Evan Tiffany
Assistant Professor
  Office: WMX 5652
Phone: (604)-291-4482
Email: etiffany@sfu.ca
Fax: (604)-291-4443 

Education

B.A. 1995, Philosophy and Physics, Albion College.
Ph.D. 2000, Philosophy, University of California, San Diego. 

Areas of Focus

  • Moral Psychology, esp. Practical Reason 
  • Ethical Theory
  • Philosophy of Mind & Language
  • Philosophy in Film
Course Information

Short Intellectual Bio

When I began my undergraduate studies at Albion College (a wonderful liberal arts school 50 miles west of Ann Arbor, Michigan), I knew exactly what I wanted to be. I would, most definitely, become … a scientist. 

Well, like most college students, I changed my mind. 

While on the path to becoming a scientist, a physicist in particular, I stumbled into a philosophy of science course and discovered that it was really the questions about science rather than the practice of science that piqued my interest. This got me taking more philosophy courses, and, interestingly enough, the more philosophy courses I took, the more I enjoyed philosophy.

The decision about what to do post-graduation was easy: the Ivory Tower had treated me well so far, so why give up a good thing? And why not make it even better by doing it in San Diego, California? I entered the PhD program in philosophy at UCSD, eager to begin working in the study philosophy of science and cognitive science – having been trained in the hardest of the hard sciences, I just couldn't give up that scientific objectivity, and phil sci/cog sci seemed like a "hard philosophy." But, alas, another change of heart. I found myself becoming increasingly attracted to the uncertainty of the fuzzy disciplines such as ethics, literature, and the humanities. Moral theory was the way to go, and, under the guidance of prominent moral philosopher David Brink, I went on to write my dissertation on "The Normativity of Morality." 
 

Current Research

My current research focuses on the intersection of moral theory and philosophical psychology, in particular issues surrounding practical reason. Within this topic, I have been focusing on the debate between neo-Humeans and neo-Kantians.   Although I spent my dissertation defending a kind of naturalistic Humeanism, I have of late become convinced that there just might be something deeply right about Kant's moral psychology (though not his normative moral theory), especially with respect to Normativity.

Publications

  • "A Functional Account of Moral Motivation," forthcoming in Southern Journal of Philosophy 41 (Winter 2003).
  • "Alienation and Internal Reasons for Action" Social Theory and Practice29 (July 2003): 387-418.
  • "The Rational Character of Belief and the Argument for Anomalous Monism" Philosophical Studies 103 (April 2001): 285-314.
  • "What's Essential About Indexicals?" Philosophical Studies 100 (July 2000): 35-50.
  • "Semantics San Diego Style," Journal of Philosophy 96 (Aug 1999): 416-429.

Some Current Projects

  • "A Challenge for Neo-Humean Instrumentalism" (manuscript under review)
  • "Reasons, Motives and Valuations" (manuscript under review)
  • "The Unity of Reason" (completed manuscript)
  • "A Direction of Fit Analysis of Valuing" (completed manuscript)
  • "Naturalism and the Value of Rational Agency" (work in progress; completed conference version)
  • "The A Priori Ground of Normativity" (work in progress; completed conference version)
  • "Transcendental Freedom with a Humean Face"  (work in progress)
  • "What is Normativity?" (work in progress)

Personal Interests

When not waxing philosophical, I enjoy wilderness backpacking, urban hiking, downhill skiing, and trainspotting. You might also catch me competing in latin and ballroom dance, bluffing a kings-over-boat in a friendly game of poker (7-card stud and Texas hold'em being my poison of choice), or checking out the local music scene. As well, I am an avid film buff, my favorite directors including: David Lynch, Wong Kar Wai, David Cronenberg, and Stanley Kubrick. 


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