Curriculum Vitae

Michael S. McKenna, Chair

Associate Professor of Philosophy

Book Review Editor, Journal of Ethics

Department of Philosophy & Religion

Ithaca College

109 Dillingham Center work: (607) 274-3077

Ithaca, NY 14850-7286 home: (607) 272-3844

email: mmckenna@ithaca.edu fax: (607) 724-1538

Education:

Ph.D., University of Virginia, Philosophy, 1993

Dissertation: "Responsibility without Free Will: A Cognitivist’s Approach"

M.A., University of Virginia, Philosophy, 1989

Master’s Thesis: "Can Action Explanation Be Causal Explanation?"

B.A., Thiel College, Philosophy, Political Science, 1984

Areas of Specialization:

Research Specializations: Ethics, Metaphysics (Free Will and Moral Responsibility)

Primary Teaching Competence: Action Theory, Political Philosophy, Epistemology

Other Teaching Competence: Phil Mind, Phil Language, 20th Century Analytic

Teaching Experience:

Associate Professor: Ithaca College: Fall 2001 to present

Assistant Professor: Ithaca College: Fall 1994 - Spring 2001

Bryn Mawr College (invited position): Fall 1999 – Spring 2000

Lecturer: California State U., Long Beach, Fall 1993 – Spring 1994

University of Virginia, Fall 1992 – Spring 1993

Courses Taught:

Upper Level: Free Will, Moral Responsibility, Metaphysics, Epistemology,

Moral Theory, Metaethics

Mid-level: Applied Ethics, Medical Ethics, Political Philosophy,

Philosophy of Mind, Autonomy & Responsibility,

Philosophy in Film

Lower Level: Intro to Philosophy, Intro to Ethics, History of Modern Philosophy,

Informal Logic, Existentialism

Michael McKenna Publications

Books and Journal Articles

2003 (forthcoming). "A Metaphysics for Krausz." Invited article. In A. Deciu and G.L. Pandit,
eds., Interpretation and Ontology: Studies in the Philosophy of Michael Krausz. Amsterdam:
Radopi Publishers.

2002, ed. (forthcoming). (with David Widerker.) Moral Responsibility and Alternative
Possibilities. Aldershot, UK: Ashgate Press.

2002 (forthcoming). "Robustness, Control, and the Demand for Morally Significant
Alternatives." In Moral Responsibility and Alternative Possibilities. 2002.

2001. "Source Incompatibilism, Ultimacy, and the Transfer of Non-responsibility." American
Philosophical Quarterly. Vol. 38, No. 1: 37-52.

2000. "Assessing Reasons-Responsive Compatibilism: J.M. Fischer and M. Ravizza's
Responsibility and Control." Invited review article. International Journal of Philosophical
Studies Vol. 8, No.1: 89-114.

2000. "Toward a Speaker Meaning Theory of Moral Responsibility." In Ton van den Beld, ed.,
Responsibility & Ontology. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers: 247-58.

1998. "Does Strong Compatibilism Survive Frankfurt-Style Counter-Examples?" Philosophical
Studies Vol. 91, No.3: 259-64.

1998. "Moral Theory and Modified Compatibilism." Journal of Philosophical Research Vol. 23:
441-58.

1998. "The Limits of Evil and the Role of Moral Address: A Defense of Strawsonian
Compatibilism." Journal of Ethics Vol. 2, No. 2: 123-42.

1997. "A Reply to McDonald: A Defense in the Presumption in Favor of Requirement Conflict."
Journal of Social Philosophy Vol. 28, No. 1, Spring: 51-7.

1997. "Alternative Possibilities and the Failure of the Counter-Example Strategy." Journal of
Social Philosophy Vol. 28, No. 3, Winter: 71-85.

1997. "John Martin Fischer's The Metaphysics of Free Will." Review article. Legal Theory 3:
379-97.


Book Reviews and Critical Notices

2003 (forthcoming). "Review of Alfred Mele's Autonomous Agents." Philosophical Review.

