Robert Talisse

ROBERT B. TALISSE 
Professor of Philosophy
Vanderbilt University
Philosophy Department
111 Furman Hall
Nashville, TN 37240
robert.talisse@vanderbilt.edu
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Research:
Area of Specialization: Contemporary Political Philosophy
Areas of Competence:    Pragmatism, Ethics
Current Research:            Democracy, Liberalism, Pluralism, Public Reason

Links: Curriculum Vitae   |   SSRN Author Page |   Departmental Webpage

News, etc.

Political Philosophy in the 21st Century (edited with Steven Cahn) is available for pre-order.
Video of my Berry Lecture on "Must Life be Tragic?" can be found here.
Video of my talk at the Nashville Public Library on "Faith in Democracy" can be found here.
My Twitter account is here.
Pluralism and Liberal Politics (Routledge, 2012) is now available. Read the Preface and Introduction.
I am co-host of the podcast New Books in Philosophy.
Reviews of Democracy and Moral Conflict:

Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews | Philosophy in Review | Perspectives on Politics | Ethics | Social Theory and Practice | Philosophical Quarterly | Logos & Episteme | Res Publica

Selected Publications

I. Authored Books

Pluralism and Liberal Politics, Routledge, 2012
Reasonable Atheism, with Scott Aikin, Prometheus Books, 2011
Democracy and Moral Conflict, Cambridge University Press, 2009 (softcover, 2010) [Reviews: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) ]
Pragmatism: A Guide for the Perplexed, with Scott Aikin, Continuum, 2008 [Reviews:(1) (2)]
A Pragmatist Philosophy of Democracy, Routledge, 2007 (softcover, 2008) [Reviews:(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6)]
Democracy After Liberalism, Routledge, 2005 [Reviews: (1) (2) (3) (4)]

II. Edited Books

Political Philosophy in the 21st Century (edited with Steven Cahn), Westview, 2013
The Pragmatism Reader (edited with Scott Aikin), Princeton University Press, 2011 [Reviews: (1) ]
Thinking about Logic (edited with Steven Cahn and Scott Aikin), Westview, 2011
Political Problems (edited with Steven Cahn), Prentice Hall, 2010
A Teacher's Life: Essays for Steven Cahn (edited with Maureen Eckert), Lexington, 2009
American Philosophy: An Encyclopedia (edited with John Lachs), Routledge, 2008
Aristotle's Politics Today (edited with Lenn Goodman), SUNY Press, 2007 (softcover, 2008) [Reviews: (1) (2)]
Essays in Experimental Logic (edited with D. Micah Hester), Southern Illinois University Press, 2007
Dewey's Logical Theory (edited with D. Micah Hester and Tom Burke), Vanderbilt, 2002
Sidney Hook on Pragmatism, Democracy, and Freedom (edited with Robert Tempio), Prometheus, 2002

