Page 1 of 6 Alexander Douglas CURRICULUM VITAE University of St. Andrews Fife, KY16 9AL Scotland, UK Phone (work): +44 (0)1334 464 437 Mobile: +44 (0) 7526 931 021 E-mail: axd@st-andrews.ac.uk Staff website: https://www.standrews.ac.uk/philosophy/dept/staffprofiles/?staffid=262 Areas of Specialization: Early Modern Philosophy (especially Descartes, Spinoza, and Dutch Cartesianism); History and Philosophy of Economics. Areas of Competence: History of Logic; British Idealism; Philosophy of Psychology; Philosophy of Social Science. Current Position Lecturer in Philosophy, University of St. Andrews (Sep 2016 ) Sub-Honours Arts advisor Previous Positions Lecturer in Philosophy, Heythrop College, London (Sep 2013 Sep 2016). Jacobsen Research Fellow at the Institute of Philosophy, School of Advanced Studies, London. Affiliated with King s College, London (Oct 2011 Sep 2013). Education 2010 D.Phil. in Philosophy, Birkbeck College, London (awarded 28/02/2011). Thesis title: Spinoza s Vindication of Philosophy: Reshaping Early Modern Debate about the Division between Philosophy and Theology. Supervisor: Prof. Susan James. Examiners: Prof. Catherine Wilson, Prof. Justin Champion. Grants and Scholarships: - Royal Institute of Philosophy Jacobsen Fellowship 2008 - Harold Hyam Wingate Scholarship 2008 - Birkbeck International Research Studentship 2006-8 - Commonwealth Research Studentship 2006-8 2006 BA (Honours Philosophy) / BMus, Australian National University. Thesis Title: The Ethics of Immortality: Spinoza on Life and the Problem of Death.
Page 2 of 6 Scholarships and Prizes: -Quentin Gibson Prize for Philosophy, 2006 -Harold Allen Memorial Prize for Composition, 2006 -ANU Honours Scholarship, 2005 Publications: Books 1) The Philosophy of Debt (London: Routledge, 2015) (forthcoming December) http://www.taylorandfrancis.com/books/details/9781138929746/ 2) Spinoza and Dutch Cartesianism: Philosophy and Theology (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2015) http://ukcatalogue.oup.com/product/9780198732501.do Journal Articles: Published/forthcoming: 1) Quatenus and Spinoza s Monism, Journal of the History of Philosophy (forthcoming). 2) Contrived Desires, Affluence, and Welfare: J.K. Galbraith s Pigovian Redistribution Argument Reconsidered, European Journal of the History of Economic Thought 23:4 (2015) (DOI: 10.1080/09672567.2015.1018291). 3) Was Spinoza a Naturalist?, Pacific Philosophical Quarterly 96:1 (2014) (DOI: 10.1111/papq.12042). 4) Christoph Wittich s Anti-Spinoza, The Intellectual History Review, Vol. 24, No.2 (2014). 5) Spinoza and the Dutch Cartesians on Philosophy and Theology, The Journal of the History of Philosophy, Vol. 51, No. 4, (2013). 6) Collingwood s Reading of Spinoza s Psychology, Collingwood and British Idealism Studies, Vol.18, No.1 (2012). Under Review: 1) Descartes Critique of the Syllogistic, History of Philosophy Quarterly Book Chapters: 1) The Possibility of a Philosophy of Psychology in Descartes in Descartes and Cartesianism, ed. Catherine Wilson and Stephen Gaukroger (Oxford University Press, 2017). 2) The Affects in Spinoza: Basic Concepts, ed. André Santos Campos (Imprint Academic, 2015). Book Reviews: 1) Edwin Curley, The Collected Works of Spinoza, Volume 2, The Leibniz Review (forthcoming). 2) Elhanan Yakira, Spinoza and the Case for Philosophy, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews, August 20, 2015 (http://ndpr.nd.edu/news/59983-spinoza-and-the-case-forphilosophy/).
