Lionel K. McPherson

Tufts University
Department of Philosophy
Medford, MA 02155
(617) 627-2346
lionel.mcpherson@tufts.edu

Education

Harvard University
PhD, Philosophy, 1999

Princeton University
AB, Philosophy, summa cum laude, 1990

Academic Employment

Tufts University
    Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy, 2006-present
    Assistant Professor, Department of Philosophy, 1999-2006

Areas of Specialization

Ethics, Political Philosophy

Areas of Competence

Aesthetics, Philosophy of Mind

Publications

"Normativity and the Rejection of Rationalism," Journal of Philosophy 104 (2007): 55-70.

"Is Terrorism Distinctively Wrong?" Ethics 117 (2007): 524-546.

"Prisoner's Mistrust" (with Erin Kelly), Ratio 20 (2007): 57-70.

"The Racial Refusenik's Issues, and Ours: Commentary on Eamonn Callan's 'The Ethics of Assimilation'," Symposia on Gender, Race and Philosophy 2 (2006): 1-4 (1,700 words).

"The Limits of the War Convention," Philosophy & Social Criticism 31 (2005): 147-163.

"Excessive Force in War: A 'Golden Rule' Test," Theoretical Inquiries in Law 6 (2005): 81-95.

"Halfway Revolution: From That Gangsta Hobbes to Radical Liberals," in Hip Hop and Philosophy: From Rhyme to Reason, ed. Derrick Darby and Tommie Shelby (Chicago: Open Court, 2005).

"Blackness and Philosophy: A Reply to Our Critics" (with Tommie Shelby), Symposia on Gender, Race and Philosophy 1 (2005): 1-5 (3,200 words).

"Blackness and Blood: Interpreting African American Identity" (with Tommie Shelby), Philosophy & Public Affairs 32 (2004): 171-192.

"Innocence and Responsibility in War," Canadian Journal of Philosophy 34 (2004): 485-506.

"The Moral Insignificance of 'Bare' Personal Reasons," Philosophical Studies 110 (2002): 29-47.

"On Tolerating the Unreasonable" (with Erin Kelly), Journal of Political Philosophy 9 (2001): 38-55.
Reprinted in John Rawls: Critical Assessments of Leading Political Philosophers, ed. Chandran Kukathas (New York: Routledge, 2002).

Presented Papers

University of Colorado, Boulder, "Fairness as a Dummy Concept," January 2007.

Brown University, "Fairness as a Dummy Concept," Political Philosophy Workshop, December 2006.

Libera Universita Internazionale degli Studi Sociali (LUISS) University, "War and Terrorism," Political Philosophy and Human Rights Summer Program, Orvieto, June 2006.

University of Minnesota, "Rethinking Why Terrorism Is Wrong," April 2006.

University of Montreal, "Rejecting Battlefield Equality, Practically Speaking," invited conference: War and Moral Responsibility, September 2005.

APA Pacific Division, "What Is Distinctively Wrong about Terrorism?," invited symposium: Philosophical Issues on War in a Time of Terrorism, March 2005.

University of Washington, "Excessive Force in War," October 2004.

Hebrew and Tel Aviv Universities, "Excessive Force in War," invited conference: The Use of Excessive Force, May 2004.

Libera Universita Internazionale degli Studi Sociali (LUISS) University, Rome, "The Moral Agency of Combatants," May 2004.

APA Pacific Division, "The Moral Agency of Combatants," invited symposium: Rethinking Just War Theory, March 2004.

Colby College, "Responsibility in War," March 2004.

Tufts University, "Terrorism and Moral Consistency," invited symposium: Reexamining Terrorism, April 2002.

APA Central Division, "The Moral Insignificance of 'Bare' Personal Reasons," April 2000.

Honors and Awards

Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service, Faculty Fellow, Tufts University, 2003-05.

Faculty Research Award, Tufts University, Summer 2004.

Harvard University Center for Ethics and the Professions, Faculty Fellow, 2002-03.

Summer Stipend Award, National Endowment for the Humanities, 2002.

Mellon Fellowship in the Humanities, Harvard University, 1992-94, 1997.

Graduate Prize Fellowship, Harvard University, 1994-96.

Ford Predoctoral Fellowship for Minorities, honorary, 1992.

Teaching Experience

Ethical Theory

Global Justice

Ethics, Law and Society

War and Terrorism

Racism and Social Inequality

The Personal and the Moral

Normativity

Introduction to Philosophy

References

Professor Joshua Cohen; Philosophy, Law and Political Science, Stanford University

Professor Jeff McMahan; Philosophy, Rutgers University

Professor Richard Moran; Philosophy, Harvard University

Professor Derek Parfit; All Souls College, Oxford University

Professor Dennis Thompson; Government and Safra Center for Ethics, Harvard University