Education

Ph.D. in philosophy, The State University of New York at Buffalo, June 1, 1996. Presidential Fellowship.

Dissertation: “Harmonizing Hermeneutics: The Normative and Descriptive Approaches, Interpretation and Criticism,” Buffalo, 1996, 226 pp. Awarded the Perry Prize for Outstanding Dissertations in Philosophy.

Dissertation Committee: Jorge J.E. Gracia (director), E.D. Hirsch, Jr. (outside reader), Kah Kyung Cho, and James Lawler.

B.A. in philosophy, Summa Cum Laude, ΦΒΚ (Phi Beta Kappa) Fordham University, 1992. Full Presidential Scholarship.

Attended Regis High School in Manhattan on full scholarship and graduated May 1988.

Current Areas of Interest and Research

Areas of Specialization: Aesthetics (especially philosophy of literature), Existentialism, and Hermeneutics.

Areas of Competence: Eastern Philosophy and Political Philosophy.

Academic Positions

Herve A. LeBlanc Distinguished Service Professor, named in 2015.

Chair of Philosophy, King’s College Wilkes-Barre, PA (2013-2020).

Professor of Philosophy, King’s College Wilkes-Barre, PA (2008-present).

Honors Program Director 2007-2012.

Associate Professor of Philosophy, King’s College Wilkes-Barre, PA (2002-2008).

Assistant Professor of Philosophy, King’s College Wilkes-Barre, PA (1996–2002).

Teaching Fellow, The State University of New York at Buffalo, (1993–1996).

Research assistant to Jorge J.E. Gracia Fall 1992.

Publications: Scholarly Books Authored

1. The Free Market Existentialist: Capitalism without Consumerism (Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, 2015).

Reviewed by William Bülow for Ethical Theory and Moral Practice. Reviewed by David S. D’Amato for Bleeding Heart Libertarians. Subject of an Author Meets Critics session at a meeting of the American Philosophical Association. Focus of a Learn Liberty Seminar sponsored by the Institute for Humane Studies.

2. Intentionalist Interpretation: A Philosophical Explanation and Defense (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, December 1999). Nominated for the American Philosophical Association Young Scholar’s Book Prize.

Publications: General Audience Books Authored

1. The Meaning of Metallica: Ride the Lyrics (Toronto: ECW, 2022).

2. God Is a Question, Not an Answer: Finding Common Ground in Our Uncertainty (Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2019).

Publications: Textbooks

1. Critical Thinking: A Student’s Introduction (with G. Bassham, H. Nardone, and J. Wallace), (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2001; 2^nd Edition 2005; 3^rd Edition 2008; 4^th Edition 2011; 5^th Edition 2013; 6^th Edition 2019; 7^th Edition 2023).

2. Introducing Philosophy through Pop Culture: From Socrates to South Park, Hume to House (edited with David Kyle Johnson) (Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing, 2010; 2^nd Edition 2022).

Publications: Poetry

1. Always Dao (Shanti Arts Publishing, 2021).

2. Both/And (Wisdom/Work, 2021).

Publications: Novels

1. Little Siddhartha: A Sequel (Shanti Arts Publishing, 2018).

2. Free Dakota (Roundfire Books, 2016).

Publications: Scholarly Books Edited

1. The Death and Resurrection of the Author? (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2002).

2. Philosophy and the Interpretation of Pop Culture (co-edited with Jorge J.E. Gracia) (Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2007).

3. The Philosophical Legacy of Jorge J.E. Gracia (co-edited with Robert Delfino and Jonathan J. Sanford) (Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2022).

Publications: General Audience Books Edited

1. Black Sabbath and Philosophy: Mastering Reality (Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell, 2013).

2. Superheroes: The Best of Philosophy and Pop Culture (Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2011).

3. Metallica and Philosophy: A Crash Course in Brain Surgery (Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing, 2007). Translated into French, German, Hungarian, Italian, and Portuguese.

4. More Matrix and Philosophy: Revolutions and Reloaded Decoded (Chicago: Open Court, 2005).

5. The Matrix and Philosophy: Welcome to the Desert of the Real (Chicago: Open Court, 2002). New York Times bestseller. Translated into Japanese, Portuguese, Hungarian, Italian, Russian, Hebrew, and Turkish.

6. The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D’oh! of Homer (with M. Conard and A. Skoble) (Chicago: Open Court, 2001). #2 on Amazon.com’s list of Best Philosophy Books of 2001. New York Times backlist bestseller. Translated into Italian, Japanese, Korean, Turkish, German, Russian, Hebrew, and Portuguese.

7. Seinfeld and Philosophy: A Book about Everything and Nothing (Chicago: Open Court, 2000). Translated into Turkish, Hebrew, Serbo-Croatian, and Portuguese.

Publications: Scholarly Articles in Refereed Journals

1. “A Distinction between the Concepts of Humility and Modesty,” Reason Papers 41 (2020): 60-75.

2. “Despairing Macbeth: A Speech out of Place,” Philosophy and Literature 43 (2019): 1-10.

3. “The Sartrean Death of Salesman: Bad Faith and the Look in the Loman Family,” Clio 46 (2017): 395-411.

4. “Psychological Egoism and Self-Interest,” Reason Papers 39 (2017): 69-89.

5. “All Characters Are One in Siddhartha,” South Asian Review 37 (2016): 71-80.

6. “Minimal State Taoism,” Reason Papers 38 (2016): 65-74.