2002. "Review of Hilary Bok's, Freedom & Responsibility." Ethics. Vol. 113, No. 1: 144-5.

2001. "Critical Notice of Ishtiyaque Haji's, Moral Appraisability." Philosophy and
Phenomenological Research Vol. 63, No. 3: 711-5.

2001. "Review of John Martin Fischer and Mark Ravizza's Responsibility & Control." Journal
of Philosophy, XCVIII, No. 2: 93-100.

1999. "Review of David Ray Griffin's Unsnarling the World Knot." Ethics Vol. 110, No. 1: 242.

1996. "Review of R. Jay Wallace's Responsibility and the Moral Sentiments." Philosophical
Review 105: 415-18.

Editorial Journal Work

2001 to present. Journal of Ethics. Book review editor.

2000. "Free Will and Moral Responsibility: Three Recent Views." Guest Editor. Special issue.
Proceedings of conference sponsored by the Greater Philadelphia Philosophy Consortium.
Journal of Ethics. Vol. 4, No.4.

Honors and Awards

Ithaca College, Faculty Summer Research Grant, Summer 2001.

Ithaca College, Academic Project Grant, Spring 2001.

Invited Visiting Professor of Philosophy, Bryn Mawr College, 1999-2000.

Ithaca College Faculty Summer Research Grant, Summer 1998.

Ithaca College Academic Project Grant, Spring 1998.

Cornell University Society for the Humanities, 1996 Summer Research Grant.

NEH Summer Seminar for College Teachers, Summer 1995.

University of Virginia Graduate Fellowship, Spring 1993.

University of Virginia, Dissertation Year Fellowship, Grad School of H&S, 1991-2.

Dupont Fellowship, Department of Philosophy, University of Virginia, 1990-1.

Professional Associations

Society for Ethics, Vice President

American Philosophical Association

The Creighton Club, The New York State Philosophical Association

Society for Philosophy in the Contemporary World

Referee

Australasian Journal of Philosophy

Ethics

International Journal of Philosophical Studies

Journal of Ethics

Journal of Social Philosophy

Pacific Philosophical Quarterly

Philosophical Explorations

Philosophical Quarterly

Professional Presentations

"A Metaphysics for Michael," Critic, author meets critic session on Michael Krausz’s Limits of Rightness,

APA Pacific Meetings, 2002.

"Frankfurt’s and Fischer and Ravizza’s Positive Compatibilist Accounts of Free Will," Bernard

Berofsky’s Seminar on Free Will, Phil. Dept. Columbia U, October 10, 2001.

"Robustness, Control & Morally Significant Alternatives: Frankfurt Examples with Oodles and Oodles of

Alternatives," invited paper, Inland Northwest Philosophy Conference, Pullman, WA, April 27, 2001.

Commentator, "Defending the Flicker of Freedom Response to Frankfurt-Style Examples," by Gordon

Petit, APA Central Meetings, Minneapolis, MN, March 9, 2001.

Commentator, "Moral Responsibility and Buffered Alternatives," by David Hunt, APA Eastern Meetings,

NY, NY, December 29, 2000.

"Robustness, Control, and the Demand for Morally Significant Alternatives: Another Defense of

Frankfurt’s Argument," Phil. Dept., San Diego State University, December 8, 2000.

"Libertarian Freedom and the Demand for Morally Significant Alternatives," Phil. Dept., U of Delaware,

November 30, 2000.

"Recent Work on Compatibilism," Philosophy Study Group, Ursinus College, April 16, 2000.

Commentator, "Fanning the Flickers of Freedom: Defending Alternative Possibilities Once Again," by

Daniel Speak, APA Pacific Meetings, Albuquerque, NM, April 7, 2000.

"Free Will and Moral Responsibility: Three Recent Views," Opening remarks, Greater Philadelphia

Philosophy Consortium Conference, Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawr, PA, October 2, 1999.

