Computers, American Philosophical Association, Volume 00.1 (2000).

James Prichard, "In Search Of: University Offers Dedicated Philosophy Search Engine," Associated Press, March 21st, 2000.

Thomas Stone, "philosophy@the.internet" (on the Noesis search engine), The Philosophers' Magazine (Britain), Winter, 1999.

Matt Richtel, "Where to Check That Plato Quotation," New York Times, March 5th, 1998.

Interview on using the Internet to teach Plato for "The Best of Our Knowledge," produced at WAMC in Albany, New York, syndicated on National Public Radio, aired May 6th, 1998.

Lisa Guernsey, "Plato Pages Introduce Students to Dialogues," The Chronicle of Higher Education, January 30th, 1998.

Richard Poynder, "Modern Tools for Ancient Historians," Information World Review (Britain), January, 1997.

"The Changing Face of Searching: Context-Sensitive Search Engines Like Argos are Providing a Solutions Focus to the Internet," Dataquest: The Business of Infotech (India), December, 1996.

"Argos: A Peer-reviewed Limited Area Search Engine for the Web," SDSCwire: Newsletter of the San Diego Supercomputer Center, October 30th, 1996.

Jeffrey Young, "Professor Develops 'Peer-Reviewed Search Engine'," Chronicle of Higher Education: Academe Today, October 10th, 1996. Also in Campus Review (Australia), October, 1996.

Professional Memberships

The Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence

The Association for Practical and Professional Ethics

The British Society for the History of Philosophy

The Cognitive Science Society

Friends of the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (SEP) Society

The International Association for Computing and Philosophy

The Society for Philosophy and Psychology

Honor Societies

Phi Sigma Tau (The International Honor Society for Philosophy)

Phi Kappa Phi

Colin Allen, Ph.D. (colallen@indiana.edu), Professor, Department of History and Philosophy of Science, Program in Cognitive Science, and Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior, Indiana University.

Luciano Floridi, Ph.D. (luciano.floridi@philosophy.ox.ac.uk), Research Chair in the Philosophy of Information, Department of Philosophy, University of Hertfordshire, and Senior Member, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Oxford.

Peter Suber, Ph.D., J.D. (peters@earlham.edu), Research Professor of Philosophy, Earlham College, and Visiting Fellow, The Information Society Project, Yale Law School.