7. “Authorial Declaration and Extreme Actual Intentionalism: Is Dumbledore Gay?” The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism 73 (2015): 141-147.

8. “Death by Inauthenticity: Heidegger’s Debt to Ivan Il’ich’s Fall,” Tolstoy Studies Journal 25 (2013): 15-21.

9. “Unbearable Godot: How an Existentialist Can Make Meaning and Find Happiness in Repetition,” Philosophy Today 56 (2012): 84-89.

10. “Art and the Category of Being Aesthetic: A Neo-Wittgensteinian Account,” The Journal of Value Inquiry 45 (2011): 59-66.

11. (with Brian Williams) “An Ethical Defense of Global Warming Skepticism,” Reason Papers 32 (2010): 7-27.

12. “Reading Audio Books,” Philosophy and Literature 33 (2009): 358-368.

13. “Prufrock’s Question and Roquentin’s Answer,” Philosophy and Literature 33 (2009): 184-192.

14. “Against Intertextuality,” Philosophy and Literature 28 (2004): 227-242.

*Nominated for the 2005 American Philosophical Association Article Prize.

15. (with Gregory Bassham) “Depression, Informal Fallacies, and Cognitive Therapy: The Critical Thinking Cure?” Inquiry 21 (2003): 15-21.

16. “The Aesthetics of Allusion,” The Journal of Value Inquiry 36 (2002): 521-532.

17. “What Is an Allusion?” The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism 59 (2001): 287-297.

18. “Philosophy and the History of Philosophy: On the Advantage of Nietzsche,” American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly 75 (2001): 25-43.

19. “A Critique of Hermeneutic Truth as Disclosure,” International Studies in Philosophy 33 (2001): 63-75.

20. “An Author Construct There Must Be,” Diálogos 74 (1999): 169-177.

21. “Intention and Foresight in the British Law of Murder,” Sorites 9 (1998): 6–15.

22. “Plato’s Two Immortalities,” Contemporary Philosophy 20 (1998): 3–8.

23. “Sartre on the Emotions: A New Evaluation,” Dialogue (PST) 38 (1995): 1–7.

24. “Sartre, Freedom, and the Gambler,” Contemporary Philosophy 16 (1994): 9–13.

Publications: Scholarly Articles in Edited Collections

1. “Public Philosophy and Popular Culture,” in Lee McIntyre, Nancy McHugh, and Ian Olasov eds., A Companion to Public Philosophy (Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Blackwell, 2022), 240-248.

2. “Taking Pierre Menard Seriously: Gracia’s Gift of Borges,” in Delfino, Irwin, and Sanford eds., The Philosophical Legacy of Jorge J.E. Gracia (Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2022), pp. 209-216.

3a. “Philosophy as/and/ of Popular Culture” in Irwin and Gracia eds. Philosophy and the Interpretation of Popular Culture (Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2006), pp. 41-63.

3b. “The Pop Culture Manifesto,” Philosophy Now 64 (2007): 11-13. (N.B. This is an abridged version of “Philosophy as/and/ of Popular Culture.”)

3c. Translated into Danish as "Filosofi som/og/om populærkultur" Slagmark 58 (2010): 35-54.

4. “Philosophy and the Philosophical, Literature and the Literary, Borges and the Labyrinthine,” in Gracia, Korsmeyer, and Gasché eds. Literary Philosophers: Borges, Calvino, Eco (New York: Routledge, 2002), pp. 27-45.

5. “Intentionalism and Author Constructs,” in Irwin ed., The Death and Resurrection of the Author? (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2002), pp. 191-203.

Publications: Pedagogical Articles

1. “Philosophical Literacy: Are There Things Every Philosopher Needs to Know?” American Philosophical Association Newsletters 98 (1998): 128–130.

2. “Existential Jeopardy: Reviews and Responsibility,” Journal for the Development of Philosophy Teaching 8 (1998): 8–11.

3. “A Modest Proposal to Students,” The Teaching Professor 13 (1999): 8.

Publications: Discussion Notes

1. “When Did Ivan Il’ich Die?” Tolstoy Studies Journal 24 (2012): 72-74.

2. (with David Kyle Johnson) “What Would Dutton Say About the Paradox of Fiction?” Philosophy and Literature 38 (2014): 144-147.

Publications: Essays

1. “The Invulnerability Pill,” Civil American vol. 3 2018

2. “A Reality Check to Form Your Philosophy,” Think 15 (2015): 97-104.

3. “Writing for the Reader: A Defense of Philosophy and Popular Culture Books,” Essays in Philosophy 15 (2014): 77-85.

4. “Control Your Thoughts and Emotions,” Journal of Modern Wisdom 2 (2013): 62-71.

5. “Liberation through Compassion and Kindness: The Buddhist Eightfold Path as a Philosophy of Life,” Journal of Philosophy of Life 3 (2013): 68-82.

6. “The Current of the Universe: Acceptance and Being Here Now,” Journal of Philosophy of Life 2 (2012): 111-118.

Publications: General Audience Articles

1. “Parenting with Siddhartha,” The Philosophers’ Magazine 89 (2020), 20-24.

2. “Saturday Night Live and the Political Bubble,” in Ruth Tallman and Jason Southworth eds., Saturday Night Live and Philosophy (Hoboken: Wiley-Blackwell, 2020), 53-61.

3. (with J.R. Lombardo) “John Belushi, Chris Farley, and Stuart Smalley: Addiction and Recovery on Saturday Night Live,” in Ruth Tallman and Jason Southworth eds., Saturday Night Live and Philosophy (Hoboken: Wiley-Blackwell, 2020), 87-97.

