CV
J.D. Trout
John and Mae Calamos Professor of Philosophy
Department of Humanities
Illinois Institute of Technology
jtrout@iit.edu
Webpage: www.jdtrout.com
September 2024
EDUCATION
1988: Ph.D., Cornell University, Philosophy (and Cognitive Science).
1982: B.A., Bucknell University, Honors in History and Philosophy.
AREAS OF SPECIALIZATION
Philosophy of Science, Philosophy of Mind/Cognitive Science,
Judgment and Decision-Making, Speech Perception
ACADEMIC POSITIONS
2018 – present: John and Mae Calamos Endowed Chair of Philosophy, Illinois Institute of Technology
2012 – 2013 Phi Beta Kappa Romanell Professorship
2012 – 2013 Faculty Director, Leadership Institute, Executive Education, Loyola’s Michael Quinlan School of Business 2010 – present: Professor of Philosophy and Psychology, Loyola University Chicago.
2003 – 2017: Professor of Philosophy, Loyola University Chicago.
1995 – 2003: Associate Professor of Philosophy, Loyola University Chicago.
1992 – 1995: Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Loyola University Chicago.
1992 – 2010 (until Parmly’s Closing): Adjunct, Parmly Hearing Institute, Loyola U. Chicago.
1991 – 1992: Visiting Assistant Professor, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
1989 – 1991: Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Stevens Institute of Technology.
1988 – 1989: Andrew W. Mellon Post-Doctoral Fellow and Lecturer, Bryn Mawr College.
VISITING POSITIONS
Summer 2019 (June 4-17), research visitor, Australian National University
Fall 2015: Visiting Scholar, TINT, University of Helsinki
Fall 2010: Visiting Scholar, Center for the Philosophy of Science, University of Pittsburgh
Spring and Fall 2005: Center for Decision Research, Visiting Scholar, Booth School of
Business, University of Chicago
Spring 2005: Visiting Professor of Philosophy, University of Chicago
December 1999: Visiting Professor, University of Innsbruck
1991 – 1992: Virginia Tech, Visiting Assistant Professor of Philosophy
PROFESSIONAL GRANTS AND AWARDS
2020 Lewis College of Excellence Award, Illinois Tech (for service to Lewis College)
2020 Lewis College’s Excellence in Teaching Award, Illinois Tech
Appointed Calamos Endowed Chair of Philosophy, Illinois Institute of Technology, 2018-present
Sujack Award for Master Researcher (2017), Loyola University Chicago
Templeton Foundation Grant, 2014-2016 (partial salary subvention, $44,000); sub-contract, with Philip Fernbach and Bart de Langhe as Co-PIs)
Phi Beta Kappa-Romanell Professorship, 2012 – 2013
National Science Foundation Scholar Award, Sept 2003 – May 2005; $91,000.
1998 Choice “Outstanding Academic Book Award” for Measuring the Intentional World.
Research Stimulation Grants through Parmly Hearing Institute, 1993 – 2000.
National Science Foundation Travel Grant, August 1995.
Loyola University Chicago Summer Research Stipend, 1994 and 2010.
NEH Summer Seminar, Johns Hopkins University, June-August 1992.
Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship, Bryn Mawr College, 9/88 - 5/89.
Deafness Research Foundation Grant (with William Poser as Principal Investigator), 1988.
Stanford ACIS Grant, (with William Poser as Principal Investigator), 1988.
National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship; 1984-1985, and 1986-1988.
Sage Graduate Fellowship, Cornell University, 1984-1985.
Phi Beta Kappa, Bucknell University, 1982.
Work in Progress
“No Free-Riding on Science”
PUBLICATIONS
Authored Books
All Talked Out: Naturalism and the Future of Philosophy (Phi Beta Kappa Romanell Lectures). New York: Oxford University Press, 2018.
Wondrous Truths: The Improbable Triumph of Modern Science. New York: Oxford University Press, 2016. (A book that recruits evidence from psychology and the history of science in a startling and bold argument for scientific realism).
The Empathy Gap: Building Bridges to the Good Life and the Good Society. New York: Viking/Penguin, February 2009. (A book on scientific approaches to decision-making that can reduce cognitive and empathic biases and improve human well-being. Retitled for the paperback market: Why Empathy Matters: The Science and Psychology of Better Judgment. New York: Penguin, January 2010.) (Named a Seed Pick, Seed Magazine, February 2009, p.59.)
