Presenter Biographies
Dr. Erik Angner (keynote speaker, "Philosophy and the Science of Happiness"):
Dr. Erik Angner is Associate Professor of Philosophy, Economics, and Public Policy at George Mason University. As a result of serious mission creep, he holds two PhDs – one in Economics and one in History and Philosophy of Science – both from the University of Pittsburgh. He is the author of Hayek and Natural Law as well as numerous journal articles and book chapters on behavioral and experimental economics, the economics of happiness, and the history, philosophy, and methodology of contemporary economics.
Dr. Rose Cherubin ("How to do Ancient Philosophy as Philosophy"):
Professor Cherubin received her B.A from The School of Visual Arts and her Ph.D. from City University of New York Graduate Center. Her research interests include ancient philosophy, metaphysics, epistemology, and political philosophy. She is currently working on an article on the metaphysics of justice in Aeschylus’ Eumenides, and on a book manuscript on Parmenides.
Dr. William H.F. Altman ("How to Teach Philosophy in a Public School", "Beyond Self-Hatred", and "Plato the Teacher"):
Dr. William H.F. Altman teaches Latin at E.C. Glass, a public high school in Lynchburg, Virginia. He is the author of The German Stranger: Leo Strauss and National Socialism (Lexington Books), and Plato the Teacher: The Crisis of the Republic (Lexington Books).
Dr. Christopher Coyne ("Economics of Happiness"):
Christopher Coyne is the F.A. Harper Professor of Economics at the Mercatus Center and a member of the department of economics at George Mason University. He is also the Associate Director of the F. A. Hayek Program for Advanced Study in Philosophy, Politics and Economics. Chris is also the North American Editor of The Review of Austrian Economics and the Book Review Editor for Public Choice. In 2008 he was named the Hayek Fellow at the London School of Economics. Chris is the author of After War: The Political Economy of Exporting Democracy (2007, Stanford University Press), Media, Development and Institutional Change (co-authored with Peter Leeson, 2009, Edward Elgar Publishing), and the co-editor (with Rachel Mathers) of The Handbook on the Political Economy of War (2011, Edward Elgar Publishing). His next book, The Ability to Protect: The Limits of State-led Humanitarian Action, will be published by Stanford University Press. He has also authored numerous academic articles, book chapters, and policy studies.
Donat Sperling (Creator of Room G, the art room and meditation space):
Donat Sperling is an international spirit-inspired artist, who incorporates ancient philosophy and practice with modern technology to make the invisible visible. He creates art that energetically encourages self-healing, and visually reminds us of our energetic interconnectedness with our environment. His works are of video- and photographic nature and have been shown in spiritual centers, local communities, and galleries in Europe. His art is part of a long-term research project by the Behring Institute, which explores the influence of art on public health. Donat’s future vision can be expressed in further refining the process of creating art that holds the potential for transforming society. As many individuals have lost their connection to their inner space and have replaced the resulting emptiness with material possessions, we are in need for regaining our authenticity in order to positively change society.
Dr. Leone Monticone (Musical performance)
Dr. Leone Monticone was born and raised in Pittsburgh and has been playing accordion since the age of 7. He resides in Fairfax, VA, and works as an air traffic control communications systems engineer for the MITRE Corporation in McLean, VA. He was a member of AccordionPlus accordion band for 15 years under the directorship of Dale E. Wise, and has played in small groups at farmers markets and other events in the Fairfax and Washington, DC areas.
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Student Presenters
Debra Bellamy
I am a Philosophy major at Goucher College and I will be defending my senior thesis this May. In addition to studying Feminist Philosophy and Queer Theory, I am very interested in French Post-Structuralism and Asian thought (particularly Buddhism), as well as more recent interests in questions of 'the animal', language, and philosophy of science.
Micah-Sage Bolden
Micah-Sage Bolden is a native of Knoxville, TN, is an undergraduate attending King College in Bristol, TN. He is pursuing a double major in political science and history with minors in philosophy and security and intelligence studies. He is Editor-in-Chief of the Kayseean, the student newspaper of King College, Communications Officer of the King Security and Intelligence Study Group (KSI), and a member of the Board of Directors of the Appalachian Peace Education Center. His published works include several news pieces with the Kayseean, the APEC Report "Online Fundraising for Nonprofits," and the article ""Social Networking as a Paradigm Shift in Tactical Intelligence Collection," co-authored by Dr. Joseph Fitsanakis, which appeared in the 2012 Intelligence Studies Yearbook.
Larry Busk
I am a junior philosophy major with minors in French and history at Webster University in St. Louis. I'm a St. Louis native, and I have given papers at undergraduate philosophy conferences at Creighton University in Omaha and at Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville. My main philosophical interests are existentialism and critical theory, with particular attention devoted to the works of Nietzsche, Camus, Merleau-Ponty, and The Frankfurt School. I'm 21, and I also enjoy films, music, and chess.
Andrew Evans
Hello, my name is Andrew Evans. I am a junior Philosophy and Psychology double major at Duquesne University. My goal is to enter a PhD program after I graduate and one day teach Philosophy. Academically, my interests include, Ethics, Psychoanalysis, Existentialism, and Politics. I also enjoy reading, playing volleyball, and watching Arrested Development with my girlfriend.
William Evans
William Evans is currently taking philosophy courses at George Mason University. He hopes to one day become a professor so that he can be paid to read and write rather than pay to read and write. He lives in the mountains of West Virginia where he watches birds and the working man.