4.“Getting Past the Velvet Ropes: Status Anxiety in Neptune,” in George Dunn ed. Veronica Mars and Philosophy (Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell, 2014), 7-18.

5. “Fight Club, Self-definition, and the Fragility of Authenticity,” Revista Portuguesa de Filosofia 69 (2013): 673-684.

6. “Beyond Good and Evil: Facing your Demons with Black Sabbath and Existentialism,” in Black Sabbath and Philosophy: Mastering Reality (Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell, 2012), 3-11.

7. “Metallica,” in Jacqueline Edmonson ed., Music in American Life: An Encyclopedia of the Songs, Styles, Stars, and Stories that Shaped Our Culture (Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2013), 706-708.

8. “Fancy Taking a Pop?: A Defense of ‘and Philosophy,’” The Philosophers’ Magazine 49 (2010), 48-54.

9. “This Search Goes On: Christian, Warrior, Buddhist,” in Metallica and Philosophy: A Crash Course in Brain Surgery (Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing, 2007), 16-28.

10. “Cracks in The Da Vinci Code,” The Philosophers’ Magazine 33 (2006), 48-49.

11. “Nietzsche and the Art of Eating: A Sound Mind in an Atkins Body,” in Heldke, Mommer, and Pineo eds., The Atkins Diet and Philosophy (Chicago: Open Court, 2005), 18-27.

12. “The Matrix of Control: Why The Matrix Still Has Us,” in Irwin ed., More Matrix and Philosophy: Revolutions and Reloaded Decoded (Chicago: Open Court, 2005), 12-25.

13. (with Jorge J.E. Gracia) “Race Matters in The Matrix: Is Morpheus Black? Is Race Real?” in Irwin ed., More Matrix and Philosophy: Revolutions and Reloaded Decoded (Chicago: Open Court, 2005), 177-184.

14a. “Gibson’s Sublime Passion: In Defense of the Violence,” in Gracia ed., Mel Gibson’s Passion and Philosophy: The Cross, the Questions, the Controversy (Chicago: Open Court, 2004), 51-61.

14b. reprinted in Michael Petracca and Madeleine Sorapure eds., Common Culture Fifth Edition (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2007), 612-621.

15. “Pilate’s Question: What Is Truth?” in Gracia ed., Mel Gibson’s Passion and Philosophy: The Cross, the Questions, the Controversy (Chicago: Open Court, 2004), 127-136.

16. “Condensed Philosophy,” in Pearson, Hattikudur, and Hunt eds., Condensed Knowledge (New York: HarperCollins, 2004), 217-238.

17. “Computers, Caves, and Oracles: Neo and Socrates,” in Irwin ed., The Matrix and Philosophy: Welcome to the Desert of the Real (Chicago: Open Court, 2002), 5-15.

18. (with J.R. Lombardo) “The Simpsons and Allusion: Worst Essay Ever,” in Irwin, Conard, and Skoble eds., The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D’oh! of Homer (Chicago: Open Court, 2001), 81-92.

19. “Jerry and Socrates: The Examined Life?” in Irwin ed., Seinfeld and Philosophy: A Book about Everything and Nothing (Chicago: Open Court, 2000), 3-14.

20. “Kramer and Kierkegaard: Stages on Life’s Way,” in Irwin ed., Seinfeld and Philosophy: A Book about Everything and Nothing (Chicago: Open Court, 2000), 38-58.

Publications: Book Reviews

1. “Reply to Walker and White,” Reason Papers 40 (2018): 64-66.

2. Review of David Sloan Wilson’s Does Altruism Exist?: Culture, Genes, and the Welfare of Others, Philosophy Now 112 (Feb/Mar 2016): 46-47.

3. Review of Kalle Puolakka’s Relativism and Intentionalism in Interpretation, The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism 71 (2013): 302-303.

4. Review of William Elford Rogers’s Interpreting Interpretation, International Studies in Philosophy, 32 (2000): 143-144.

5. Review of Peter Berkowitz’s Nietzsche: The Ethics of an Immoralist, The Journal of Value Inquiry 32 (1998): 575–577.

6. Review of Jorge J.E. Gracia’s A Theory of Textuality: The Logic and Epistemology, Sorites 3 (1995): 64–68.

7. Review of Ray Perkins’s Logic and Mr. Limbaugh, Contemporary Philosophy 18 (1996): 26.

8. Review of Theodore Schick, Jr. and Lewis Vaughn’s How to Think about Weird Things: Critical Thinking for a New Age, Teaching Philosophy 20 (1997): 325–326.

9. Introduction to the book Discussion of Jorge J.E. Gracia’s How Can We Know What God Means?: The Interpretation of Revelation, American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly 78 (2004): 481.

Publications: Newspaper and Magazine Articles

1. “God Is a Question, Not an Answer” The New York Times Sunday March 27, 2016, SR8.

* reprinted in Peter Catapano and Simon Critchley eds., Modern Ethics in 77 Arguments: A Stone Reader (New York: Norton/Liveright, 2017), pp. 178-181.

2. “How to Live a Lie” The New York Times November 2, 2015.

3. “Black Sabbath and Philosophy” Steppin’ Out Magazine, December 5, 2012.

4. “To Master Reality with Black Sabbath, Let Philosophy be Your Guide” Get Ready to Rock, online.

5. “Metallica is Hard Again,” Electric City/Diamond City November 25, 2008.

