Department of Mathematics and Philosophy

Christopher Pynes

Christopher Pynes, Professor of Philosophy

Education

Ph.D., Florida State University
M.A., San Diego State University
B.A., University of California, Santa Barbara

Contact Information

Office: Morgan Hall 486
Phone: (309) 298-1467
Email: CA-Pynes@wiu.edu
Personal Web Page: http://faculty.wiu.edu/CA-Pynes

Guest Blogger at the Leiter Reports

Curriculum Vitae (pdf)

Courses Taught

  • Phil 120: Contemporary Moral Problems
  • Phil 140: Logic and Reasoning
  • Phil 310: Modern Philosophy
  • Phil 320: Analytic Philosophy
  • Phil 330: Moral Philosophy
  • Phil 333: Environmental Ethics
  • Phil 340: Formal Logic
  • Phil 415: Philosophy of Science
  • Phil 425: Philosophy of Mind
  • Phil 440: Legal Reasoning

Research Interests

My philosophical interests are broad, but I am especially interested in issues related to logics, philosophy of science, and moral philosophy.

Research with undergraduates: Given my wide philosophical interests and my desire to promote good philosophical skills with students, I am generally wiling to engage in just about any research topic. Most often for non-philosophy minors who want to do honors projects, we work on logic puzzles, argumentation, and taking the LSAT. For more advanced philosophy students, topics from past projects include: Baye's Theorem, modal logic, legal resoning and SCOTUS decisions, Rawls vs. Nozick, Scalia on Reading Law, and medical ethics and organ donation.

Selected Publications

  • Pynes, C. (2014). Seven arguments against extra credit. Teaching Philosophy 37.2, 191-214.
  • Pynes, C. (2013). If Monty Hall falls or crawls. European Journal of Analytic Philosophy 9.2, 33-47.
  • Pynes, C. (2012). Ad hominem arguments and intelligent design. Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science, 47.2,  289-297.
  • Ruse, M., & Pynes, C. (2006). The stem cell controversy. Revised/2nd ed. (Prometheus)