Michael W. Austin
Curriculum Vitae
July 2011
Associate Professor of Philosophy
Department of Philosophy and Religion
Case Annex 268
Eastern Kentucky University
EDUCATION
Ph.D., Philosophy, 2004,
Dissertation: Parental Rights and Obligations (David Boonin, director)
M.A., Philosophy, 2000 (Highest
Honors), Biola University
B.A., Political Science, 1991,
EMPLOYMENT
Associate Professor of Philosophy, Eastern Kentucky University, 2007-present
Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Eastern Kentucky University 2004-2007
AREAS OF SPECIALTY
Ethics, Philosophy of Religion
AREAS OF COMPETENCE
Social/Political Philosophy, Existentialism, Philosophy of Technology, Epistemology
PUBLICATIONS
Books (Authored)
Wise Stewards:
Philosophical Foundations of Christian Parenting (Kregel
Academic,
Conceptions of Parenthood: Ethics and the Family. Ashgate Studies in Applied Ethics (Ashgate,
2007).
Books (Edited)
The Philosophy of the Olympics, with Heather Reid (University Press of Kentucky,
2012).
Being Good: Christian Virtues for Everyday Life, with Doug Geivett (Eerdman’s,
2012).
Coffee – Philosophy for Everyone: Grounds for Debate, with Scott Parker
(Wiley-Blackwell, 2011).
Fatherhood – Philosophy for Everyone: The Dao of Daddy, with Lon Nease
(Wiley-Blackwell, 2011).
Cycling – Philosophy for Everyone: A Philosophical Tour de Force, with
Jesús Ilundain (Wiley-Blackwell, 2010).
Football and Philosophy: Going Deep (University Press of Kentucky, 2008).
Running
and Philosophy: A Marathon for the Mind (Wiley-Blackwell, 2007).
Journal Articles
“Football, Fame, and Fortune,” The Other Journal 18 (2010).
“Why Winning Matters,” Think 9 (2010): 99-102.
“Sports as Exercises in Spiritual
Formation,” Journal of Spiritual Formation and Soul
Care 3 (2010): 66-78.
“Magnanimity, Athletic Excellence,
and Performance-Enhancing Drugs,” Journal of
Applied Philosophy 26 (2009): 46-53.
“Popular
Culture in the Philosophy Classroom: A Modest Defense,” with Greg Bassham,
American Philosophical Association Newsletter on Teaching Philosophy 8 (2008): 6-9.
“Do Children Have a Right to Play?” Journal of the Philosophy of Sport 34 (2007): 135-146.
“Fundamental Interests and Parental Rights,” International Philosophical Quarterly 47
(2007): 221-235.
“Moral Difficulties in Plantinga’s
Model of Warranted Christian Belief,” Philosophy and
Theology 17 (2005): 121-132.
“The Failure of Biological Accounts of Parenthood,” The Journal of Value Inquiry 38
(2004): 499-510.
“It Is Ethical Intuitionism, and
Not Another Thing: A Reply to Eggleston,” Southwest
Philosophy Review 20 (2004): 155-157.
“On the Alleged Irrationality of Ethical Intuitionism: Are Ethical Intuitions
Epistemically Suspect?” Southwest
Philosophy Review 19 (2003): 205-213.
Book Chapters
“Moral Inquiry,” in The Routledge Companion to Theism, eds. Charles Taliaferro, Victoria
Harrison, and Stewart Goetz (Routledge, 2012).
“A Greatness of Olympic Proportions,” in The Philosophy of the Olympics.
“Compassion,” in Being Good: Christian Virtues for Everyday Life.
“The Necessary
Ground of Being,” in Coffee—Philosophy
for Everyone.
“Dads and Daughters: Wisdom for a Winding Road,” in Fatherhood – Philosophy for Everyone.
“Lost Together: Fathers, Sons, and Moral Obligations,” in The Ultimate Lost and Philosophy
(Wiley-Blackwell, 2010), pp. 220-232.
“Why Harry and Socrates Decide to Die: Virtue and the Common Good,” in The Ultimate
Harry Potter and Philosophy, edited by Gregory Bassham (Wiley-Blackwell, 2010).
“From Shoes to Saddle,” in Cycling – Philosophy for Everyone.
“Crowning a True Champion: The Case
for a College Football Playoff,” in Football and
Philosophy.
“Chasing Happiness Together:
Running and Aristotle’s Philosophy of Friendship,” in Running
and Philosophy, pp. 11-19.
“What Do Jack and Locke Owe Their Fathers?” in
Lost and Philosophy, edited by
(Wiley-Blackwell,
2007).
Magazine Article
Now 64 (November/December 2007): 14-17.
