Publications
Publications
“Material Persistence in Aristotle’s Generation of Animals,” in Aristotle’s Generation of Animals—A Comprehensive Approach, ed. Sabine Föllinger (in Philosophie der Antike, ed. Sabine Föllinger (De Gruyter, Philosophie der Antike vol. 43, June 2022), 209-231.
“God and Hylomorphism,” in Neo-Aristotelian Metaphysics and the Philosophy of Nature, ed. William M.R. Simpson, Robert C. Koons, and James Orr (Routledge, NY, October 2021), 322-342.
“Mysterious Bodies: Aristotelian Animal Generation and the Early Christian Doctrine of Bodily Resurrection,” with Brandon R. Peterson, Journal of Ancient Philosophy 15:2 (October 2021), 139-169.
"Hylomorphism, Homology, and the Extended Evolutionary Synthesis," Philosophy, Theology, and the Sciences 7 (October 2020), 253-277.
“Aristotle’s Sciences: Inquiring into Nature and the Divine,” in Christian Theology and the Sciences, ed. John Slattery (T&T Clark, October 2020), 45-58.
"Aristotelian Explanation and Homology in Biology," Ancient Philosophy Today: Dialogoi 2.1 (April 2020), 45-69.
"Matter in Biology: An Aristotelian Metaphysics for Contemporary Homology," American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly 92:2 (2018).
"Unity, Plurality, and Hylomorphic Composition in Aristotle's Metaphysics," Australasian Journal of Philosophy 96:1 (2018). [Ahead of print: May 2017, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00048402.2017.1324501.]
"The Primacy of the Organism: Being, Unity, and Diversification in Aristotle's Metaphysics," Review of Metaphysics 70:4 (June 2017), 645-661. (Winner of the Review of Metaphysics 2015 Dissertation Essay Contest)
“Elemental Transformation in Aristotle: Three Dilemmas for the Traditional Account,” in Novak, Novotny, Sousedik, and Svoboda (eds.), Metaphysics: Aristotelian, Scholastic, Analytic (Ontos Verlag, 2012), 59-72.
“Sameness in Biology,” co-authored with Grant Ramsey, Philosophy of Science 79:2 (April 2012), 255-275.
“Matter and Form, Number and Nows: An Analogy for Understanding Aristotle’s Account of Time,” in P. Hanna (ed.), An Anthology of Philosophical Studies vol. 3 (Athens Institute for Education and Research, 2009), 37-48.
Peer-Reviewed Artices
An Aristotelian Antidote? Scientific Explanation in Philosophy of Biology, Edinburgh University Press Blog (June 23, 2020)
Review of The Middle Included: Logos in Aristotle, by Ömer Aygün. Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews (September 2017)
“Ethics, Religion and Society in the Sophists,” Key Themes and Figures in Ancient and Medieval Philosophy, ed. Brendan Sweetman (Gale, 2016). Gale Researcher.
Invited Short Pieces
Presentations
TBD, Henle Conference and Wade Memorial Lectures (Saint Louis University), March 2024 [Invited]
What’s the Matter with Elemental Transformation and Animal Generation in Aristotle? Utah Ancient Greek Philosophy Circle (University of Utah), Nov. 2023
A Lost Discipline? Nature, Divinity, and Priority in Aristotle’s Metaphysics, Philosophy Department Colloquium Research Presentation (University of Utah), Oct. 2023 [Invited]
Hylomorphic Bodies through the Lens of Evolutionary Developmental Biology, American Catholic Philosophical Association annual meeting (New Orleans), November 2022 [Invited]
First Philosophy and Natural Science in Aristotle, “Nature, Law, and Cosmos in Ancient Greek Philosophy: A Conference in Honor of Dan Graham” (Brigham Young University), October 2022 [Invited]
Natural Science and Theology in Aristotle, Utah Ancient Greek Philosophy Circle (University of Utah), September 2022
Aristotle’s Metaphysics N, Reading Group on Aristotle’s Metaphysics N (Tinos, Greece), July 2022 [Invited])
Change We Can Believe In: Continuity, Discontinuity, and Fidelity, with Brandon Peterson, Development of Doctrine: Revelation, Magisterium, and Human Reason Conference, New York, June 2021 (presented via Zoom due to travel restrictions)
Aristotle on the Ineliminability of Metaphysics, Utah Ancient Philosophy Circle (Utah Valley University), October 2020
The Ineliminability of Aristotle's First Science, Philosophy Department Research Presentation (Purdue University), October 2019 [Invited]
Aristotle on the Unity of Metaphysics, Philosophy Department Colloquium Research Presentation (University of Tennessee at Knoxville), September 2019 [Invited]
Aristotle's Metaphysics M 7, Reading Group on Aristotle's Metaphysics M (Organized under the University of Oslo; held at Anargyrios and Korgialenios School of Spetses, Greece), July 2019. [Invited]