Measuring the Intentional World: Realism, Naturalism, and Quantitative Methods in the Behavioral Sciences. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998. Paperback February 2003.
(Named a "1998 Outstanding Academic Book" by CHOICE.)
Co-authored Books
Epistemology and the Psychology of Human Judgment (with Michael Bishop). New York: Oxford University Press, 2005; third printing in 2006.
The Theory of Knowledge: A Thematic Introduction (with Paul Moser and Dwayne Mulder). New York: Oxford University Press, 1998. Portuguese translation appeared in 2004, and an abridged version of Chapter 6 appeared in French translation as "La raison, l’experience" in Sciences Humaines (April 1999), pp.60-64.
Co-edited Books
Contemporary Materialism: A Reader (with Paul Moser). London and New York: Routledge, 1995. A collection of modern classic readings on Materialism, with short, follow-up essays by contributors, a General Introduction, 4 Section Introductions, and a Topical Bibliography.
The Philosophy of Science (with Richard Boyd and Philip Gasper). Cambridge, MA: Bradford Books/The MIT Press, 1991. A comprehensive collection of influential readings in the philosophy of science. 7th printing, 1998.
Articles
2021. The Epistemic Virtues of a Closed Mind: Effective Science Reporting in the Golden Age of the Con (with Mike Bishop). Frontiers in Communication: Science and Environmental Communication; https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2021.545429
2019. Luck in Science. In Ian Church and Robert Hartman (Eds.) Routledge Handbook of Theories of Luck (Chapter 34, pp.391-400), New York: Routledge.
2018. Understanding and Psychological Fluency. In Making Sense of the World: New Essays on the Philosophy of Understanding, Oxford University Press, 212-232. Edited by Stephen Grimm. Oxford University Press.
2017. Motivation and the Sense of Understanding in Theory Construction. Motivation Science, Vol. 3, No. 3, 304–317.
2016. Epistemology for (Real) People (with Mike Bishop). Chapter 8 in Blackwell Companion to Applied Philosophy. (Eds.) David Coady, Kasper Lippert-Rasmussen and Kimberley Brownlee. Blackwell, pp.103-119.
2013. Diagnostic Prediction and Prognosis: Getting from Symptom to Treatment. In William Fulford (Ed.) The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy and Psychiatry. New York: Oxford (with Michael Bishop); 8000 words, pp.1023-1046.
2013. Democracy and Scientific Expertise: Illusions of Political and Epistemic Inclusion. Synthese (Special Issue), (Eds.) Klemens Kappel, Kristoffer Ahlstrom, and Nikolaj Jang Lee Linding Pedersen (pp.1267-1291).
2012. The Language of Consent in Police Encounters. In Lawrence Solan and Peter Tiersma (Eds.), Oxford Handbook of Language and Law. New York: Oxford University Press (with Janice Nadler as first author); http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1485008; discussed in Slate at http://www.slate.com/blogs/crime/2012/11/30/stop_and_frisk_florida_is_there_such_thing_as_a_consensual_police_encounter.html
2010. Philosophical Messages in the Medium of Spoken Language. In Matthew Nudds and Casey O’Callaghan (Eds.), Sounds and Perception: New Philosophical Essays. New York: Oxford University Press (with Robert Remez), pp.234-263.
2008. Strategic Reliabilism: A Naturalistic Approach to Epistemology. Philosophy Compass, 3/5, 1049-1065. (A refereed entry for a subscription database, sponsored by Blackwell; with Michael Bishop).
2008. Seduction Without Cause: Uncovering Explanatory Neurophilia. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 12, 281-282.
2007. “A Restriction Maybe, but is it Paternalism? Cognitive Bias and Choosing Governmental Decision Aids”. NYU Journal of Law & Liberty, 2(3), 455-469.
2007. The Psychology of Discounting: A Policy of Balancing Biases. Public Affairs Quarterly, vol. 21(2), 201-220.
2007. “The Psychology of Scientific Explanation”, Philosophy Compass, 2/3, 564-591. (A refereed entry for a subscription database, sponsored by Blackwell).
