Lunchtime Talks

Several times per semester, the philosophy department hosts a "Lunchtime Talk," where a member of the department, faculty or graduate student presents a work-in-progress. Department members have a chance to share ideas with pizza, fruit, and snacks provided by the department.

Upcoming Lunchtime Talks

Fall 2026

Oct. 9 - Christian Pace, “Inverting the Tie-Up Break Up: Cannot Implies Not Ought Not?"

Oct. 23 - Caroline Deck, "Institutional Blame and Public Education"

Oct. 30 - Nik Kennelly, "What are Natural Predispositions?"

Nov. 20 - Piers Rawling, "Are There Really Any Counterexamples to Modus Ponens?"

Recent Lunchtime Talks

Spring 2026

April 3 - Yahui Chen, “When Friendship Is Not a Moral Dilemma”

April 10 - Anthony Nguyen, “Data Colonialism: The Rise of the Landless Empire”

April 17 - Tyler Minnich, "A Master Key to Knowledge”

Feb. 18 - Daniel Sega, “The Quantum Russian Roulette of David Lewis”

Fall 2025

Sept. 26- Gregory Frisby, "Does Consequentialism Lead to a Contradiction Given Widely Accepted Premises?  An Argument for the Moral Law"

Oct. 3 - Matthew Jernberg, "How Does Death Harm the One Who Dies"

Oct. 10 - Nolan Cannon, "Defending Dependence"

Spring 2025

Feb. 14 – Nickolaus Kennelly, "A Problem for Cross-Species Comparisons of Ontogenetic Flexibility"

Feb. 28 – Matthew Jernberg, "Who is Harmed by Death? Epicurus and the Problem of the Subject"

March 21 – Zachary Akin, “Nuclear Deterrence for Nuclear Pacifists”

March 28 – William Vincent, “Essence, Convention, and the Identity of Persons”

April 4 – Olga Lenczewska, "Kant on Women’s Role in Moral Development and Their Moral Patienthood"

Fall 2024

Sept. 20 – Zack Akin, "A More Robust Robustness Objection: Completely Eliminating Robust Alternatives in Frankfurt-style Cases”

Nov. 1 – Simon Căbulea May, “What Is the Right to Do Wrong?”

Nov. 15 – Yahui Chen, “The Degrees of Standing and Hypocritical Blame”

Spring 2024

March 8 – Michael De Vivo, “Against Intellectualist Skill Models of Virtue”

March 29 – Myungjun Kim, “"Is Deciding an Action?”

April 26 – Nikolaus Kennelly, “Animal Flexibility and Inter-Species Practices”