Encyclopedia Entries
“Divine Command Theory,” The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy (2006):
http://www.iep.utm.edu/divine-c
“Parental Rights and Obligations,” Encyclopedia
of Public Administration and
edited
by Jack Rabin (
“Parenting,” Ethics, revised
edition, ed. by John K. Roth (
Press, 2005), pp. 1089-1090.
“Whistleblowing: Corporate and Public Policy” (with Mike Harper)
Encyclopedia of Public Administration and Public Policy, ed. by Jack
Rabin (
Book Reviews
Jesus and Philosophy: New Essays, edited by Paul K. Moser, in Faith
and Philosophy 27
(2010): 359-362.
The Ethics of Parenthood, by Norvin Richards, at Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews,
Published
11-12-2010.
Contemporary Athletics and Ancient Greek Ideals, by Daniel Dombrowski,
in Journal of the
Philosophy
of Sport 37 (2010): 122-125.
The Playing Fields of Eton: Equality and Excellence in Modern Meritocracy, by Mika
Tapani LaVaque-Manty, in Teachers College Record (online, print forthcoming)
Personal Virtues: Introductory
Essays, edited by Clifford Williams, in Teaching
Philosophy 30:3 (2007): 327-329.
Value and Virtue in a Godless
Universe, by Erik J. Wielenberg, in Philosophia Christi 8
(Series 2, 2006): 183-185.
The Story of Ethics: Fulfilling Our Human Nature, ed. by Kelly James Clark and Anne
Poortenga, in Teaching Philosophy 28:3 (2005): 279-281.
Christian Theism and Moral
Philosophy, ed. by Michael Beaty,
Nelson, in Philosophia Christi 3 (Series 2, 2001): 608-610.
Body and Soul: Human Nature and the Crisis in Ethics, by J.P. Moreland and Scott B. Rae, in
Ethics and Medicine 17 (2001): 189-190.
New Ethics for the Public’s Health, ed. by Daniel Beauchamp and Bonnie Steinbock, in
Ethics and Medicine 16 (2000): 93-94.
COURSES TAUGHT
Eastern Kentucky University
Practical Reasoning
Beginning Philosophy
Beginning Ethics
Philosophy of Religion
Existentialism and Postmodernism
Environmental Ethics
Technology and Values
Morality and the Good Life
Contemporary Moral Issues
God and the Good Life
Moral Relativism (Independent Study)
Metaethics (Independent Study)
Animal Ethics (Independent Study)
Rhetoric (Honors)
THESES DIRECTED
“Being
and Becoming,” Stephen Burdette, (Philosophy) 2010.
“Quality Relationships: Face-to-Face versus Computer-Mediated Communication,” Bret Alexander (Philosophy), 2009.
“The
Aesthetics of Martyrdom,” Alexandra Scarborough (Philosophy/Honors), 2009.
“No Harm, No Foul: The Immorality of Doping in
Sports,” Samantha Engstrom (Philosophy),
2008
“Just War Theory and
the Realist Fallacy,” Jonathan Croley (Philosophy),
2008
“Ethics in Warfare,”
James Nichols (Philosophy), 2007
“
(Philosophy/Honors)
“Is Ignorance Bliss?” Jonathan Boyd, 2007 (Philosophy/Honors)
“Nature vs. Nurture: A Philosophical Approach,” Debbie Link, 2007
(Philosophy)
“Bono’s African Prayer,” Cindy Welch, 2006
(Honors)
“The Spider Web Theory: A Possible Solution to the Problem of Freedom and Foreknowledge,”
Gifford Roberts, 2005 (Philosophy)
PRESENTATIONS(*=invited)
“Omnibenevolence and God’s Moral Concessions in the Old Testament,”
Annual Meeting of the Evangelical Philosophical Society, November 2010.
“Is Humility a Virtue in Sport?” 37th Annual Meeting of the
International Association for the
Philosophy of Sport, Seattle University, August 2009.
“Sportspersonship in Context: Recreational vs. Competitive Sport,” International Association for
the
Philosophy of Sport, Central Division
Meeting of the American Philosophical
Association, February 2009.
“The Nature and Practice of
Compassion,” Annual Meeting of the
Evangelical Philosophical
Society, Providence, RI, November 2008.
*“Magnanimity, Modafinil, and Moral Theory,” International Association for the Philosophy
of Sport, Central Division Meeting of the American Philosophical Association,
April 2008 (in absentia).
*Comments on Matthew Brophy’s “Moral Judgments: Etiologies and Credibility,” Central
Division Meeting of the American Philosophical Association, April 2008 (in absentia).
*“The Foundations of Business
Excellence,” Alpha Kappa Psi, Eastern
March 17, 2008.
“On the Nature and Value of
Humility,” Annual Meeting of the
Evangelical Philosophical
Society, San Diego, November 2007.
*“Précis of Conceptions of
Parenthood: Ethics and the Family,” New Books Panel, 47th Fall
Meeting of the
*“Do Children Have a Right to Play?” International Association for the Philosophy of Sport,
Central Division Meeting of the American Philosophical Association, April 2007.