2005. The Pathologies of Standard Analytic Epistemology. Noûs 39 (4), 696-714 (with Michael Bishop).
2005. Lexical Boosting of Noise-band Speech in Open- and Closed-set Formats. Speech Communication 47(4), 424-435.
2005. Paternalism and Cognitive Bias. Law and Philosophy 24(4, July), 393-434.
2005. Paying the Price for a Theory of Explanation: de Regt’s Discussion of Trout (2002). Philosophy of Science 72 (January), 198-208.
2004. The Philosophical Legacy of Meehl (1978): Confirmation Theory, Theory Quality, and Quantitative Epistemology. Applied & Preventive Psychology: Current Scientific Perspectives, 11(1), 73-76.
2003. Biological Specializations for Speech: What Can the Animals Tell Us? Current Directions in Psychological Science, 12(5, October), 155-159.
2003. Epistemology’s Search for Significance. Journal of Experimental and Theoretical Artificial Intelligence, 15(2), 203-216 (with Michael Bishop).
2002. Scientific Explanation and the Sense of Understanding. Philosophy of Science 69(2), 212-233.
2002. 50 Years of Successful Predictive Modeling Should be Enough: Lessons for the Philosophy of Science. Philosophy of Science 68 (Proceedings): S197-S208 (with Michael Bishop).
2001. Metaphysics, Method and the Mouth: Philosophical Lessons of Speech Perception. Philosophical Psychology, 14, (3), 261-291.
2001. The Biological Basis of Speech: What to Infer from Talking to the Animals. Psychological Review, 108, (3), 523-549.
2000. Resurrecting “Death Taxes”: Inheritance, Redistribution, and the Science of Happiness. Journal of Law and Politics, 16(4), 765-847 (with Shahid Buttar as second author).
1999. Measured Realism and Statistical Inference: An Explanation for the Fast Progress of ‘Hard’ Psychology. Philosophy of Science 66 (Proceedings): S260-S272.
1995. Diverse Tests on an Independent World. Studies in History and Philosophy of Science, 26 (3), 407-429.
1995. Physicalism, Supervenience, and Dependence (pp.187-217). In Ü. D. Yalçin and E. E. Savellos, eds., Supervenience: New Essays, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (with P. K. Moser).
1995. Ontological Progress in Science. Canadian Journal of Philosophy, 25 (2), 177-201 (with R. Burian as first author).
1994. Austere Realism and the Worldly Assumptions of Inferential Statistics (pp.190-199). In M. Forbes, D. Hull, and R. Burian, eds., Philosophy of Science 1994, Volume 1, Lansing, MI: Philosophy of Science Association.
1994. A Realistic Look Backward. Studies in History and Philosophy of Science, 25 (1), 37-64.
1993. Robustness and Integrative Survival in Significance Testing: The World's Contribution to Rationality. British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, 44, 1-15.
1992. Theory-Conjunction and Mercenary Reliance. Philosophy of Science, 59, 231-245.
1991. Belief Attribution in Science: Folk Psychology Under Theoretical Stress. Synthese, 87, 379-400.
1990. Auditory and Visual Influences on Phonemic Restoration. Language and Speech, 33, 121-135 (with William Poser as second author).
Book Reviews, Encyclopedia and Dictionary Entries, Abstracts, etc.
2013. “Clinical versus Actuarial Prediction.” (pp.613-615) In H. Pashler, ed., The Encyclopedia of the Mind. Sage Reference, with Michael Bishop.
2012. Forced to be Right: Commentary on Neil Levy’s “Forced to Be Free”, Journal of Medical Ethics. 1000 words. (This commentary was subjected to editorial review, but was invited and not refereed.)
2008. "Philosophy of Science." International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences. Ed. William A. Darity, Jr.. Vol. 6. 2nd ed. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 259-262.
2008. "Decision-Making." International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences. Ed. William A. Darity, Jr.. Vol. 2. 2nd ed. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 251-253, with Michael A Bishop.
2000. ‘Measurement’ and ‘Paradoxes of Confirmation’ in A Companion to the Philosophy of Science, Blackwell Publishers, edited by W. H. Newton-Smith.
2000. ‘Scientific Realism’, ‘Empirical Decision Theory’, and ‘Belief Revision’. In R. Audi, ed., The Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy (2nd Edition), Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
1998. Materialism. In C. Eliasmith, ed., Online Dictionary of the Philosophy of Mind (2000 words, with Paul Moser as second author). Posted at http://www.artsci.wustl.edu/~philos/MindDict/materialism.html
Review of Renee Elio (Ed.), “Common Sense, Reasoning, and Rationality”, Philosophical Psychology, (2002), vol.15(4), 570-572.