Derek Faux
As a sociology and philosophy major at Duquesne University, I enjoy writing and research in both fields. My current work in sociology focuses on the changing definitions of public space in American cities. In philosophy, I am currently working on a paper comparing Plotinus and his aesthetic theories with Plato and Xenophon. At Duquesne, I am an active member of the undergraduate philosophy society. When my time is not spent drowning in a sea of books, I enjoy playing the banjo, accordion and double bass. As a Pittsburgh native, I particularly enjoy attending the symphony and various other concerts held in the region. Ideally, after finishing my undergrad I would like to pursue a doctorate in sociology and a masters in library sciences.
Richard Garzon
I am currently studying philosophy and political science as an undergraduate at Rutgers University-New
Brunswick. I was born and raised in central New Jersey, and therefore (unfortunately) share a state with
the cast of the Jersey Shore. I became interested in philosophy a bit late into my undergraduate career;
it was my first course in epistemology that really fascinated me. I now have pretty broad interests in
epistemology, in areas such as disagreement, testimony, virtue epistemology, structures/theories of
justification and the epistemology of perception. I have also developed keen interests in philosophical
logic and modality, and the metaphysics thereof. Recent forays into the epistemology of perception
have gotten me into the philosophies of mind, language, and cognitive science.
Outside of philosophy, I enjoy playing the guitar as often as I can. I am also a student organizer on my
campus, and organize students to keep sweatshop-made apparel out of my universities bookstores. I
also spend more time than I would like to admit watching TV series on Netflix, and playing videogames.
Derek Gosman
Derek Gosman is from North Vernon Indiana. He is a senior at Ball State University with majors in psychology and philosophy. Additionally, he is a member of the fencing club, philosophy club, and ball sate veterans. Derek intends to pursue graduate work in cognitive neuroscience.
Jacob Graham
I am a recent Duquesne Philosophy graduate student. I defended my dissertation on March 6th, 2012. Aside from an interest in ancient Greek philosophy, I am also interested in Asian thought, primarily Confucianism and Zen Buddhism.
Kelsey Kamitomo
Kelsey Kamitomo is a philosophy major and values in society minor at the University of Washington.
After graduation Kelsey intends to further her academic career by pursuing a doctorate in philosophy
with a focus on applied ethics. Outside of school, Kelsey is an involved member of the ISEE (International
Society for Environmental Ethics) and the Public Philosophy Network, amongst other organizations.
Mark McGinn
Mark McGinn is a native of Cuba, Missouri and currently attends Webster University in St. Louis, where he is a junior philosophy major and creative writing minor. His main areas of philosophical interest include phenomenology, ancient philosophy, existentialism, German idealism, and philosophy of language. After receiving his bachelor’s, he plans to pursue a PhD in philosophy and teach as a professor. His other interests include writing short stories and poetry, playing music, traveling, and bird watching. He is 22 years old.
Ben Mueser
Ben Mueser is a senior at Goucher College, Baltimore, MD, originally from New Hampshire. His major is history, and his minor is social and political theory. He is currently writing a thesis on the judicial philosophy of Justice Owen Roberts, who sat on the Supreme Court from 1930 to 1945. He is also conducting independent research on critiques of the concept of sovereignty. This Spring is first time he has had the opportunity to present his work, and he is excited to share and discuss ideas.
Stephen Noakes
Stephen Noakes earned his honors B.A. in philosophy from the University of Western Ontario in 2007. He is currently pursuing his M.A. in philosophy at George Mason University. His interests include ancient philosophy, especially Socrates and his circle, including but not limited to Plato.
Nick Parrott
Nick Parrott is a senior at Georgetown University, where he is majoring in philosophy and psychology. He studied music and neuroscience before switching his primary interest to philosophy. He is interested in philosophy of mind and critical theory. In his free time he listens to music, plays the piano, and makes video blogs about philosophy.
Daniel Propson
Daniel Propson is a doctoral student in philosophy at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. His interests include ethics, human rights, and ancient philosophy.
Benjamin Serber
Benjamin Serber is a fourth-year undergraduate majoring in philosophy with the ultimate intent of teaching at the university level. His interests include theory of mind, ethics, and the synthesis of existing philosophical ideas.
Leonard Simmons
Leonard Simmons is a Political Science and Philosophy, Politics and Law major at Binghamton University. His research focuses on choice architecture and libertarian paternalism from a cross discipline approach, incorporating research from Psychology and Economics along with Political Science and Philosophy. His most recent project has involved the creation of a model which simulates human rationality, bounded by the model's awareness of its own cognitive distortions. Aside from his research, Leonard also acts as the founder and executive director of the TEDxBinghamtonUniversity event and helps to run a domestic violence and legal awareness seminar in Long Island.
Steve Stakland
After studying Philosophy and Horticulture at Brigham Young University Steve went to work for an international agribusiness company. He was sent to Utah State University to get a MS in Soil Science. The title of his thesis was Effect of Mica Content on Surface Infiltration of Soils in Northwestern Kern County, California. Steve continued his philosophy and presented research; Heidegger and the Spartans: Death and Authenticity. At The Catholic University of America he is writing Thinking, Dwelling, Building, in Heidegger’s Later Philosophy or the Question Concerning Gardening in the Technological Age. Steve teaches philosophy of education at the University of Maryland.
Tyler Wilson
SUNY Geneseo. Admires the systemic philosophies of most pre-contemporary thinkers, whose work demonstrates that all inquiry is connected and mutually dependent. Prefers not to keep aspirations as they distract from the present. Jumps on any opportunity to leave the country and is still waiting for an international communist revolution.