BENJAMIN BAYER
EDUCATIONUniversity of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Ph.D. in Philosophy, October 2007University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, M.A. in Philosophy, December 2000 Lawrence University (Appleton, WI), B.A. in Philosophy (minor: physics), June 1998, cum laude CURRENT POSITIONLecturer, Department of Philosophy, Loyola University of ChicagoAREA OF SPECIALIZATIONEpistemology, esp. Quine and naturalismAREAS OF COMPETENCEPhilosophy of science, philosophy of mind, philosophy of language, ethics and value theoryDISSERTATION:Title: Varieties of Naturalized Epistemology: Criticisms and AlternativesCommittee: Gary Ebbs (Indiana University), Jonathan Waskan, Arthur Melnick, Patrick Maher "Naturalized epistemology"—the recent attempt to transform the theory of knowledge into a branch of natural science—is often criticized for dispensing with the distinctively philosophical content of epistemology. In this dissertation, I argue that epistemologists are correct to reject naturalism, but that new arguments are needed to show why this is so. I establish my thesis first by evaluating two prominent varieties of naturalism—"optimistic" and "pessimistic"—and then by offering a proposal for how a new version of non-naturalistic epistemology must move forward. "Optimistic naturalism" attempts to use scientific methods to give positive answers to traditional epistemological questions. Epistemologists, for example, are urged to draw on psychology and evolutionary biology in order to show our beliefs are justified. I argue that this project fails. First, the common naturalistic thesis that theory is underdetermined by evidence poses difficulties for the optimist's attempt to show that our beliefs are justified, even according to naturalized standards. Second, while critics usually contest naturalists' logical right to use the concept of normative justification, I suggest that a deeper problem is with the naturalists' use of the concept of belief. Naturalistic philosophy of mind, while perhaps acceptable for other purposes, does not deliver a concept of "belief" consistent with the constraints and needs of naturalized epistemology. "Pessimistic naturalism"—Quine's project—takes it for granted that "belief" is problematic and logical justification elusive, and instead offers a pragmatic account of the development of our theory of the world. This project, while deeply unsatisfactory to the traditional epistemologist, also faces the challenge of privileging scientific discourse over other pragmatically successful modes of discourse. Whatever its merits, we can undermine its motivation by challenging the underdetermination thesis it rests on. We can do this by appealing to facts about scientific practice that undermine the conception of confirmation driving the thesis, by appealing to other facts about scientific practice, and by challenging some philosophical preconceptions, in order to make room for a new brand of inductivist foundationalism. PUBLICATIONS"How Not to Critique Quine: Evaluating Kim's Alternatives to Naturalized Epistemology," Southern Journal of Philosophy, December 2007."Review of Causality and Explanation by Wesley Salmon," Review of Metaphysics, March 2000. UNDER SUBMISSION"Quine's Acquiescence in Skepticism"UNDER REVISION FOR RESUBMISSION"From Folk Psychology to Folk Epistemology: The Status of Simulation Theory"PRESENTATIONS"Taking Sellarsian Holism Seriously." Presented at the American Philosophical Association, Central Division, Chicago, IL, April 2007."From Folk Psychology to Folk Epistemology: The Status of Simulation Theory." University of Pittsburgh/CMU Graduate philosophy conference, March 2007. "From Folk Psychology to Folk Epistemology: The Status of Simulation Theory." Accepted for presentation at the Southeast Graduate Philosophy Conference, University of Florida, March 2007 (not presented due to scheduling conflicts) "Does Epistemic Supervenience Beg the Question against Naturalized Epistemology?" Accepted, for presentation at British Columbia Philosophy Graduate Conference , March 2007(not presented due to travel expenses) "Escape from the Humean Predicament." Presented at the University of Illinois, Urbana- Champaign, Department of Philosophy colloquium, October 2006. "Neglecting Indeterminacy and Behaviorism: Kim's Critique of Quine's Naturalized Epistemology." Presented at the American