Review of Margaret Archer et al., (Eds.), “Critical Realism: Essential Readings”, Choice, (May 1999), vol.36, no.9, p.1631.
Review of Robert Cummins, “Representations, Targets, and Attitudes”, American Journal of Psychology, (Spring 1999), vol.112, no.1, pp.167-170.
Review of Paul Churchland and Patricia Churchland, (Eds.), “On the Contrary: Critical Essays, 1987-1997”, Choice, (December 1998), vol.36, no.4, p.701.
Review of James W. McAllister, “Beauty & Revolution in Science”, Philosophical Review, 107, no. 2 (April 1998), pp.320-324.
Review of Radu Bogdan, “Interpreting Minds: The Evolution of a Practice”, Choice, (October 1997), vol.35, no.2, p.374.
Review of Peter Jusczyk, “The Discovery of Spoken Language”, Philosophical Psychology, (1998), vol. 11, pp.105-107.
"Vowel Environments in Minimal Pair Sequences." Journal of the Acoustical Society of America (Abstract), 100(4, December 1996), Pt.2, p.2688.
"Duration as a Boundary Cue in Minimal Pairs." Bulletin of the Psychonomic Society (Abstract), 1 (November 1996), p.58.
"Fundamental Frequency in Minimal Pair Sentences". Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, volume 99(5, June 1996), Pt.2, p.2547.
"Statistical Designs as Instruments". In Proceedings of the 10th International Congress of Logic, Methodology, and Philosophy of Science (1995), Florence, Italy, p.606.
‘Alchemy’ (pp.16-17) and ‘Uniformity of Nature’ (pp.820-21). In R. Audi, ed., The Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995.
What is Feminist Epistemology? A review article in Informal Logic, (Winter 1995), vol 17(1), 101-111 (with Paul Moser).
Review of Brian Ellis, “Truth and Objectivity”, The Philosophical Review, (January 1993), vol.102, pp.126-129.
PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE ASSOCIATION SYMPOSIUM
(PSA 2000, November 2-5, Vancouver). “New Perspectives on Scientific Rationality”. (Co-organized with Michael Bishop). Speakers included Robyn Dawes, David Faust, Michael Bishop, and J.D. Trout.
SELECTED MEDIA APPEARANCES AND MENTIONS
2022 Illinois Tech News Interview/story by Linsey Maughn: https://www.iit.edu/news/alternative-facts-are-cons-philosophers-paper-argues-and-journalists-can-help-quash-them
New York Times Sunday Magazine, “Questions For” Interview with D. Solomon
Wall Street Journal
WTTW-TV/Chicago Tonight – Interview with Phil Ponce
Chicago Tribune, Greg Burns Business Column
Toronto Globe and Mail
l’espresso, “Siamo buoni o cattivi?”
Latino USA (Interview with Maria Hinijosa, NPR Washington, DC)
Martha Stewart Living Radio
National Public Radio (NPR): WAMC-FM/The Roundtable (NPR Northeast), Miami NPR, WBEZ/Chicago Public Radio, WILL Radio NPR, Wisconsin NPR
Just Love, Catholic Charities -- Sirius Radio
Calcalist (Israel’s largest business daily)
Profile of The Empathy Gap, with an Interview, “Point of Inquiry”, Two-Part Interview: The Empathy Gap (part 1), and The Science of a Good Society (part 2)
Psychjourney, for paperback, Why Empathy Matters podcast
SuchThatCast (podcast, hour interview with Johnny Soraker at Twente).
PhilosophyTV (podcast with Michael Strevens on Explanation and Understanding)
Hopes and Fears online magazine, http://www.hopesandfears.com/hopes/now/question/216857-is-it-possible-to-run-out-of-empathy
PUBLIC APPEARANCES/TALKS/BOOK SIGNINGS
Santa Monica Public Library, Talk and book signing, March 5
Seminary Coop, Chicago, March 11
ASSORTED ITEMS IN THE POPULAR MEDIA
The Scientist article, “Start Making Sense”, http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/46124/title/Start-Making-Sense/ ; June 1, 2016.