III. Articles

"Religion in Politics: What's the Problem?," Think (forthcoming)
"5 Answers," in Pragmatism: 5 Questions, Jim Johnson, ed. Automatic Press / VIP (forthcoming)
"Comment on Clanton and Forcehimes," Southwest Philosophy Review (forthcoming)
"Reply to Rondel," Southwest Philosophy Review (forthcoming)
"Deliberation," Oxford Handbook of Political Philosophy, David Estlund, ed. Oxford University Press (forthcoming)
"Democracy," Routledge Companion to Political and Social Philosophy, Gerald Gaus and Fred D'Agostino, eds. Routledge (forthcoming, 2012)
"Democratization and Just Cause," in Morality, Jus Post Bellum, and International Law, Larry May and Andrew Forcehimes, eds. Cambridge University Press, 2012
“On Epistemic Abstemiousness and Diachronic Norms,” with Scott Aikin, Michael Harbour, and Jonathan Neufeld, Logos & Episteme 3.1(2012): 129-134
"Religion, Respect, and Eberle's Agapic Pacifist," Philosophy & Social Criticism 38.3(2012): 313-325
"Freedom, Fear, and Domination," Theoretical and Applied Ethics 1.3(2011): 61-62
"Towards a New Pragmatist Politics," Metaphilosophy 42.5(2011): 552-571, with responses by Henrik Rydenfelt and David Hildebrand
"Value Pluralism and Liberal Politics," Ethical Theory and Moral Practice 14.1(2011): 87-100
"A Farewell to Deweyan Democracy," Political Studies 59.3 (2011): 509-526
"Self-Reflexive Social Epistemic Norms," Twin Cities Review of Political Philosophy 1.1(2011): 1-9
"Three Challenges to Jamesian Ethics," with Scott Aikin, William James Studies 6(2011), with responses and replies
"Argument in Mixed Company," with Scott Aikin, Think 27(2011):31-43, with a response by Brenda Watson, “Conversing with those with Whom We Disagree,” Think 31(2012): 81-95
"On Epistemic Abstemiousness," with Scott Aikin, Michael Harbour, and Jonathan Neufeld, Logos and Episteme II.3 (2011): 425-428
"Pragmatism and Political Theory," A Handbook of Contemporary Social and Political Theory, Gerard Delanty and Stephen Turner, eds. Routledge (2011)
"Why I am Not a Pluralist," Southwest Philosophy Review 26.1(2010): 5-15
"Epistemic Abstainers, Epistemic Martyrs, and Epistemic Converts," with Scott Aikin, Michael Harbour, and Jonathan Neufeld, Logos and Episteme I.2(2010): 211-219, with a response by Alex Bundy, “In Defense of Epistemic Abstemiousness,” Logos and Episteme, II.2 (2011): 277-292
"Does Value Pluralism Entail Liberalism?," Journal of Moral Philosophy 7.3(2010): 303-320
"An Epistemological Defense of Democracy," Critical Review 22.2-3 (2010): 279-289
"Nagel on Public Education and Intelligent Design," with Scott Aikin and Michael Harbour, Journal of Philosophical Research 35 (2010): 209-219
"Reply to Festenstein," Contemporary Political Theory 9.1 (2010): 45–49
"Can Liberals Take Their Own Side in an Argument?," in Philosophy of Education in the Era of Globalization, Yvonne Raley and Gerhard Preyer, eds. Routledge, 2010
"Saving Pragmatist Democratic Theory (From Itself)," Etica & Politica (Italy), special issue on Pragmatism and Democracy, guest-edited by Roberto Frega and Fabrizio Trifirò, XII. 1 (2010): 12-27
"Peirce and Democratic Theory," in Ideas in Action: Proceedings of the Applying Peirce Conference, Henrik Rydenfeltand Mats Bergman, eds. (2010)
"Questions about Normative Consent," with Michael Harbour, The Good Society 18.2(2009): 48-53
"Physician Deception and Patient Autonomy," with Micah Hester, American Journal of Bioethics 9.12(2009): 22-23
"Evolution, Intelligent Design, and Public Education," with Scott Aikin and Michael Harbour, Spontaneous Generations 3.1(2009): 35-40
"Reply to Clanton and Forcehimes," Contemporary Pragmatism, 6.2(2009): 185-189
"Précis of A Pragmatist Philosophy of Democracy," contribution to a symposium issue of Transactions of the Charles S. Peirce Society on my A Pragmatist Philosophy of Democracy, 45.1(2009): 45-49
"Replies to My Critics," contribution to a symposium issue of Transactions of the Charles S. Peirce Society on my A Pragmatist Philosophy of Democracy,45.1(2009) 90-108
"The Truth about Hypocrisy," with Scott Aikin, Scientific American Mind, January, 2009
"Folk Epistemology and the Justification of Democracy," in Does Truth Matter?, Ronald Tinnevelt and Raf Geenens, eds., Springer, 2009
"Pragmatism and the Cold War," in the Oxford Handbook of American Philosophy, Cheryl Misak (ed.), Oxford University Press, 2009
