Alex’s main research interest is in the ethics of collective action, especially environmental ethics and the ethics of voting. He engages arguments that explore the efficacy of individuals and how collective action shapes moral requirements. He also enjoys the history of philosophy, particularly as related to modern political philosophy as well as ancient and contemporary accounts of virtue ethics. Alex earned a B.A. in philosophy from Bethel University in Saint Paul, MN (’05) and an M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, NJ (’08). He spent a few years cultivating his love of teaching philosophy at community colleges in New Jersey and Minnesota before arriving at Bowling Green.
Sara studied biochemistry, art, and philosophy as an undergraduate student at The College of St. Catherine, in St. Paul, Minnesota. She graduated with a major in philosophy and a minor in biochemistry. Sara received her master’s degree in philosophy at Ohio University, in Athens, Ohio. Her master’s thesis argued that knowledge that others are capable of holding themselves accountable to our second-personal demands is not dependent on the knowledge that we can hold ourselves accountable—we can have knowledge of both concurrently. She is now completing her doctoral degree in applied philosophy and researching problems in moral responsibility. One of her favorite works in philosophy is Ludwig Wittgenstein’s Philosophical Investigations.
Zeke received his B.A. in Philosophy from the University of Michigan. He also received a B.A. in Anthropology, focusing on Archaeology. He finished his M.A. in Philosophy at Wayne State University in Detroit, writing on the ethics of cognitive enhancement. His primary interests are ethics (meta, normative, and applied), anything relating to John Stuart Mill, and 16th-17th century Metaphysics. When he isn't agonizing over whether or not he's doing the "right" thing, Zeke is an avid gamer (both the video and tabletop variety) with an intense interest in game design, speed-running, and E-sports. He also enjoys playing bass guitar and savoring rye whiskeys.
Erica received her bachelor's degree from Purdue University Northwest. Her interests primarily lie with issues at the intersection of metaphysics and ethics, especially regarding the relationship between persons and points in time, such as personal identity, the Shape of a Life Phenomenon, and the Nonidentity Problem. She also has great interest in philosophy of logic, philosophy of science, philosophy of mind, and philosophy of psychiatry. Outside of philosophical interests, Erica is interested in writing and producing music, trading card games, and video games.
Julia came to formal philosophy later in life, but sees that all her life has been pointing in that direction. She studied art history at Queen’s and then went to Queen’s law school. She got married and bought a car and a house in the years of 20% interest rates. Tired of the grind of practising law, she went back to school at LSE and obtained her LL.M. Having always been somewhat involved politically, she worked on Parliament Hill for a number of years during the upheaval of the Bloc and Reform Party years. When Reform turned into Conservative, she ended up teaching law at a community college, where she was then diagnosed with breast cancer, which was a life-changer. Determined to go back to school to pursue her interests in identity and belonging, she obtained her MA in philosophy at Carleton and now finds herself content and busy and challenged at BGSU.
Tim tried out several possible majors, including political science and art history, before realizing that his real interest was in the philosophy of the various fields he was drawn to. His present philosophical interests are in all areas of ethics, with side interests in philosophy of mind and epistemology. In ethics, he is currently interested in a variety of puzzles that arise when considering the interaction between present and future ethical demands (as well as concurrent ethical demands that differ in temporal scope), and how these puzzles relate to collective action problems. He is also interested in the ethics of emerging technologies—in particular, the ethics of “virtue engineering” and of human enhancement more generally.