The Scientist book excerpt, http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/46207/title/Book-Excerpt-from-Wondrous-Truths/ ; June 1, 2016.
The Scientist author profile, http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/46128/title/Contributors/ ; June 1, 2016.
Salon.com article “The House Science Committee Hates Science and Should be Disbanded”, Salon.com , May 14, 2016.
PhilosophyTV presentation November 17, 2013 with Michael Strevens on Explanation and Understanding
http://www.philostv.com/michael-strevens-and-j-d-trout/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mD4Q_3pcGic
Article “The Language of Consent in Police Encounters” (co-authored with Janice Nadler) quoted and discussed in Slate, November 30, 2012.
“How About a Friendly Frisking?: The Myth of the ‘Consensual’ Police Encounter”
Quoted in Science, “Chimps Are Good Listeners, Too”, by Michael Balter on 1 July 2011,
http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2011/07/chimps-are-good-listeners-too.html
Interview by Pete Reinwald in Chicago Tribune,
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/ct-talk-reinwald-homeless-0118-20110118,0,2675429.story
“More than a Feeling”, in The Greater Good Magazine, at http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/more_than_a_feeling/
Psychology Today, Insights Section – “Change of Scenery”, November-December 2009, p.28;
Chicago Tribune Op-Ed – May 5, 2009 – “Empathy in the Court!”
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-oped0505courtmay05,0,6189109.story
Interview in Neuronarrative – February 17, 2009 – “Bridging the Empathy Gap”
http://neuronarrative.wordpress.com/2009/02/17/bridging-the-empathy-gap-an-interview-with-j-d-trout/
Profiled in July 2009 issue of Current Biography; http://www.hwwilson.com/Currentbio/cover_bios/cover_bio_7_09_contents.htm
CONFERENCE & COLLOQUIUM PAPERS
Conference Activity
2019
“Explanation, Truthiness, and the False Climb to Knowledge”, Department Colloquium, Australian National University, June 11. Australian National University, Canberra, AUS, June 11. (Invited)
“Speech and Its Relation to Touch”, Philosophy of Mind Group, Australian National University, June 12. (Invited)
2018
Author Meets Critics Session on Wondrous Truths. Commentators: Stephen Downes (Utah) and Deena Skolnick-Weisberg (Penn). APA Eastern, Savannah, GA, January 3.
2017
Steinkraus Lecture, endowed lecture series, SUNY Oswego, October 19
Hausser Lecture, endowed lecture series, Montana State University, Bozeman, September 28
2016
Invited speaker, Association for Psychological Science, May 26, 2016; invited plenary symposium of the Society of the Study of Motivation.
Chair, Central APA, Symposium: Philosophical Issues in Speech Perception; Chicago, IL, March 3-5.
2016
Association for Psychological Science, session on Motivation, organized by Arie Kruglanski and Tory Higgins. May 26, 2016.
2015
Commentator at Large, The Templeton Foundation (hosted at Fordham Law School campus at Columbus Square)
June 24-26, 2015
Behavioral Science & Policy Conference, Harvard Club, Manhattan, June 18. Speakers: David Brooks, Richard Thaler, David Gergen, Cass Sunstein, Maya Shankar, etc.
Session Chair, September 23-26, European Philosophy of Science Association.
TINT University of Helsinki, September 27 – October 6. Workshop for faculty, graduate students, and postdocs, on Wondrous Truths
MEWS, University of Missouri, Columbia. I will be one of seven speakers with a session dedicated to my work in epistemology. Ninth Midwestern Epistemology Workshop to be held at the University of Missouri-Columbia on October 16 and 17 of 2015.
2014
George Mason Workshop, May 23-25; “Behind the Procedural Fig Leaf: Ignoring Science on the House Science Committee”, Conference on Values in Science and Science Policy, The Institute for Philosophy and Public Policy
Travel and accommodations provided by George Mason.
Chaired session at Central APA, February 28, 2014 (in program)
2013
Phi Beta Kappa Romanell Lectures, March 12, March 14, March 18
Epistemic Cognition Conference, Rutgers University, January 31- February 2
“Explanatory Fluency and the False Climb”, Berkeley Psychology Dept.Colloquium series, Cognition, Brains, and Behavior, October 3, 2013.