"Self-Expression Theories of Moral Responsibility & an Agent Meaning Theory," Phil. Dept., U of

British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, February 4, 1999.

"Toward a Speaker Meaning Theory of Moral Responsibility," Phil. Dept., Bryn Mawr College, Bryn

Mawr, PA, September 28, 1998.

"A Speaker Meaning Theory of Moral Responsibility," The Twentieth World Congress of Philosophy,

Boston, MA, August 12, 1998.

"Toward a Speaker Meaning Theory of Moral Responsibility," Institute for Research in Phil. of the

Universities of Utrecht and Leiden, Responsibility and Ontology Conference, June 6, 1998.

"Self-Expression and a Speaker Meaning Theory of Moral Responsibility," Phil. Dept., U of Virginia,

Speaker Series, Charlottesville, VA, April 29, 1998.

"A Speaker-Meaning Theory of Moral Responsibility," Society for Philosophy in the Contemporary

World, Estes Park, CO, August 11, 1997.

Commentator, "P.F. Strawson’s Other Argument for Compatibilism," by Russell Daw, APA Central

Meetings, Pittsburgh, PA, April 26, 1997.

Commentator, "The Humean Is/Ought Problem Resolved," The Creighton Club, Skaneatles, NY, March

15, 1997.

"Alternative Possibilities and the Failure of the Counter-Example Strategy," APA Eastern Meetings,

Atlanta, GA, December 29, 1996.

"The Limits of Evil and the Role of Moral Address: A Defense of Strawsonian Compatibilism," Society

for Philosophy in the Contemporary World, Estes Park, CO, August 16, 1996.

"The Limits of Evil and the Role of Moral Address: A Defense of Strawsonian Compatibilism," APA

Central Meetings, Chicago, IL, April 27, 1996.

"The Limits of Evil and the Role of Moral Address: A Defense of Strawsonian Compatibilism," The

Creighton Club, Skaneatles, NY, March 16, 1996.

Commentator, "A Compatibilist Theory of Alternate Possibilities," by Joseph Campbell, APA Eastern

Meetings, Washington, DC, December 28, 1995.

"Revising Our Understanding of Responsibility," Phil. Dept., SUNY, Plattsburgh, Plattsburgh, NY,

October 12, 1995.

"A Defense of Strawsonian Compatibilism: A Reply to Watson," Phil Dept., U of Virginia,

Charlottesville, VA, April 7, 1995.

"Revising Our Understanding of Responsibility," Phil. Dept., SUNY, Potsdam, Potsdam, NY, March 6,

1995.

"Revising Our Understanding of Responsibility," Phil. Dept., SUNY, Geneseo, Geneseo, NY, October

27, 1994.

"Notes on Frankfurt-style Counter-examples," Phil. Dept., U of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, July 27,

1994.

"Moral Theory and Modified Compatibilism," APA Central Meetings, Kansas City, MO, May 5, 1994.

Commentator, "The Presumption in Favor of Requirement Conflicts," by Julie McDonald, APA Pacific

Meetings, Los Angeles, CA, April 1, 1994.

"Moral Theory and Modified Compatibilism," Moral and Political Society of Orange County, Santa Ana,

CA, November 20, 1993.

"Is Frankfurt Committed to Free Will as a Condition of Moral Responsibility?" Phil. Dept., California

State U, Long Beach, Long Beach, CA, November 3, 1993.

"Recent Developments in Theories of Moral Responsibility," The Long Beach Circle, Phil. Dept.,

California State U, Long Beach, CA, September 19, 1993.

"Free Will and Moral Intuition," Phil. Dept., U of Virginia, Summer Colloquium Series, June 17, 1992.

"Compatibilism without Free Will?" Phil. Dept., U of Virginia, Blandy Farm Retreat, 1992.

"Rationality and Resentment," Phil. Dept., U of Virginia, Summer Colloquium Series, 1991.

"The Bite in Quine’s Two Dogmas," Phil. Dept., U of Virginia, Blandy Farms Retreat, 1990.

