I studied philosophy at Franciscan University of Steubenville (BA & MA), and the University of Virginia (PhD).  My dissertation, “Existence and Emergence,” was directed by Trenton Merricks.  After UVa, I spent a year on a postdoctoral fellowship at Notre Dame’s Center for Philosophy of Religion, which was a splendid place. I'm now part of Wake Forest’s excellent—and very active—philosophy department. I teach and write about metaphysics, philosophy of religion, and the history of philosophy. I borrow a lot from Aristotle and the medieval scholastics, particularly St. Thomas Aquinas.

Some of my papers:

“Divine Judgment and the Nature of Time,” Faith and Philosophy 22 (2005)
“Meta-ontology and Accidental Unity,” Philosophical Quarterly 56 (2006)
“Contingently Existing Propositions?” Philosophical Studies 129 (2006)
“Pascal’s First Wager Reconsidered,” co-written with Christopher Toner,  International Philosophical Quarterly 46 (2006)
"Emergent Substance," Philosophical Studies 141 (2008)
“Reading ‘is’ Existentially in Republic 476-480,” British Journal for the History of Philosophy (forthcoming)
"Personhood and Death in St. Thomas Aquinas," History of Philosophy Quarterly (forthcoming)

I'm working on papers on substance, on St. Thomas Aquinas on the soul, and on Transubstantiation. As you can see, I do not have any papers—finished or in progress—available online, but if you email me I’d be glad to send stuff to you.  Comments are welcome. 

Email: tonerpj@wfu.edu