Christian B. Miller

Email:
millerc@wfu.edu

Department of Philosophy
P.O. Box 7332
Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem, NC 27109

My CV is here. The paintings on this page were done by my mother, Joyous Miller.

I am currently an assistant professor of philosophy at Wake Forest University. I completed my Ph.D. in philosophy in 2004 at the University of Notre Dame and my B.A. in philosophy in 1999 at Princeton University. While enrolled at Notre Dame, I spent the 2002-2003 academic year as a visiting scholar at the University of Michigan.

My work is primarily in contemporary meta-ethics, moral psychology, theory of action, normative theory, and philosophy of religion. I have become very interested in issues at the intersection of ethics and social psychology. Some of this research was recently featued in an interview in the online version of the Wake Forest Magazine which is available here.

Selected Publications

Edited Collections

2. Symposium on Agency. Ethics 118 (2008): 385-463.
1. Philip Quinn. Essays in the Philosophy of Religion. Ed. Christian Miller. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006. 328 pages.

Articles

20. “Moral Relativism and Moral Psychology,” Invited Paper in The Blackwell Companion to Relativism. Ed. Steven Hales. Blackwell Publishing (in progress).
19. “Guilt, Embarrassment, and Global Character Traits Associated with Helping,” Invited Paper in New Waves in Ethics. Ed. Thom Brooks. Palgrave Macmillan (in progress).
18. “The Euthyphro Dilemma,” Invited Paper in the Blackwell International Encyclopedia of Ethics (in progress).
17.“Gert on Subjective Practical Rationality,” Ethical Theory and Moral Practice (forthcoming).
16. “The Conditions of Moral Realism,” The Journal of Philosophical Research (forthcoming).
15. “Divine Will Theory: Desires or Intentions?” Oxford Studies in Philosophy of Religion (forthcoming).
14. “Empathy, Social Psychology, and Global Helping Traits,” Philosophical Studies (forthcoming).
13. “Divine Desire Theory and Obligation,” Invited Paper in New Waves in Philosophy of Religion. Ed. Y. Nagasawa and E. Wielenberg. Palgrave Macmillan. (forthcoming).
12. “Introduction to Agency Symposium,” Ethics 118 (2008): 385-387.
11. “Motivational Internalism,” Philosophical Studies 139 (2008): 233-255.
10. “Motivation in Agents” Noûs 42 (2008): 222-266.
9. “The Structure of Instrumental Practical Reasoning,” Philosophy and Phenomenological Research 75 (2007): 1-41.
8. “The Conditions of Realism,” The Journal of Philosophical Research 32 (2007): 95-132.
7. “The Policy-Based Approach to Identification,” Philosophical Psychology 20 (2007): 105-125.
6. “Quinn’s Philosophy of Religion,” in Essays in the Philosophy of Religion. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 2006. 1-18.
5. “Shafer-Landau and Moral Realism.” Invited Review Essay. Social Theory and Practice 32 (2006): 311-331.
4. “Defeaters and the Basicality of Theistic Belief,” in Basic Belief and Basic Knowledge: Papers in Epistemology. Ed. R. Rood, S. Roeser, and R. Woudenberg (Frankfurt: Ontos Verlag, 2005), 147-176.
3. “Social Psychology and Virtue Ethics.” The Journal of Ethics 7 (2003): 365-392.
2. “Rorty and Tolerance.” Theoria: Special Issue on the Philosophy of Richard Rorty 101 (2003): 94-108.
1. “Rorty and Moral Relativism.” European Journal of Philosophy 10 (2002): 354-374.

“Q & A with Christian Miller: Philosopher Researches Character Traits and Behavior,” Online Version of Wake Forest Magazine, June 2008. Available here.

8. Review of Moral Psychology. The Neuroscience of Morality: Emotion, Brain Disorders, and Development. Volume III. Ed. Walter Sinnott-Armstrong. Cambridge: MIT Press, 2008. Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews (in progress).
7. Review of Moral Psychology. The Cognitive Science of Morality: Intuition and Diversity. Volume II. Ed. Walter Sinnott-Armstrong. Cambridge: MIT Press. Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews (in progress).
6. Review of Gabriele Taylor. Deadly Vices. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006. The Journal of Value Inquiry 41 (2007): 409-413.
5. Review of Joel Kupperman. Ethics and Qualities of Life. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007. Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews (2007).
4. Review of Joshua Gert. Brute Rationality: Normativity and Human Action. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004. Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews (2005).
3. Review of Alexander Miller. An Introduction to Contemporary Metaethics. Cambridge: Polity Press, 2003. Australasian Journal of Philosophy 83:2 (2005):
279-281.
2. Review of William Casebeer. Natural Ethical Facts. Cambridge: MIT Press, 2003. The Philosophical Quarterly 55 (2005): 532-534.
1. Review of Weakness of Will and Practical Irrationality. Ed. S. Stroud and C. Tappolet. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003. The Journal of Moral Philosophy 1:2 (2004): 242-245.