Commentator, "Notes on the Status of Dualism," by James Cargile, Phil. Dept., U of Virginia, Blandy

Farms Retreat, 1989.

Service Activities and Committee Work

Departmental Contributions

Search Committee for Ithaca College Department of Philosophy and Religion one-year non-

renewable position for 00-01 AY. Search culminated in hire of Professor Mark Worrell, Ph.D., University of Toronto. Summer 2000.

Conference organizer Free Will and Moral Responsibility: Three Recent Views, participants:

John Martin Fischer, Carl Ginet, Ishtiyaque Haji, Robert Kane, Derk Pereboom,

sponsored by the Greater Philadelphia Philosophy Consortium, held at Bryn Mawr

College, Bryn Mawr, PA, October 2, 1999.

"Ithaca College Department of Philosophy and Religion Reply to the Ithaca College All

Faculty Workload Study," author, April 29, 1999.

Workshop on Michael Krausz’s book Rightness & Reason. The workshop culminated in a

Session with the IC philosophy professors, students, and the author. Organizer,

Facilitator, April 1, 1998.

Ithaca College Department of Philosophy and Religion, Curricular Revisions and Course

Proposal Author for four philosophy courses: Metaphysics, Philosophy of Mind, Political

Philosophy, Philosophy in Film, Fall 1998.

Ithaca College Philosophy Club Advisor, 1996-99. Responsibilities included arranging

invitations for one philosopher each year to speak to the department.

New Courses Introduced into the Ithaca College Department of Philosophy and Religion

Curriculum: Epistemology, Political Philosophy, Free Will and Moral Responsibility,

Philosophy and Film, 1995-99.

All-College Contributions

C.P. Snow Lecture Series. Organizing Committee. Proposal invited by Professor Susan

Swensen, Biology Department, Ithaca College. Speaker nominated: Daniel Dennett,

Philosophy Dept., Tufts University. Spring 2000-present.

Course Proposal, "Philosophical Problems in Law." An invited contribution to Professor

Gwen Seaquist’s Proposal for a Legal Studies Interdisciplinary major at Ithaca College.

Spring 2000.

Philosophical Consultant on free will website by Paul Grobstein, Professor of Biology, Bryn

Mawr College. Responsibilities included construction of a selective bibliography. Spring

2000.

"Intergenerational Responsibilities: What Elders and Children Owe to Each Other," a

presentation to the Longview Retirement Community as part of the Ithaca College

Gerontology Outreach Program, June 17, 1999.

"Autonomy and Responsibility," A philosophy course designed exclusively for the Ithaca

College Interdisciplinary Honors Program. Fall 1998.

Derk Pereboom, Vermont University, presentation on punishment to the Ithaca College

Honors Program, organizer, November 5, 1998. (Professor Pereboom’s then unpublished

book manuscript was used in my Honors course, "Autonomy and Responsibility".)

Ithaca College Summer Grant Committee, Spring 1997. Committee selected and distributed

Internal grants to fund summer research.

Ithaca College Interdisciplinary Committee, Secretary, Summer 1997.

Ithaca College Faculty Colloquium Speaker Series, director, 1997-99, 00-01. Series involves

10 Speakers annually.

Ithaca College Faculty Development Committee, 1997-99.

Ithaca College Partnership in teaching Program, 1995-99. An outreach program to provide

Teaching services to the local and regional community.

References*

David Copp, Bowling Green University

J.M. Fischer, University of California, Riverside

Carl Ginet, Cornell University

Robert Kane, University of Texas, Austin

Robert Klee, Ithaca College, Chair

Michael Krausz, Bryn Mawr College, Chair

Alfred Mele, Florida State University

Derk Pereboom, University of Vermont

Eleonore Stump, Saint Louis University

David Widerker, Bar-Ilan Univesity

*All letters of reference are available upon request through the University of Virginia, Department of Philosophy Placement Officer at (804) 924-7701