Dr. Chapman's research focuses on the topics of epistemology, existential ethics, and social and political philosophy. His current research focuses on the nature of justification within the realms of existential ethics and political philosophy. Justification is the foundation of our uniquely humanly lives in that it structures all of our intentional action as well as provides value to our actions and life projects. The best accounts of the nature of justification derive from Aristotle and Kant and are pictures of us as self-constituting, self-creating, self-constructing individuals whose very essences are bound up with the demand we place on ourselves to justify our lives.
Teaching
courses taught
PHIL 1000 - Introduction to Philosophy
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2019
Introduces students to the most fundamental questions of human existence, either topically or through various major figures in philosophy. Topics may include free will, the mind-body problem, the nature of the self, the existence of God, knowledge of the external world, the nature of morality, the meaning of life.
PHIL 1200 - Contemporary Social Problems
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2020
Examines competing positions in debates over a wide variety of controversial moral, social and political issues. Topics may include: abortion, world poverty, animal rights, immigration, physician-assisted suicide, freedom of religion, hate speech, cloning, income inequality, pornography, gun rights, racial profiling, capital punishment, overpopulation, prostitution, drug legalization, torture. Formerly titled 'Philosophy and Society.' Repeatable up to 6 credit hours.
PHIL 1400 - Philosophy and the Sciences
Primary Instructor
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Summer 2018
Considers philosophical topics and concepts related to the natural sciences, such as the following: science and pseudo-science; scientific method; the nature of explanation, theory, confirmation, and falsification; the effect of science on basic concepts like mind, freedom, time, and causality; ethics of experimentation; and the relation of science to society.
PHIL 3010 - History of Modern Philosophy
Primary Instructor
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Summer 2018
Introduces modern philosophy, focusing on the period from Descartes through Kant. In addition to careful analysis of philosophical arguments, attention is paid to the ways in which philosophers responded to and participated in major developments in the 17th and 18th century, such as the scientific revolution. Recommended prerequisite: 6 hours of philosophy coursework.
PHIL 3180 - Critical Thinking: Contemporary Topics
Primary Instructor
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Summer 2018
Looks at a selected topic such as nuclear disarmament, racial and sexual discrimination, animal rights, or abortion and euthanasia by examining issues through the lens of critical philosophical analysis. Reviews the reasoning behind espoused positions and the logical connections and argument forms they contain. Recommended prerequisite: 6 hours of philosophy coursework.
PHIL 3200 - Social and Political Philosophy
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Fall 2018
Systematic discussion and analysis of such philosophic ideas as community, freedom, political power, and violence. Recommended prerequisite: 6 hours of philosophy course work.
PHIL 3600 - Philosophy of Religion
Primary Instructor
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Spring 2020
Philosophical discussion of fundamental issues in religion, such as existence of God, religious experience, faith and reason, evil, immortality and religious language. Recommended prerequisite: 6 hours of philosophy coursework.
PHIL 4070 - Existentialist Philosophy
Primary Instructor
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Fall 2018 / Fall 2019
Examines central figures and texts in the existential tradition, from Kierkegaard and Nietzsche to Heidegger and Sartre. Recommended prerequisite: 12 hours philosophy course work.