Aristotle’s Sciences: Inquiring into Nature and the Divine, Utah Ancient Philosophy Circle (Utah Valley University), June 2019
Aristotle on the Ineliminability of Metaphysics, 2019 Pacific Division Meeting of the American Philosophical Association, for the session “Aristotle vs. Emergentism? The Roots of Anti-Reductionism,” with Mariam Thalos and Tuomas Tahko, April 2019 [Invited]
Comments on Marko Malink’s "Antisthenes on Definition: Metaphysics H 3," Annual Toronto Workshop on Ancient Philosophy: Aristotle’s Hylomorphism, March 2019 [Invited]
"Aristotelian Matter and the Early Christian Doctrine of Bodily Resurrection," Aristotelian Biology and Christian Philosophy in the Early Empire (University of Oxford), January 2019. [Invited]
"Aristotelian Explanation and the Biological Homology Concept," Philosophy Department Colloquium Research Presentation (Purdue University), November 2018. [Invited]
Unity, Plurality, and Hylomorphic Composition in Aristotle’s Metaphysics, Philosophy Department Workshop on my article “Unity, Plurality, and Hylomorphic Composition in Aristotle’s Metaphysics” (Purdue University), November 2018 [Invited]
"What's the Matter with Animal Generation? Aristotle on Material Persistence," Aristotle’s Generation of Animals--A Comprehensive Approach (The Philipps University of Marburg, Germany), August 2018. [Invited]
"What's the Matter with Animal Generation? Numerical Unity and Hylomorphic Unity in Aristotle," Ancient Greek and Roman Philosophy Workshop (University of Chicago), May 2018. [Invited]
"Why You Should Care About Aristotelian Biology," Philosophy of Biology at the Mountains (University of Utah), May 2018. [Invited]
"Aristotle on Animals: Matter, Change, and the Active Unity of Life," Philosophy Department Colloquium Research Presentation (Utah Valley University), October 2017. [Invited]
"Aristotle's De Anima I.5, 410b16-411b30," Reading Group on Aristotle's De Anima I (Organized under the University of Oslo; held at Anargyrios and Korgialenios School of Spetses, Greece), August 2017. [Invited]
“Individuality, Generality, and Change in Metaphysics and Philosophy of Biology,” International Society for the History, Philosophy, and Social Studies of Biology 2017 Conference, for the session “Modeling Individuality: Organisms, Stem Cells and Cancer,” organized by Melinda Bonnie Fagan (Institute of Biosciences of the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil), July 2017.
"Are Soul and Body Distinct? Hylomorphic Unity and the Activity of Life," Person, Soul, and Consciousness: Philosophical and Theological Perspectives (Oakland, California), July 2017.
"Conceptual Obscurity and Metaphysical Methodology," 2017 Midsummer Philosophy Workshop (University of Leeds, England), June 2017. [Refereed Paper]
Numerical Unity, Formal Unity, and Material Persistence in Aristotle, 2017 Mentoring Workshop for Pre-Tenure Women Faculty in Philosophy (University of Utah), June 2017
"Explanatory Levels and the Biological Homology Concept: An Aristotelian Perspective," Aristotle Resurgent: Exploring Neo-Aristotelian Approaches to Metaphysics, Ethics, and Philosophy of Science (University of Pittsburgh), May 2017. [Invited]
"Aristotle's De Generatione et Corruptione II," 2017 Workshop of the Center for the Aristotelian Tradition (University of Notre Dame), May 2017. [Invited]
"Are Organisms Beings, Changes, or Both? Matter, Composition, and Biological Unity in Aristotle," Tanner Humanities Center Fellows Work In Progress Series (University of Utah), February 2017. [Invited]
"Matter in Biology: An Aristotelian Metaphysics for Contemporary Homology," Theology and the Philosophy of Science: Analytic, Scholastic, and Historical Perspectives (Concordia University of Edmonton), October 2016. [Invited]
"An Anti-Reductive Biological Homology Concept," Science, Philosophy, and Religious Commitment: Catholic Engagement in Philosophy of Science (University of St. Thomas), June 2016. [Invited]
“What Happens to Aristotle’s Origin of Change?,” 16th Annual meeting of the Ancient Philosophy Society (Portland, Maine), April 2016. [Refereed paper]
"Organismal Generation Then and Now: The Persistence and Development of Aristotelian Matter," Worlds Apart? Aristotelian and Contemporary Engagement in Metaphysics and the Philosophy of Biology (University of Utah), April 2016.