"Modus Tonens," with Scott Aikin, Argumentation 22.4(2008): 521-529
"Abortion Activism and Civil Discourse," with Steven Maloney, Critical Review 20.1-2(2008): 167-179, with a response by Jon Shields, "Abortion and Deliberation".
"Towards A Social Epistemic Comprehensive Liberalism," Episteme 5.1(2008): 106-128
"Skepticism and the Democratic Ideal," Think 16(2008): 7-17
"Rockmore on Analytic Pragmatism," with Scott Aikin, Metaphilosophy 39.2(2008): 155-162
"Getting Duped," with Yvonne Raley, Scientific American Mind, February, 2008
"A Critique of Deweyan Democracy," Southwest Philosophy Review 24.1 (2008): 181-190
"Kitcher on the Ethics of Inquiry," with Scott Aikin, Journal of Social Philosophy 38.4(2007): 654-665, with a response by Philip Kitcher, "Reply to Talisse and Aikin"
"Two Democratic Hopes," Contemporary Pragmatism 4.2(2007): 19-28, with a response by Robert Westbrook
"Why Democrats Need the Virtues," in Aristotle's Politics Today, edited by Lenn Goodman and Robert Talisse, SUNY, 2007
"Democracy and Ignorance," Critical Review 18.4(2007): 453-466
"From Pragmatism to Perfectionism," Philosophy & Social Criticism 33.3 (2007): 387-406
"Flathman on Pluralism and Liberal Democracy" (Review) Social Theory and Practice 33.1 (2007): 151-158
"Two Forms of the Straw Man," with Scott Aikin, Argumentation 20.3 (2006): 345-352
"Social Epistemology and the Politics of Omission," Episteme 2.II (2006): 107-118
"Socratic Citizenship," Philosophy in the Contemporary World 13.2 (2006): 4-10
"The Mistaken Premise of Political Liberalism," Southwest Philosophy Review 22.1 (2006): 139-147
"Dilemmas of Public Reason," in The Legacy of John Rawls, Thom Brooks and Fabian Freyenhagen, eds. Continuum, 2005
"Deliberative Democracy Defended," Res Publica 11.2 (2005): 185-199
"Liberalism, Pluralism, and Political Justification," Harvard Review of Philosophy XIII.2 (2005): 57-72
"Stout on Public Reason" (and a "Postscript"), with Caleb Clanton, Soundings LXXXVII.3-4 (2005): 349-368, with a response from Jeffrey Stout
"Deliberativist Responses to Activist Challenges," Philosophy & Social Criticism 31.4 (2005): 423-444
"Why Pragmatists Cannot be Pluralists," with Scott Aikin, Transactions of the C. S. Peirce Society, with replies from Cheryl Misak, Henry Jackman, Michael Eldridge, and John Lyskaer and Michael Sullivan, XLI.1 (2005): 101-118.
"Still Searching for a Pragmatist Pluralism," with Scott Aikin, Transactions of the C. S. Peirce Society XLI.1 (2005): 145-160
"Does Public Ignorance Defeat Deliberative Democracy? ," Critical Review 16.4 (2005): 455-463.
"Dewey's Defense of Democracy ," Free Inquiry 26.4 (2004): 35-37
"Politics Without Dogmas," in Sidney Hook Reconsidered, Matthew Cotter, ed. Prometheus Books, 2004
"Can Value Pluralists be Comprehensive Liberals? ," Contemporary Political Theory 3.2(2004): 127-139, with a reply by William Galston
"Towards a Peircean Politics of Inquiry," Transactions of the C. S. Peirce Society XL.1 (2004):21-38.
"Pragmatism and Deliberative Politics ," Journal of Speculative Philosophy 18.1 (2004):1-8.
"Problems with Galston’s Liberal Pluralism," Southwest Philosophy Review 20.1(2004):221-229
"Sidney Hook, Pragmatism and the Communist Party," Transactions of the C. S. Peirce Society XXXIX.4 (2003):657-661.
"Can Democracy Be a Way of Life?," Transactions of the C. S. Peirce Society XXXIX.1 (2003): 1-21.
"Rawls on Pluralism and Stability," Critical Review 15.1&2 (2003): 173-194.
"Teaching Plato's Euthyphro Dialogically," Teaching Philosophy 26.2 (2003):163-175.
"Plato, Pragmatism, and Democracy,” Hypnos 10.1(2003): 71-84
"Philosophy as Anti-Dogmatism," in What Is Pragmatism?, Paulo Ghiraldelli Jr., ed. Manole Publishing, Brazil (2003 )
"The Relevance of Sidney Hook Today," Free Inquiry 23.1 (2003):51-52
"Two-Faced Liberalism," Critical Review 14.4 (2002): 441-458.
"Misunderstanding Socrates," Arion 9.3(2002):111-121.
"Two Concepts of Inquiry," Philosophical Writings 20 (2002): 69-81.
"Liberty, Community, and Democracy," Journal of Speculative Philosophy 15.4 (2001):286-304.
"A Pragmatist Critique of Rorty's Hopeless Politics," Southern Journal of Philosophy 39.4 (2001): 611-626.
"On The Supposed Tension in Peirce's 'Fixation of Belief'," Journal of Philosophical Research XXVI (2001): 561-569.