6. “Death Magnetic and Metallica’s Redemption,” The Morning Call (Arts and Entertainment section) September 20, 2008.

Published Interviews

1. Interviewed about the spiritual significance of heavy metal in The Spiritual Significance of Music, edited by Justin St. Vincent.

2. Interview by Intentist.com about my book Intenionalist Interpretation.

3. Interview by Intentist.com about painting and popular culture.

4. Interview about the Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series with The Philosopher’s Eye.

5. Black Sabbath and Philosophy, Philosophy Now 94 (January/February 2013), p. 26.

6. Popsophia: Teoria e pratica di un nuovo genere filosofico(2014).

7. Interview about pop culture with The Four Letter Nerd.

8. Interview about pop culture, existentialism, and Free Dakota with Philip Tonner.

9. Interview about author-meets-critics session at the American Philosophical Association for The Free Market Existentialist: Capitalism without Consumerism.

Blogging

Writing the blog “Plato on Pop” for Psychology Today

Writing the blog “It’s Your Choice: The Free Market Existentialist Perspective” for Psychology Today.

Contributing Editor for the AndPhilosophy blog.

For Cato Unbound, “Inner Freedom: Change Yourself, Then Change the World”.

At The Conversation.

“Free Market Fight Club”

Conference Presentations

1. “The Closed Nature of a Poem,” Syracuse University Graduate Philosophy Conference, March 1993.

2a. “Sartre on the Emotions: A New Evaluation” The Tri-State Philosophical Association Fall Meeting Mercyhurst College Erie, Pennsylvania October 23, 1993.

2b. “Sartre on the Emotions: A New Evaluation,” The North American Sartre Society at Denison University in Granville, Ohio May 11, 1996.

3. “The Voluntary and Involuntary Nature of Belief,” The Tri-State Philosophical Association Fall Meeting Mercyhurst College Erie, Pennsylvania October 29, 1994.

4. “Plato’s Two Immortalities,” The Mid-South Philosophy Conference at the University of Memphis February 1995.

5. “Intention and Foresight in Criminal Responsibility,” The Tri-State Philosophical Association Fall Meeting Mercyhurst College Erie, Pennsylvania October 28, 1995.

6a. “Forget About the History of Philosophy: On the Advantage of Nietzsche,” American Catholic Philosophical Association Western New York Regional Conference, Niagara University November 11, 1995.

6b. “Philosophy and the History of Philosophy: On the Advantage of Nietzsche?” Society for Phenomenology and Existential Philosophy, Denver, Colorado October 1998.

7. “Reviving the Author,” The Mid-South Philosophy Conference at the University of Memphis February 23, 1996.

8. “Interpretation and Medical Ethics: Text and Author,” 24th Conference on Value Inquiry D’Youville College Buffalo, New York April 19, 1996.

9. “Philosophical Literacy: Are There Things Every Philosopher Needs to Know?” The Tri-State Philosophical Association Fall Meeting Behrend College Erie, Pennsylvania October 26, 1996.

10. “An Analysis of Gadamer’s Hermeneutics: The Fusion of Horizons, Prejudice, and Tradition,” The Mid-South Philosophy Conference at the University of Memphis February 28, 1997.

11. “Texts Have No Meaning: A Critique of Hirsch in Defense of Humpty Dumpty,” Central Division Meeting of the American Philosophical Association Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania April 25, 1997.

12a. “Truth Without Method: A Critique of Hermeneutic Truth as Disclosure,” Realia Conference Truth: Classical, Modern, Academic, Popular, Estes Park, Colorado August 4, 1997.

12b. “A Critique of Hermeneutic Truth as Disclosure,” Pacific Division Meeting of The American Philosophical Association Los Angeles, California March 27, 1998.

13. “An Author Construct There Must Be,” The Mid-South Philosophy Conference at the University of Memphis February 27, 1998.

14. “What Is an Allusion?” Eastern Division Meeting of the American Society for Aesthetics at Towson University, Baltimore, Maryland, March 20, 1999.

15a. “The Aesthetics of Allusion,” Central Division Meeting of The American Philosophical Association, New Orleans, Louisiana, May 6, 1999.

15b. “The Aesthetics of Allusion,” national meeting of the American Society for Aesthetics, Reno, Nevada, October 27, 2000.

16. “Family Resemblance, Philosophy, and the Philosophical,” The Mid-South Philosophy Conference at the University of Memphis February 25, 2000.

17. “Family Resemblance, Literature, and the Literary,” Eastern Division Meeting of the American Society for Aesthetics at the University of South Carolina March 25, 2000.

18. “Against Intertextuality,” national meeting of the American Society for Aesthetics, Minneapolis, MN October 26, 2001.

19a. “Philosophy as/and/ of Popular Culture,” Philosophy and the Interpretation of Popular Culture Samuel P. Capen Conference Buffalo, NY April 2, 2004.

19b. “Philosophy as/and/ of Popular Culture,” American Catholic Philosophical Association satellite meeting at the American Philosophical Association meeting December 2004.

20a. “Art and the Aesthetic: A Neo-Wittgensteinian Account,” Eastern Pennsylvania Philosophical Association Fall Meeting, September 24, 2004.

20b. “Art and the Aesthetic: A Neo-Wittgensteinian Account,” national meeting of the American Society for Aesthetics, Houston, TX October 28, 2004.

21. “What Is Popular Culture?” Pacific Division Meeting of The American Philosophical Association San Francisco, California March 23, 2005.