Philosophical Association, Central Division, Chicago, IL, April 2006. "Neglecting Indeterminacy and Behaviorism: Kim's Critique of Quine?s Naturalized Epistemology." Presented at the Marquette University Graduate Philosophy Conference, Milwaukee, WI, Fall 2005. "The Myth of the Given, or the Myth of the Taken?." Presented at Concepts workshop, Conference sponsored by the University of Pittsburgh Department of History and Philosophy of Science and the Anthem Foundation, Pittsburgh, PA, Spring 2004. COMMENTARYComments on "The Missing Shade of Blue and the Prospects of Concept Empiricism," by Par Sundstrom. Presented at the American Philosophical Association, Pacific Division, Pasadena, CA, March 2008.Comments on "Epistemic Perspective and Vicious Circularity," by Amanda Coen. Presented at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign graduate philosophy conference, Spring 2002. Comments on "Seeing, Hallucinating, and Visual Experience," by Piere LeMorvan. Presented at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign graduate philosophy conference, Spring 2000. OTHER PROFESSIONAL SERVICEChair, Session on "Coherentism and Truth," by William Roche. American Philosophical Association, Central Division, Chicago, IL April 2008.Conference committee chair, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) graduate philosophy conference committee, Spring 2002. Conference committee member, UIUC graduate philosophy conference, Spring 2000. Referee, UIUC graduate philosophy conference, Spring 1999-Spring 2004. ACADEMIC HONORS AND AWARDSGraduate Travel Stipend, American Philosophical Association, Central Division conference, Chicago, IL, Spring 2006; Spring 2007.University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Department of Philosophy fellowships, 1998-1999, 2001-2002. Farley Prize in Philosophy for outstanding senior in philosophy at Lawrence University, Spring 1998. COURSES TAUGHT AT LOYOLA UNIVERSITY CHICAGOPhilosophy 175: Theory of Knowledge, Fall 2007-Spring 2008Philosophy 174: Introduction to Logic, Fall 2007-Spring 2008 COURSES TAUGHT AT UIUCPhilosophy 102: Logic and Reasoning, Fall 2005-Spring 2007 (six sections total) Syllabus and course material available online: http://www.benbayer.com/102Philosophy 101: Introduction to Philosophy, Fall 2002-Spring 2003 (three sections total) Philosophy 102: Logic and Reasoning, Summer 2002 (one section) Philosophy 101: Introduction to Philosophy, Spring 2002 (one section) COURSES ASSISTED AT UIUCPhilosophy 105: Introduction to Ethics (Wright Neely), Spring 2001Philosophy 101: Introduction to Philosophy (Richard Schacht), Fall 2000 Philosophy 105: Introduction to Ethics (James Wallace), Spring 2000 Philosophy 321: Moral Philosophy (James Wallace), Fall 1999 Philosophy 214: Moral Problems in Medicine and Biology (James Wallace), Fall 1999 Philosophy 321: Moral Philosophy (Marcia Baron), Spring 1999 Philosophy 101: Introduction to Philosophy (Wright Neely), Fall 1998 PHILOSOPHY COURSEWORK AT UIUCEpistemology and philosophy of languagePhilosophy 330: Epistemology: Skepticism (Gary Ebbs)Philosophy 353: Formal Logic and Philosophy (Gary Ebbs) Philosophy 417: Seminar in Semantics (Gary Ebbs) Philosophy 423: Seminar in Theory of Knowledge: Testimony (Gary Ebbs) Philosophy 483: Individual Topics: Analyticity/The internalism-externalism debate (Gary Ebbs) Philosophy 483: Individual Topics: McDowell and Sellars on the "myth of the given" (Gary Ebbs) Philosophy of SciencePhilosophy 317: Scientific Thought I (Patrick Maher)Philosophy 318: Scientific Thought II (Patrick Maher) Philosophy 417: Seminar in the Philosophy of Science: Induction (Patrick Maher) Ethics and MetaethicsPhilosophy 321: Moral Philosophy (Marcia Baron)Philosophy 329: Value Theory (Richard Schacht) Philosophy 411: Seminar in Ethical Theory: Practical Reasoning (James Wallace) History of PhilosophyPhilosophy 224: Recent European Philosophy (William Schroeder)Philosophy 310: Classical Ancient Philosophers (Robert Wengert) Philosophy 313: American Philosophy (Wright Neely) Philosophy 401: Seminar in the History of Philosophy: Kant?s Critique of Pure Reason (Arthur Melnick) MISC.Research assistant to Thomas Beauchamp, Kennedy Institute of Ethics, Georgetown University, Fall 1994-Spring 1995Debate coach, Appleton East High School (Appleton, WI), Fall 1995-Spring 1997 REFERENCES
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