“A Methodological Mess: Formulating the Universal/Particular Distinction," Junior Metaphysics Workshop (Texas Christian University), March 2016. [Refereed paper]
“Reproduction, Form, and Organism in Aristotle’s Metaphysics and Biology,” 2015 Meeting of the International Society for the History, Philosophy, and Social Studies of Biology (University of Quebec at Montreal), July 2015.
“Aristotle’s Response to Parmenides: Matter as a Kind-Shifter,” 36th Annual Richard B. Baker Philosophy Colloquium: Teleology in Plato and Aristotle (University of Dayton), April 2015.
“Aristotle’s Physics II.8: Coincidence, Empedocles, and Evolutionary Theory,” Intermountain Philosophy Conference (Utah State University), November 2014.
“The Primacy of the Organism: Diversification, Matter, and Teleology,” University of St. Thomas Philosophy Department research presentation, February 2014. [Invited]
“The Primacy of the Organism: Matter and Teleology,” Gonzaga University Philosophy Department research presentation, February 2014. [Invited]
“The Primacy of the Organism: Matter, Teleology, and Homology,” University of Utah Philosophy Department research presentation, January 2014. [Invited]
“Aristotle’s Hylomorphism: Diversification and Generation,” King's College Philosophy Department research presentation, January 2014. [Invited]
"Diversifying Socrates and Callias: Constituent Ontology without Derivative Diversification," Wake Forest University Workshop on Hylomorphism, June 2013. [Invited]
“Diversification in Aristotle's Metaphysics: Critiquing the Traditional View," 13th Annual Meeting of the Ancient Philosophy Society, University of Notre Dame, April 2013. [Refereed paper]
“Distinguishing Universals from Particulars: Historical Contexts, Contemporary Debates, and Methodology,” University of Notre Dame Workshop on the History of Philosophy, November 2011. [Invited]
“Prime Matter, Elemental Transformation, and the Threat of Parmenides,” Metaphysics: Aristotelian, Scholastic, Analytic (Prague, The Czech Republic), June 2010. [Invited]
“Matter and Form, Number and Nows: An Analogy for Understanding Aristotle’s Account of Time,” Athens Institute for Education and Research Third International Conference on Philosophy (Athens, Greece), June 2008.
Selected Awards
Review of Metaphysics 2015 Dissertation Essay Competition Winner, for "The Primacy of the Organism: Being, Unity, and Diversification in Aristotle's Metaphysics"
Tanner Humanities Center Internal Faculty Fellow, 2016-2017, University of Utah
Faculty Release for Scholarly Pursuits, fall 2019, University of Utah
Ramona Cannon Award for Teaching Excellence in the Humanities, Spring 2020, University of Utah
Conference/
Session
Organization
Conference Organizer: “Worlds Apart? Aristotelian and Contemporary Engagement in Metaphysics and the Philosophy of Biology,” University of Utah, April 14-15, 2016
This conference advances the exchange of ideas between scholars who focus on Metaphysics or Philosophy of Biology in Aristotle and scholars who focus on Metaphysics or Philosophy of Biology in the contemporary scene. Its guiding motivation is that both directions of this exchange can be strengthened in conversation with each other. Of course, philosophical analysis focused primarily on historical exegesis or primarily on contemporary relevance has a key role to play in this dialogue; the exchange, after all, will only be as strong as its starting points. Exploring potential points of relevance between Aristotle’s Metaphysics and Philosophy of Biology and these disciplines as they are currently pursued, the conference centers on Aristotle's thought with an eye toward questions concerning its relevance within the contemporary world.
Session Organizer and Chair: “Worlds Apart? Aristotelian and Contemporary Biological Explanation and the Primacy of the Organism,” Organized Session with James Lennox and Denis Walsh, presented at the International Society for the History, Philosophy, and Social Studies of Biology 2015 Conference, University of Quebec, July 2015 (Montreal, Canada)