Work in Progress

“Social Psychology, Mood, and Helping: Mixed Results for Virtue Ethics,” for a special issue on virtue ethics and social psychology.

Three Other Papers under Review

Invited Presentations

9. "Comments on Vargas," Invited Symposium on Freedom, Responsibility, and Situationism, American Philosophical Association Pacific Division Meeting, April 2007.
8. "Affect and Helping: Mixed Results for Virtue Ethics," North Carolina Philosophical Society, February 2007.
7. "Comments on Nobis," American Philosophical Association Central Division Meeting, April 2006.
6. "Gert's Brute Rationality," American Philosophical Association Pacific Division Meeting, Author-Meets-Critics Symposium, March 2006.
5. "Affect and Helping: Mixed Results for Virtue Ethics," Virtue Ethics and Social Psychology Conference, University of Denver, October 2005.
4. "Comments on Sommers," Society for Philosophy and Psychology Annual Meeting, June 2005.
3. "Comments on Sayre-McCord," American Philosophical Association Central Division Meeting, April 2005. Invited Symposium on Moral Realism.
2. "Volitional Impossibility Judgments." Wake Forest University. February 2004.
1. "Volitional Impossibility Judgments." Columbia University. January 2004.

Selected Additional Presentations

17. “Character Traits, Social Psychology, and Impediments to Helping Behavior,” Symposium Presentation. American Philosophical Association Pacific Division Meeting, April 2009.
16. "Planning the Semester," Wake Forest University New Faculty Orientation, August 2008.
15. "Does the Trait of Compassion Exist? Some Results from Social Psychology." Princeton University Central North Carolina Alumni Association, May 2008.
14. "Does the Trait of Compassion Exist? Some Results from Social Psychology." Davidson College, November 2007.
13. "Irresistible Desires, Compulsion, and Addiction," What Is Addiction? Mind and World Conference, May 2007.
12. "Caring, Meaning, and Williams' Integrity Objection," International Society for Utilitarian Studies, Dartmouth University, August 2005.
11. "Motivational Internalism: A New Problem," Symposium Presentation. American Philosophical Association Pacific Division Meeting, March 2005.
10. "Motivational Internalism: A New Problem," North Carolina Philosophical Society, February 2005.
9. "Bratman on Identification." American Philosophical Association Pacific Division Meeting, March 2004. Winner of an APA Outstanding Paper Award and Travel Grant.
8. "Volitional Impossibility Judgments." University of Notre Dame Philosophy Department Colloquium, January 2004.
7. "The Incoherence Argument Revisited." American Philosophical Association Eastern Division Meeting, December 2003. Winner of an APA Outstanding Paper Award and Travel Grant.
6. "Motivational Internalism and Reliably Connected Moral Agents." American Philosophical Association Pacific Division Meeting, March 2003.
5. "Motivational Internalism and Reliably Connected Moral Agents." Oxford Graduate Philosophy Conference, November 2002.
4. "Social Psychology and Descriptive Virtue Ethics." American Philosophical Association Pacific Division Meeting, April 2002. Winner of an APA Outstanding Paper Award and Travel Grant.
3. "Rortean Metaethics and Meta-Ethical Moral Relativism." Ohio Philosophical Association Annual Meeting, April 2002.
2. “Rortean Meta-Ethics and Meta-Ethical Moral Relativism,” Society of Student Philosophers, American Philosophical Association Pacific Division Meeting.
1. "Epistemic Defeaters and the Basicality of Theistic Belief." Free University of Amsterdam , June 2001.  

Teaching at Notre Dame and Wake Forest

Introduction to Philosophy (x10)
Freedom, Moral Responsibility, and Agency
Freshman Seminar on Plato's Republic
Freshman Seminar on God
Environmental Ethics
Ethical Theory (x5)
Topics in Ethics: Moral Realism (x2)
Directed Reading: Religion and Morality
Independent Work with Two Master’s Students, PHI 660 Ethics
Independent Work with Master’s Student, PHI 661 Topics in Ethics
Senior Honors Thesis Supervision (x4 - Nuclear Ethics, Death Penalty, Divine Command Theory, and Obligations to Future Generations) and Second Reader (Nietzsche)