22. “‘Truth Matters’ in The Golden Compass,” Oceanic Popular Culture Association Conference Honolulu, Hawaii, May 24, 2008.

23. “Death by Inauthenticity: Heidegger’s Debt to Ivan Ilyich’s Fall,” Eastern Pennsylvania Philosophical Association Meeting, April 20, 2013.

24. “Existential Macbeth: A Soliloquy out of Place,” Eastern Pennsylvania Philosophical Association Meeting, April 5, 2014.

25. “The Evolutionary Case for Moral Anti-realism,” Value Inquiry Conference on Evolution and Foundations of Ethics, Neumann University May 3, 2014.

26. “Free Market Taoism,” International Conference on Asian Studies, University of Scranton March 29, 2015.

27. “Saturday Night Live and the Political Bubble,” Popular Culture and World Politics, Acadia University, Wolfville, Nova Scotia Canada August 11, 2018.

28. “Taking Pierre Menard Seriously: Gracia’s Gift of Borges,” A Collection of Individuals Conference, State University of New York at Buffalo October 18, 2019.

Conference Pedagogical Presentations

1. “Illustrating the Fallacy of Appeal to Authority: A Case Study of Junk Science,” ISETA Annual Conference, New Brunswick, Canada, October 17, 1997.

2. “Weird Things and Parallel Lives: Alternative Texts and Unorthodox Approaches to Critical Thinking and Assessment,” ISETA Annual Conference, Cocoa Beach, Florida October 1998.

3. “Fostering Socratic Dialogue with The List,” ISETL Annual Conference, Cocoa Beach, Florida October 2005.

4. “Teaching Philosophical Writing through Successive Elaboration,” King’s College Faculty Workshop January 13, 2006.

5. (with David Kyle Johnson) “Engaging Primary Texts at the Introductory Level,” King’s College Faculty Workshop January 12, 2007.

Invited Lectures

1. “Philosophical Literacy: Are There Things Every Philosopher Needs to Know?” The Phi Sigma Tau Lecture at King’s College Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania November 11, 1996.

2. “Literature and the Literary,” invited lecture to the philosophy club at The United States Military Academy at West Point, November 16, 1999.

3. Special book session on my Intentionalist Interpretation: A Philosophical Explanation and Defense at the annual meeting of the Canadian Society for Hermeneutics and Postmodern Thought, Edmonton, Alberta May 25, 2000. Response to Panelists who included: Jeff Mitscherling, John Bruin, and Eric Dayton.

4. “Against Intertextuality,” invited lecture to the Philosophy Department at The University of Manitoba, March 16, 2001.

5a. “Cultural Literacy, Pop-Cultural Literacy, and Allusion,” invited lecture to the Honors Colloquium at College Misericordia, March 30, 2001.

5b. “Cultural Literacy, Pop-Cultural Literacy, and Allusion,” invited lecture to the philosophy club at The United States Military Academy at West Point, April 3, 2001.

6. “Popular Culture and Philosophy,” Sienna Heights University, Michigan, April 9, 2002.

7a. “The Matrix and Philosophy,” Manhattan Marymount College May 2003.

7b. “The Matrix and Philosophy,” Temple University May 17, 2003.

8. “Philosophy as/and/ of Popular Culture” Albright College Spring 2004.

8b. “Philosophy as/and/ of Popular Culture” Columbia University Seminar on Innovation in Education January 18, 2005.

9. “The Matrix of Control: Why The Matrix Still Has Us,” Wesleyan University September 16, 2004.

10. Keynote Address: “The Philosophy and Popular Culture Encounter,” Transylvania University, Second Annual Undergraduate Philosophy Conference May 14, 2005.

11. “The Simpsons and Philosophy,” Authors @ Google forum, Google Headquarters Mountainview, California May 7, 2008.

12. Guest Lecture “Philosophy as/and/ of Popular Culture” in course titled “The Simpsons and Philosophy” at UC Berkeley May 8, 2008.

13. “Who Watches the Watchmen,” Regis High School April 3, 2009.

14. “Reading Audio Books,” Phi Sigma Tau at the University of Scranton April 7, 2009.

15. Keynote Address: “Perception and Reception of Popular Culture,” at the Fifth Anniversary Conference of the Philosophy meets Popular Culture Initiative at the University of Southern Denmark November 6, 2009.

16. Keynote Address: “Perception and Reception of Popular Culture,” at the Molloy College Undergraduate Philosophy Conference April 16, 2011.

17. Graduation Address for Philosophy Graduates at The State University of New York at Buffalo May 11, 2012.

18. “Existentialism and Political Philosophy in The Hunger Games” Regis High School May 23, 2012.

19. Keynote Address: “Meaning and Significance: The Question of Intention in Interpreting Pop Culture,” at the annual meeting of the Long Island Philosophical Society May 4, 2013.

20. Keynote Address: “Pop Cultural Literacy,” Popular Culture and Pedagogy Twitter Conference November 11, 2019 http://popularcultureandpedagogy.org/ and https://twitter.com/williamirwin38/status/1193936265844011010

General Audience Presentations

1. “Cultural Literacy, Pop-Cultural Literacy, and Allusion,” invited lecture to the Development Luncheon at King’s College, March 28, 2001.

2. “Things I’ve Done Wrong,” King’s College ΔΕΣ induction ceremony March 12, 2003.

3. “Metallica and Philosophy,” Metalli-bash aboard The Queen Mary in Los Angeles June 23, 2007.