Page 3 of 6 3) Reason, Religion, and Natural Law, ed. Jonathan A. Jacobs, Mind, Vol.123, No.491, January 2014. 4) Metaphysical Grounding: Understanding the Structure of Reality, ed. Fabrice Correia and Benjamin Schnieder, Philosophy Vol.89, No.3, 2014. 3) Review Article: A Worldlier Spinoza. Susan James Spinoza on Philosophy, Religion and Politics, Journal of Early Modern Studies, Vol.1, No.1, Fall 2012. 4) Aristides Balthas, Peeling Potatoes or Grinding Lenses: Spinoza and Young Wittgenstein Converse on Immanence and its Logic, Philosophy Vol. 87, No.3, July 2012 5) Margaret Osler, Reconfiguring the World: Nature, God, and Human Understanding from the Middle Ages to Early Modern Europe, British Journal for the History of Philosophy Vol.20 No.1, January 2012. 6) J. Thomas Cook, Spinoza s Ethics: A Reader s Guide, British Journal for the History of Philosophy Vol. 17 No. 3, June 2009. Conference Presentations/Guest Lectures: Monetary Policy versus Justice, Justice, Money, and Monetary Policy, York University, July 12-13, 2016. The Language of Borrowing: A Potential Pitfall, Conference: Philosophy of Finance, Cambridge University, Clare Hall, 8-9 October 2015. The Logical Basis of Spinoza s Metaphysics, Workshop: Spinoza, Mind, and Metaphysics, Sarton Centre, Ghent University, 27 May 2015. Spinozist Psychology and the French Enlightenment, HOPOS 2014, Ghent University, July 2014. Spinoza and Nietzsche on Valuing (with Christoph Schuringa), Spinoza and Nietzsche in Dialogue, Birkbeck Institute for the Humanities, May 2013. Spinoza s Metaphysical Thoughts and the Theological Implications of Cartesian Metaphysics, Maison Française d Oxford, October 2012. Spinoza, the Enlightenment, and the Ideal of Social Science, presented at the Bucharest- Princeton Seminar in Early Modern Philosophy, Bran, July 2012. Mechanism and Human Action: Johannes De Raey s Cartesian Arguments against Naturalism in Early Modern Social Science, presented at the Institute of Philosophy, February 2012. Dutch Cartesianism and the Separation Idea, presented at the Bucharest-Princeton Seminar in Early Modern Philosophy, Bran, July 2011. Was Spinoza a Naturalist?, presented at a Spinoza Workshop, Ghent University, June 2011. Spinoza, Mechanism, and the Early Enlightenment, presented at the Second Annual Conference in Continental Philosophy of Religion, Regent s Park College, Oxford, September 2009.
Page 4 of 6 The Utrecht Crisis in Early Modern Epistemology, presented at the Fifth London-Berkeley Graduate Conference, University of London School of Advanced Study, Institute of Philosophy. London, May 8 2008. The Utrecht Crisis in Early Modern Biology, presented at the Autumn Graduate Conference, Institute of Philosophy. London, November 2007. Modes and Substance in Spinoza s Metaphysics, presented at the Joint Session of the Aristotelian Society and the MIND Association, Bristol, July 2007. Spinoza and the Human Worm, presented at Wandering With Spinoza, Centre for Ideas, Victorian College of the Arts. Melbourne, September 2006. A Law: The Concept of Law in Kant and Kafka, Second Undergraduate Conference: On the Moral and Aesthetic Philosophy of Immanuel Kant, New School University. New York, March 2006. Teaching 2016 Lecturer, University of St. Andrews Tasks: (1) Designing and teaching undergraduate modules, involving writing and giving lectures, running small-group seminars, marking essays and examination papers. (2) Supervising dissertations at BA, MA, and PhD level. (3) Acting in an administrative and pastoral role within the college. (4) Maintaining a high research profile (including producing material for submission to the Research Excellence Framework) and participating in the broader research culture of the college. Research Methods in Philosophy (History) A seminar/workshop-based module at MLitt level, to help postgraduate students develop the skills they need to pursue research in history of philosophy. The Enlightenment (team-taught) First-year undergraduate module covering key topics in the philosophy of the Age of Enlightenment. I cover the topics: Hume and natural religion, economic freedom, gender and sexuality. Continental Philosophy from Descartes to Leibniz Honours-level module covering key metaphysical and epistemological issues from the philosophy of Descartes and their development by Spinoza, Leibniz, and other early modern philosophers. 2013 2016 Lecturer, Heythrop College, University of London. Tasks:
Page 5 of 6 (1) Designing and teaching undergraduate modules, involving writing and giving lectures, running small-group seminars and one-on-one tutorials, and marking essays and examination papers. (2) Supervising dissertations at BA, MA, and PhD level. (3) Acting in an administrative and pastoral role within the college. (4) Maintaining a high research profile (including producing material for submission to the Research Excellence Framework) and participating in the broader research culture of the college. Contemporary Philosophical Problems Level 6 BA course aimed at providing an advanced comprehension of complex concepts and arguments in contemporary philosophy. The course is jointly taught by several Heythrop lectures and covers various topics. I have primarily taught modules on philosophical issues in economics. History of Modern Philosophy Full-year level 5 BA course aimed at teaching students to understand and critically engage with the philosophical ideas of key early modern philosophers from Descartes to Kant. The course is primarily focused on metaphysical and epistemological issues and covers Descartes, Locke, Leibniz, some French Enlightenment thinkers, Hume, and Kant, as well as other figures in less detail. I have modified the course to include the study of more women philosophers. Philosophy of Psychology Level 5 & 6 BA course aimed at helping students to engage critically in several important ongoing debates within the philosophy of psychology. Various psychological models of cognition folk psychology, computationalism, modularity models, connectionistism, etc. are covered. Students are required to consider various problems in interpreting these and in reconciling them with different philosophical views on intentionality, causation, explanation, etc., as well as with empirical research in social science, empirical psychology, and neuroscience. Mind and Psychology Level 7 MA course jointly taught by Dr. Michael Lacewing and me. Dr. Lacewing covers topics in the philosophy of mind. My section is aimed at the same goals as the BA course above, though at a more advanced level and with fewer introductory and more research-level texts. Research Skills In Philosophy Level 7 MA/MPhil course designed to help students with the ambition to enter PhD programs develop advanced research and writing skills. Knowledge and Reality Level 4 BA course in which students critically engage with historical and contemporary debates in epistemology and metaphysics. The course is jointly
Page 6 of 6 taught by various lecturers. I am covering some of the Reality (metaphysics) section, introducing debates on causation, space and time, personal identity, and free will. Logic Society I run tutorials on a voluntary attendance basis for the Heythrop Logic Society a group formed by students who wish to study logic at a more advanced level than the curriculum currently permits. 2008 2013 Sessional Lecturer, Birkbeck College. Tasks: Running small group tutorials, writing and giving lectures, running large group seminars, marking essays and exam papers, and meeting with students one-on-one. 2009 2011 Tutorial Assistant, Heythrop College, London. Tasks: Running one-on-one tutorials with students, marking essays, running small group discussions, and writing and presenting lectures. 2009 2011 Lecturer, London Jewish Cultural Centre. Tasks: Designing and running lecture courses for non-specialists in philosophy. Service to the profession I am a co-organizer of the London Spinoza Circle. Conferences Organized: Spinoza and Nietzsche in Dialogue, Birkbeck Institute for the Humanities, 13-14 May 2013 (co-organiser). Kings-Birkbeck Annual Early Modern Philosophy Workshop, 15 March 2013 (organiser). Thinking with Spinoza: Politics, Philosophy, and Religion, Birkbeck Institute for the Humanities, 7-8 May 2009 (co-organiser) I act as a regular referee for various history of philosophy and philosophy of economics journals. I have been commissioned to write reviews for The Notre Dame Philosophical Review and Mind.