Selected Honors

Selected as a Member of the 2009 Who’s Who in America
Selected as a Member of the 2009 Who’s Who Among Executives and Professionals
Wake Forest Mortar Board Honor Society Faculty Appreciation Event, Spring 2008
"Success and Helping Others,” Wake Forest Golden Key Honor Society 2006 Induction Ceremony Invited Keynote Address
Wake Forest Golden Key Honor Society, 2006 Wake Forest Professor of the Year and Lifetime Honorary Faculty Member of the National Golden Key Honor Society
Wake Forest Golden Key Honor Society Faculty Appreciation Dinner, Spring 2007
Wake Forest Teaching Certificate of Appreciation, Spring 2006
Wake Forest Delta Delta Delta Outstanding Professor in Philosophy Award, Fall 2005
Wake Forest Alpha Phi Omega Outstanding Faculty Dinner, Fall 2005
Wake Forest Pi Kappa Alpha Outstanding Faculty Dinner, Spring 2005
Wake Forest Sigma Chi Outstanding Faculty Dinner, Spring 2005
Wake Forest Delta Delta Delta Outstanding Professor in Philosophy Award, Fall 2004
University of Notre Dame College of Arts and Letters Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2004-2006 (declined)
University of Notre Dame Presidential Fellowship, 1999-2003
University of Notre Dame Dissertation Year Fellowship, Fall 2003

Professional Service

On September 22-24, 2006, I hosted a conference on action theory entitled "Agency and Action." The speakers included Michael Smith, J. David Velleman, John Broome, Jay Wallace, Michael Bratman, Joseph Raz, John Fischer, Kieran Setiya, Phil Clark, Doug Lavin, Pamela Hieronymi, and Niko Kolodny. For details, please see the conference website. The papers by Velleman, Setiya, and Kolodny, together with my introduction, were published as a symposium on agency in the April 2008 issue of Ethics.

Member, APA Committee on Lectures, Publications, and Research

Manuscript Referee: Philosophical Studies (2003), The Journal of Moral Philosophy (2003), Theoria (2004), The Journal of Philosophical Research (2004), The Journal of Philosophical Research (2005), Australasian Journal of Philosophy (2005), Society for Philosophy and Psychology (2005), Theoria (2005), Philosopher's Imprint (2005), The Journal of Moral Philosophy (2005), Ethical Theory and Moral Practice (2005), Longman Publishers (2005 - textbook proposal), Australasian Journal of Philosophy (2006), The Journal of Religious Ethics (2006), The Journal of Philosophical Research (2006), Philosopher's Imprint (2006), Synthese (2006), Philosophy and Phenomenological Research (2006), Philosopher's Imprint (2007), Society for Philosophy and Psychology (2007), The Journal of Philosophical Research (2007, three times), The Southern Journal of Philosophy (2007), The Canadian Journal of Philosophy (2007), Longman Publishers (2007 - textbook manuscript), Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (2007), Blackwell Publishers (2007 - book manuscript), Ethical Theory and Moral Practice (2008), The Journal of Value Inquiry (2008, 2007), Philosophical Quarterly (2008), Journal of Ethics and Social Philosophy (2008), Noûs (2008), Routledge (2008 – book manuscript), Rowman and Littlefield (2008 – book manuscript), and Oxford University Press (2008 - book manuscript).

Research Assistant, Second Edition of the Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
Consultant, Excelsior College, Introduction to Philosophy Examination Writing, Spring 2008
Board of Advisers, Center for Normative Inquiry, Palm Beach Atlantic College

Chair, Wisconsin Meta-Ethics Workshop, September 2008.
Chair, Author Meets Critics Session, 2008 American Philosophical Association Central Division Meeting.
Chair, Wisconsin Meta-Ethics Workshop, September 2006.
Chair, Philip Quinn Memorial Conference, University of Notre Dame, December 2005.
Chair, Wisconsin Meta-Ethics Workshop, September 2005.
Chair, Ethics Session, American Philosophical Association Central Division Meeting, April 2005.
Chair, Philosophy of Religion Session. American Philosophical Association Central Division Meeting, April 2003.
Chair, Realism Session. Society for Realism/Anti-Realism, American Philosophical Association Central Division Meeting, April 2003.
Chair, Ontology Session. American Philosophical Association Central Division Meeting, April 2002.

Useful Links

Ethics

Ethics Updates
Ethics Glossary
Bioethics.net
Brown Electronic Ethics Articles
Jimmy Lenman's Meta-ethics Bibliography
British Society for Ethical Theory

 General Philosophical Resources

American Philosophical Association
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Philosophy Now
OUP Philosophy Catalog
CUP Philosophy Catalog
Online Bibliographies
EpistemeLinks
The Paideia Project
Philosophical Gourmet Report
Britannica
Philosophy References

Blogs

Fragments of Consciousness
Prosblogian
The Garden of Forking Paths
Pea Soup
Ethics Etc. Blog
Certain Doubts
Experimental Philosophy Blog
Brian Weatherson's Blog
Brian Leiter's Blog
JanusBlog on Virtue Theory

Created March 10, 2001.