4. “The Simpsons and Philosophy: Popular Culture Goes to College,” Lunch and Learn Series at the Westmoreland Club in Wilkes-Barre, PA October 10, 2007.

5. “Better Living through Buddhism,” Lounge and Learn with the Honors Program at King’s College February 21, 2011.

6. “Sex and Slavery,” King’s College Socratic Society February 25, 2014.

7. “Pop Culture and Philosophy” Cabrini College Philosophy Club April 8, 2016.

Conference Paper Commentaries

1. Commentary on John Mizzoni’s “Moral Realism, Dilemma, Disagreement, and Pluralism,” SUNY Buffalo Graduate Philosophy Conference, April 22, 1995.

2. Commentary on Seon-Wook Kim’s “What is Dialogue for Gadamer?” SUNY Buffalo Graduate Philosophy Conference February 9, 1996.

3. Commentary on Aeon J. Skoble’s “The Relevance of Artists’ Intentions in Interpretation and Criticism,” The Mid-South Philosophy Conference the University of Memphis, Tennessee February 24, 1996.

4. Commentary on Pol Vandevelde’s “Poetry as Subversion of Narrative in Heidegger,” American Catholic Philosophical Association Seventy-Second Annual Meeting, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania March 28, 1998.

5. Response to Critics of The Free Market Existentialist: Capitalism without Consumerism. Author Meets Critics at the Central Division Meeting of the American Philosophical Association in Kansas City, MO March 2, 2017.

Conference Sessions Chaired

1. Moderator of the “Roundtable on Truth and Religion,” Realia Conference Truth: Classical, Modern, Academic, Popular, Estes Park, Colorado August 6, 1997.

2. Session Chair at the conference “Literary Philosophers? Borges, Calvino, Eco” at The Center for Inquiry in Buffalo, NY October 2, 1999.

3. Session Chair for “Insight and Intuition in the History of Philosophy” at the annual meeting of the American Catholic Philosophical Association in Minneapolis, MN November 5, 1999.

4. Session Chair for “Philosophical Perspectives on Christology” at the annual meeting of the American Catholic Philosophical Association in Dallas, TX November 3, 2000.

5. Session Chair for “Author Meets Critics: Paisley Livingston, Art and Intention” at the American Philosophical Association in New York City, December 28, 2006.

6. Session Chair for “Confucian Moral Philosophy in Dialogue with Medical Ethics: East-West Approaches” International Conference on Asian Studies, University of Scranton March 29, 2015.

Editorial Activities

Series Editor, Popular Culture and Philosophy (Open Court Publishing).

Books in the series:

Vol. 1 William Irwin ed. Seinfeld and Philosophy (1999).

Vol. 2 Irwin, Conard, and Skoble eds. The Simpsons and Philosophy (2001).

Vol. 3 William Irwin ed. The Matrix and Philosophy (2002).

Vol. 4 James South ed., Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Philosophy (2003).

Vol. 5 Gregory Bassham and Eric Bronson eds., The Lord of the Rings and Philosophy (2003).

Vol. 6 Eric Bronson ed., Baseball and Philosophy (Winter 2004).

Vol. 7 Richard Greene and Peter Vernezze eds., The Sopranos and Philosophy (Spring 2004).

Vol. 8 Mark Conard and Aeon Skoble eds., Woody Allen and Philosophy (Fall 2004).

Vol. 9 David Baggett and Shawn Klein eds., Harry Potter and Philosophy (Fall 2004).

Vol. 10 Jorge J.E. Gracia ed., Mel Gibson’s Passion and Philosophy (Fall 2004).

Vol. 11 William Irwin ed., More Matrix and Philosophy (Winter 2005).

Vol. 12 Tom Morris and Matt Morris eds., Superheroes and Philosophy (Spring 2005).

Vol. 13 Jason Eberl and Kevin Decker eds., Star Wars and Philosophy (Spring 2005).

Vol. 14 Lisa Heldke, Kerri Mommer, and Cindy Pineo eds., The Atkins Diet and Philosophy (Fall 2005).

Vol. 15 Gregory Bassham and Jerry Walls eds., The Chronicles of Narnia and Philosophy (Fall 2005).

Vol. 16 Derrick Darby and Tommy Shelby eds., Hip-Hop and Philosophy (Fall 2005).

Vol. 17 Peter Venrnezze and Carl Porter eds., Bob Dylan and Philosophy (Winter 2006).

Vol. 18 Gary Hardcastle and George Reisch eds., Monty Python and Philosophy (Spring 2006).

Vol. 19 Carolyn Madia-Gray, Kerri Mommer, and Cynthia Pineo eds., Harley Davidson and Philosophy (Spring 2006).

Vol. 20 Eric Bronson ed., Poker and Philosophy (Spring 2006).

Vol. 21 Mark Wrathall ed., U2 and Philosophy (Spring 2006).

Vol. 22 Greene et al ed., The Undead and Philosophy (Fall 2006).

Vol. 23 Held and South eds., James Bond and Philosophy (Fall 2006).

Vol. 24 Baur and Baur eds., The Beatles and Philosophy (Fall 2006).

Vol. 25 Drumin and Baggett eds., Alfred Hitchcock and Philosophy (Winter 2007).

Series Editor, The Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series

Books in the Series:

Vol. 1 Robert Arp ed., South Park and Philosophy (2006).

Vol. 2 William Irwin ed., Metallica and Philosophy (2007).

Vol. 3 Jeremy Wisnewski ed., Family Guy and Philosophy (2007).

