Alastair Norcross
(Seen here declaring an end to major combat operations in
the war on kantianism)
I arrived
in Boulder in August 2007, after serving fifteen years in Texas (with ten
months off for good behavior in the 1999-2000 academic year at the University of Arizona, in
Tucson), first at Southern
Methodist University in Dallas, where I was the Easterwood Professor of Philosophy from 1992 to 2002, and
then at Rice
University from 2002 to 2007. Before that, I taught at Hobart
and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, NY, while finishing
my Ph.D. at Syracuse
University, home of the mighty Orangemen. Before that, I received
my B.A. in Classics from Oxford
University. Before that, you don't want to know about (trust
me). Despite its most strenuous efforts, Texas never managed to break me.
I have never used the expression "y'all" (though I have mentioned it
plenty of times, usually in exasperation). I have never been to a rodeo, worn
cowboy boots, or owned a gun. I have never said, or thought, a good thing about
George W. Bush. I do, however, still miss Ann Richards and Molly Ivins.
My
research, which is primarily in ethical theory, is focused on the articulation
and defense of consequentialist ethical theories such
as utilitarianism. I have published articles in a wide range of philosophy
journals, including The Philosophical Review,The Journal of Philosophy,
Philosophy & Public Affairs, Philosophical Studies, Analysis, The
Australasian Journal of Philosophy, Philosophy and Phenomenological Research,
Social Theory and Practice, and The
Pacific Philosophical Quarterly. I also work in several areas of applied
ethics, such as euthanasia, abortion, and animal rights. I have edited (with
Bonnie Steinbock) an anthology entitled Killing and Letting Die (Fordham: 1994).
I am currently working on a book, in which I argue that consequentialist
ethical theories should not be interpreted as theories of either the rightness
or goodness of actions, but instead as scalar theories that evaluate actions as
better or worse than possible alternatives.
Click
to see a curriculumvitae. (with links to selected papers: updated 3-4-09)
Spring 2010 Courses:
PHIL 1200, Secs. 206 and 208 (Philosophy and Society) Tue/Thur 12:30-1:45 and 3:30-4:45
Spring 2010 Office Hours: Tu 2:00-3:00, and by appointment