“The Compassionate Person,” Chautauqua Lecture Series at Eastern
“Teaching Controversial Topics,” EKU Teaching and Learning Center, January 2007.
“Virtue in a Naturalistic Vise:
Theism, Naturalism, and the Good Life of Virtue,” Annual
Meeting of the Evangelical Philosophical Society, Washington, DC, November 2006.
“The Magnanimous Athlete,” 34th Annual Meeting of the
International Association for the
Philosophy of Sport,
“A Causal Account of Parental
Obligations,” 9th Annual Inland Northwest Philosophy
Conference:
Action, Ethics, and Responsibility,
2006.
Comments on Robert Schopp’s “‘So sick he deserves it’: Desert, Dangerousness, and Character
in the Context of Capital
Sentencing,” 9th Annual Inland Northwest Philosophy Conference:
Action, Ethics, and Responsibility,
“The Inadequacy of Biological
Accounts of Parenthood,” 57th Annual Mountain-Plains
Philosophy
Conference,
“On the Justification and Extent of
Parental Rights,” 20th International Social Philosophy
Conference, Annual Meeting of the North American Society for Social Philosophy,
Values and Social Policy, University of Colorado-Boulder, in February 2003.
“On the Alleged Irrationality of Ethical Intuitionism: Are Ethical Intuitions Epistemically
Suspect?” 64th Annual
Meeting of the Southwestern Philosophical Society,
“A Very Limited Defense of the
Argument from Contingency,” Annual
Meeting of the
Evangelical Philosophical Society, Colorado Springs, CO, November, 2001.
SERVICE
University
Member of Internal Review Board, Fall 2009-Spring 2011
Member of the Retention and Graduation Task Force (appointed), Fall 2006-Spring 2008
Member of the
EKU Reads Project, Discussion Group Leader, 2005
PLUS Mentoring Program
College
Academic Integrity Committee, 2010-present
Strategic Planning and Budget Committee, 2006-2008
Curriculum Committee, 2006
Planning Group, Environmental Issues Theme for General Education, 2006
New General Education Program Assessment Workshop, 2005
Department of Philosophy and
Religion
Search Committee Chair, Ethics search, 2007, 2008
Search Committee, Eastern Thought search, 2006
General Education Assessment, Course Coordinator for PHI 130 and PHI 240, 2005-
2006
Department Newsletter Committee,
2004-2006
Department Committee on Academic Practices, 2004-2006
Proposal Coordinator for General Education Curriculum, PHI 130, 240, 363, and 385,
2005-2006
Philosophy Club Debate Participant,
“When Should the
Assassination?” November 2005
Philosophy Club Co-Advisor, 2004-2005
Philosophy Club Debate Participant, “Should the
Same-Sex Civil
Unions?” October 2004
Profession
Member of American Philosophical Association Committee on Public Philosophy, 2008-2011
Executive Council, International Association for the Philosophy of Sport, 2008-present
Manuscript Review, Journal of Religious Ethics, 2010
Manuscript Review, Springer, 2010
Manuscript Review, Journal of Applied Philosophy, 2010
Manuscript Review, Social Theory and Practice, 2009, 2010
Speaker, Speakers Bureau of the Kentucky Humanities Council, 2006-2008, 2009-present
Proposal Review, Palgrave Macmillan, 2008.
Referee, University Press of Kentucky, 2007, 2009
Referee,
Manuscript Review, The Journal of Value Inquiry, 2005-2010
Manuscript Review, British Society
for Ethical Theory Conference/Ethical Theory and
Moral Practice, 2006
Manuscript Reviewer, Southwest Philosophical Society Conference, 2006
Reviewer (pedagogical material), Thomson Wadsworth, 2006
Manuscript Review, Philosophical Papers, 2005
Reviewer (pedagogical material), Oxford University Press, 2005
Reviewer (pedagogical material), Prentice Hall, 2004
Founding Contributor, Philosophy of Sport group blog
Contributor, In Socrates’ Wake: A Philosophy Teaching Blog
Forum Co-editor, Applied Virtue Theory, Janus Blog: The Virtue Theory Discussion Forum
AWARDS
National Endowment for the Humanities, Enduring Questions Course Grant, “Do we need God
for the good life?” Summer 2009-Summer 2011
EKU College of Arts and Sciences Excellence in Research and Creative Activities Award, 2008
McNair Community Fellow LOVE Award (for outstanding McNair mentors), 2004
Graduate Teacher Program
Certification,
Departmental Nominee for Teaching Excellence
Award,
Phi Beta Kappa, 1990
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
American Philosophical Association
Evangelical Philosophical Society
Society of Christian Philosophers
International Association for the Philosophy of Sport
Centre of Theology and Philosophy