Vol. 4 Jason Holt ed., The Daily Show and Philosophy (2007).

Vol. 5 Sharon Kaye ed., Lost and Philosophy (2007).

Vol. 6 Davis, Weed, and Weed eds., 24 and Philosophy (2007).

Vol. 7 Jeremy Wisnewski ed., The Office and Philosophy (2007).

Vol. 8 Jason T. Eberl ed., Battlestar Galactica and Philosophy (2008).

Vol. 9 Mark White and Robert Arp eds. Batman and Philosophy (2008).

Vol. 10 Henry Jacoby ed., House M.D. and Philosophy (2008).

Vol. 11 Mark White ed., Watchmen and Philosophy (2009).

Vol. 12 Rebecca Housel and J. Jeremy Wisnewski eds., X-Men and Philosophy (2009).

Vol. 13 Richard Brown and Kevin S. Decker eds., Terminator and Philosophy (2009).

Vol. 14 David Kyle Johnson ed., Heroes and Philosophy (2009)

Vol. 14 Rebecca Housel and J. Jeremy Wisnewski eds., Twilight and Philosophy (2009).

Vol. 16 Jason P. Blahuta and Michel S. Beaulieu eds., Final Fantasy and Philosophy (2009).

Vol. 17 Richard Davis ed., Alice in Wonderland and Philosophy (2010).

Vol. 18 Mark White ed., Iron Man and Philosophy (2010).

Vol. 19 George Dunn and Rebecca Housel eds., True Blood and Philosophy (2010).

Vol. 20 Rod Carveth and James South eds., Mad Men and Philosophy (2010).

Vol. 21 J. Jeremy Wisnewski ed., 30 Rock and Philosophy (2010).

Vol. 22 Gregory Bassham ed., The Ultimate Harry Potter and Philosophy (2010).

Vol. 23 Sharon Kaye ed., The Ultimate Lost and Philosophy (2010).

Vol. 24 Jane Dryden and Mark White eds., Green Lantern and Philosophy (2011).

Vol. 25 David Kyle Johnson ed., Inception and Philosophy (2011).

Vol. 26 Eric Bronson ed., The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Philosophy (2011).

Vol. 27 Kristopher Phillips and J. Jeremy Wisnewski eds., Arrested Development and Philosophy (2012).

Vol. 28 George Dunn and Nicolas Michaud, ed., The Hunger Games and Philosophy (2012).

Vol. 29 Mark White ed., The Avengers and Philosophy (2012).

Vol. 30 Henry Jacoby ed., Game of Thrones and Philosophy (2012).

Vol. 31 Dean Kowalski ed., The Big Bang Theory and Philosophy (2012).

Vol. 32 Peter Fosl ed., The Big Lebowski and Philosophy (2012).

Vol. 33 J.J. Sanford ed., Spider-Man and Philosophy (2012).

Vol. 34 Gregory Bassham and Eric Bronson eds., The Hobbit and Philosophy (2012).

Vol. 35 William Irwin ed., Black Sabbath and Philosophy (2012)

Vol. 36 Mark White ed., Superman and Philosophy (2013).

Vol. 37 Kevin Decker ed., Ender’s Game and Philosophy (2013).

Vol. 38 George Dunn and Jason Eberl eds., Sons of Anarchy and Philosophy (2013).

Vol. 39 Galen A. Foresman ed., Supernatural and Philosophy (2013).

Vol. 40 Robert Arp and Kevin Decker eds., The Ultimate South Park and Philosophy (2013).

Vol. 41 Jason Holt ed., The Ultimate Daily Show and Philosophy (2013).

Vol. 42 George Dunn ed., Veronica Mars and Philosophy (2014).

Vol. 43 Christopher Robichaud ed., Dungeons and Dragons and Philosophy (2014).

Vol. 44 George Dunn ed., Avatar and Philosophy (2014).

Vol. 45 Luke Cuddy ed., BioShock and Philosophy (2015).

Vol. 46 Kevin Decker and Jason Eberl eds., The Ultimate Star Wars and Philosophy (2015).

Vol. 47 J. Edward Hackett ed., House of Cards and Philosophy (2015).

Vol. 48 Kevin Decker and Jason Eberl eds., The Ultimate Star Trek and Philosophy (2016).

Vol. 49 Jacob Held ed., Wonder Woman and Philosophy (2017).

Vol. 50 Kevin Decker and Jeff Ewing eds., Alien and Philosophy (2017).

Vol. 51 Sondra Bacharach and Roy T. Cook eds., Lego and Philosophy (2017).

Vol. 52 Jacob Graham and Tom Sparrow eds., True Detective and Philosophy (2017).

Vol. 53 Mark D. White ed., Doctor Strange and Philosophy (2018).

Vol. 54 Kimberly S. Engels and James B. South eds., Westworld and Philosophy (2018).

Vol. 55 Richard Davis ed., Disney and Philosophy (2019).

Vol. 56 David Kyle Johnson ed., Black Mirror and Philosophy (2019).

Vol. 57 Ruth Tallman and Jason Southworth eds., Saturday Night Live and Philosophy (2020).

Vol. 58 Kimberly S. Engels ed., The Good Place and Philosophy (2021).

Vol. 59 Jeffery Nicholas ed., The Expanse and Philosophy (2021).

Vol. 60 Edwardo Pérez and Timothy E. Brown eds., Black Panther and Philosophy (2022).

Vol. 61 Kevin Decker ed., Dune and Philosophy (2022).