IV. Miscellaneous

"The Emptiness of Pluralism," with Scott Aikin, 3 Quarks Daily (February 6, 2012)
"The Pluralism Test," with Scott Aikin, 3 Quarks Daily (January 9, 2012)
"The Case Against Santa," with Scott Aikin, 3 Quarks Daily (December 12, 2011)
"Searching for Pluralism," with Scott Aikin, 3 Quarks Daily (November 14, 2011)
"On the Gods of Horses," withScott Aikin, 3 Quarks Daily (October 17, 2011)
"Philosophy and Failure," withScott Aikin, 3 Quarks Daily (September 19, 2011)
"Things You Cannot Believe," with Scott Aikin, 3 Quarks Daily (August 22nd, 2011)
"The Dignity of Skepticism," with Scott Aikin, 3 Quarks Daily (July 25th, 2011)
"Men of Straw," with Scott Aikin, 3 Quarks Daily (June 27, 2011)
"The Eclipse of Pragmatism," with Scott Aikin, 3 Quarks Daily (May 30, 2011)
"Dishonest to Whom?," with Scott Aikin, 3 Quarks Daily (May 2, 2011)
"Clifford and James on Evidence and Belief," with Scott Aikin, 3 Quarks Daily (April 4, 2011)
"Take Two," with Scott Aikin, 3 Quarks Daily (March 7, 2011)
"Accommodationism and Atheism," with Scott Aikin, 3 Quarks Daily (February 7, 2011)
"Some Thoughts about Poe's Law," with Scott Aikin, 3 Quarks Daily (January 10, 2011)
"An Open Letter to the National Punditry," with Scott Aikin, 3 Quarks Daily (December 13, 2010)
"Waging War on Christmas, to Save Thanksgiving," with Scott Aikin, 3 Quarks Daily (November 15, 2010)
"Opposition to the 'Mosque': An Atheist Perspective," with Scott Aikin, 3 Quarks Daily (September 27, 2010)
"The Simple Truth," on This Side of the Pond (The Cambridge University Press blog).
A story about Democracy and Moral Conflict from The Vanderbilt View.
Philosophy in the United States, bibliographic essay, authored with John Lachs, US Department of State, 2005
Pragmatism and Deliberative Politics, guest edited issue of Journal of Speculative Philosophy 18.1(2004)
On James, monograph for students, authored with D. Micah Hester, Wadsworth, 2004
On Rawls, monograph for students, Wadsworth, 2001
On Dewey, monograph for students, Wadsworth, 2000 (Japanese translation, 2002)

V. Work In Progress

See my SSRN Author Page

Robert B. Talisse