Research

Faculty in the Philosophy Department conduct research in traditional areas of philosophy, as well as in the areas of public philosophy and grant research opportunities.

Prof. Nicholas G. Evans is currently conducting research on the ethics of emerging biotechnologies, with a focus on national security issues. He is best known for his research on “dual-use research” in the life sciences and has recently begun work examining research ethics concerns arising from the performance enhancement of active military personnel, funded by the US Air Force Office of Scientific Research. He is also a recognized expert in public health ethics, writing on the ethics of social distancing, research ethics during health emergencies, and the use of force in pandemic response. 

Prof. Carol Hay’s academic work focuses primarily on issues in analytic feminism, liberal social and political philosophy, oppression studies, Kantian ethics, and the philosophy of sex and love.  Her most recent book is Think Like a Feminist: The Philosophy Behind the Revolution (W.W. Norton & Co., 2020, 2022).  

Prof. Blake Hereth's current research focuses on brain interventions designed to modify human behavior to prevent child abuse. They are currently writing a monograph, tentatively titled Child Lock: Enhancing Guardians to Prevent Abuse, that defends state-mandated neuroenhancements for parents, teachers, and other guardians. One of Dr. Hereth's most recent papers, "Moral Neuroenhancement for Prisoners of War," was recently published in Neuroethics and is available online.

Prof. Christa Hodapp’s work focuses on issues of identity, with specific attention to gender and issues in intersectionality. Her most recent book, Men’s Rights, Gender, and Social Media (Lexington Books, 2017) discusses the rise of men’s rights movements online, and how masculinity is built and enacted in online contexts. Current works include a forthcoming paper discussing the nature of public apologies during the #metoo era. 

Prof. Alison McConwell researches questions concerning conceptualization, classification, and explanation of natural phenomena primarily in the biological sciences, such as evolutionary contingency and biological individuality. She is currently co-editing a special issue for the Journal of the Philosophy of History on contingency and values in the historical sciences.

Prof. Aaron Shepherd’s research presents a pragmatic response to challenges levelled by the “New Atheists” against religion in his recent book Challenging the New Atheism: Pragmatic Confrontations in the Philosophy of Religion (Routledge Studies in American Philosophy, 2021).