Vol. 62 Helen De Cruz and Johan De Smedt eds., Avatar: The Last Airbender and Philosophy (2023).

Vol. 63 Jason Eberl and Kevin Decker eds., Star Wars and Philosophy Strikes Back (2023).

Vol. 64 Dean Kowalski ed., Indiana Jones and Philosophy (forthcoming, 2023).

Vol. 65 David Baggett and Marybeth Baggett eds., Ted Lasso and Philosophy (forthcoming,2023).

Vol. 66 David Koepsell and Matthew Meyer eds., Mad Max and Philosophy (forthcoming,2023).

Vol. 67 Matthew Brake and Kevin Decker eds., The Witcher and Philosophy (forthcoming,2024).

Review Activities

Editorial Board Member of Reason Papers.

Editorial Board Member of Civil American.

Editorial Board Member of Popular Inquiry.

Referee for The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism.

Referee for British Journal of Aesthetics.

Referee for Metaphilosophy.

Referee for The Journal of Value Inquiry.

Referee for Mind & Language.

Referee for The Journal of Philosophic Research.

Referee for Dialogue: Canadian Philosophical Review.

Referee for Journal of Ethics and Social Philosophy.

Referee for the Journal of Religion and Popular Culture.

Referee for Mosaic: A Journal for the Interdisciplinary Study of Literature.

Referee for The Journal of Music and Meaning.

Referee for Aesthetic Investigations.

Referee for Yale University Press.

Referee for Wiley-Blackwell Publishing.

Referee for State University of New York Press.

Referee for University Press of Kentucky.

Referee for Bloomsbury Publishing.

Referee for Polity Press.

Referee for Palgrave Macmillan.

Referee for Rowman & Littlefield International.

External reviewer for various tenure, senior promotion, and departmental evaluations.

Awards, Honors, and Grants

Outstanding Philosophy Alumnus Award from the State University of New York at Buffalo, May 2012 (first ever recipient).

Recipient of a McGowan Ethics Center grant for “An Ethical Defense of Global Warming Skepticism” 2010.

Recipient of the King’s College CELT Grant for Innovation in Teaching Spring 2004. Project: “Teaching Philosophical Writing through Successive Elaboration.”

Intentionalist Interpretation was the subject of a special book session at the 2000 annual meeting of the Canadian Society for Hermeneutics and Postmodern Thought.

Recipient of a King’s College Summer Research Grant for 1998.

Selected as one of three funded graduate student participants in the Monist conference “The Influence of Derrida and European Philosophy on the American Academy” February 11–13, 1993 Racine, Wisconsin.

Hughes Award for the outstanding student of philosophy in the graduating class of 1992 at Fordham University.

One of six junior class members of Fordham University elected to ΦΒΚ (Phi Beta Kappa) June 1991.

Outstanding Russian Language Student Award at Fordham University, October 1991.

Elected to Phi Sigma Tau, The International Honor Society in Philosophy, May 1991.

Courses Taught and/or Designed

Aesthetics

Eastern Philosophy

Existentialism and Phenomenology

Modern and Contemporary Philosophy

Metaphysics

Political Philosophy

Senior Seminar: Group Thesis Supervision

Introduction to Philosophy

Honors Introduction to Philosophy

Introduction to Philosophical Ethics

Critical Thinking

Social and Ethical Values in Medicine

Ethics for Physician Assistants

Hermeneutics in the Twentieth Century (independent study)

Ethical Issues in Cloning (independent study)

Feminist Philosophy (independent study)

Various Senior Theses Directed

College and Department Service

Philosophy Department Chair 2013-2020.

Academic and Professional Affairs Committee 2018-2020.

Curriculum and Teaching Committee, 1997–1999, 2000-2001, 2014-2016.

Honors Program Director 2007-2012.

Senior Promotion Committee 2011-2012, 2013-2014, 2017-2018.

Tenure and Promotion Committee 2011-2012.

Faculty Scholarship 2009-2010.

Strategic Planning Committee (Functional Area 6) 2007.

Acting Department Chair Fall 2006.

Procedural Review Committee 2006-2007.

Environmental Studies Advisory Council 2005-2006.

Honors Program Advisory Council, 2001-2004.

Faculty Advisor to the Socratic Society, 1999-2004.

Faculty Benefits Committee, 1999-2003.

Faculty Advisor to Student Government, 1999-2001.

Ethics Center Faculty Development, 1996–2001.

Critical Thinking Project Team, 1996–2002.

Department Work-Study Coordinator, 1996–2011.

Membership and Service in Professional Associations

SOPHIA

American Society for Aesthetics

National Association of Scholars

Member of the Advisory Committee to the Program Committee of the American Philosophical Association Eastern Division, 2005-2007.

Modern and Classical Languages

German (reading proficiency exam), French (some reading knowledge), Latin (some limited reading knowledge and two years of formal study), Russian (award and several years of formal study).

Media Coverage

I have been interviewed by The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, USA Today, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Time, the BBC, CNN, NPR, and MSNBC, among others.

CNN interview with Anderson Cooper about The Matrix and Philosophy.

MSNBC Interview with Keith Olbermann about The Matrix and Philosophy.

Authors@Google talk about The Simpsons and Philosophy.

The Simpsons and Philosophy on NBC Affiliate WBRE.

Interview about Metallica and Philosophy.

Interview about The Free Market Existentialist: Capitalism without Consumerism on Reason TV.

Interview about The Free Market Existentialist: Capitalism without Consumerism at Bloggingheads.

Interview about Little Siddhartha.