“Explanatory Fluency and the False Climb”, Talk in the Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Minor colloquium, September 17, 2013, Loyola University.
“Who’s to Blame when a Fresh Start has a Stale Ending?” Comments on Dai, Milkman and Riis, “The Fresh Start Effect: Breaking Points in Life Motivate Virtuous Behavior.” People & Money Conference, Richard H. Driehaus Center for Behavioral Finance, DePaul University, Chicago, IL, November 8, 2013.
2012
Keynote Speaker, Conference on Well-Being in Contemporary Society, Organized by the Universities of Amsterdam and Twente, July 26-27.
Comments on Jake Wright’s “Superagents”, Society for Philosophy and Psychology, Boulder, CO, June 21-23.
Invited Speaker, Conference on Scientific Expertise and Consensus, University of Bayreuth, May 24-28.
Scientific Realism and Historical Contingency: Later Alchemy and “The Steep Curve”, History and Philosophy of Science, Indiana University, Bloomington, March 30.
The Greatest Show on Earth: The Use of Animals in Language Research, Department of Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, March 30.
2011
The Governance of Science and Illusions of Inclusion, 13th Annual Roundtable for the Philosophy of Social Science, École normale supérieure, Paris, France, March 20.
2010
Ameliorative Psychology and the Limits of Traditional Epistemology, Workshop on Bounded Rationality, Center for Formal Epistemology, Carnegie Mellon University, December 1.
Why Fluent Explanations Feel Truth-y, Center for the Philosophy of Science, University of Pittsburgh, PA, September 17.
Paternalism, Cognitive Bias, and Empathy Gaps, Adler School of Professional Psychology, Annual Lecture, Chicago, IL, March 16.
When Epistemology Meets the History of Science. Northwestern Epistemology Brownbag, January 20.
2009
Hard Choices: Paternalize or Patronize, Conference on the Ethics and Social Science of Well-Being, Long Beach, CA, March 2009
2008
Keynote Speaker, Three lectures on Knowledge, Explanation, and Self. Bochum-Lausanne-Tilburg Graduate School: Philosophy of Language, Mind and Science, Tilburg University, The Netherlands. November 2008.
Lecture 1: The Pathologies of Standard Analytic Epistemology (with Michael Bishop)
Lecture 2: Hooked on a Feeling of Understanding
Lecture 3: Happy Endings and Illusions of Narrative Coherence
“The Limits of Explanatory Phenomenology”. Cognitive Science Society, Washington, DC. July 2008.
“Hooked on a Feeling of Understanding”. Keynote Address. University of Texas at Austin, Undergraduate Philosophy Conference. April 2008.
2007
“Hooked on a Feeling of Understanding: (Neural) Pathways to Explanation”, Washington University – St. Louis, Philosophy-Neuroscience-Psychology Program, October.
“The Psychology of Understanding”, Michigan State University Psychology Department, September.
“Trading Utility for Robustness in Fast and Frugal Heuristics”. Max Planck Institute, Berlin, Germany, July.
Discussant and Chair at Law and Society Conference, for the session entitled “Debating Discipline and Method in Socio-Legal Studies.” Law and Society Association. Law and Society Association 2007 Annual Meeting: Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany, July 25-28, 2007. Panelists include scholars from Haifa University, Bar Ilan University, Freie University, University of Texas, Albion College, and University of Warwick, July.
“Naturalism: The Only Hope for a Normative Epistemology.” Southern Society for Philosophy and Psychology. Invited speaker at Symposium on Normative Naturalistic Epistemology, April.
Roundtable discussion of Rationality, Distribution, and Happiness, at University of Illinois Law School. Conference with Law, Economics, and Philosophy faculty from the Penn, Berkeley, and Illinois law schools, March.
“The Causes of Genuine Understanding.” Speaker, Workshop on Causality, Mechanisms, and Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Center for Philosophy of Science, February.
2006
“Speaking Frankly: Research Strategies in Comparative Research on Language.” Indiana University Department of Cognitive and Brain Sciences.
“Cognitive Bias, Paternalism, and Governmental Decision Aids.” NYU Journal of Law & Liberty Symposium, New York University Law School.
Comments on Stephen Grimm’s “The Sense of Understanding” at the Central Division APA. (This is a paper on a 2002 article of mine, “Scientific Explanation and the Sense of Understanding” in Philosophy of Science)
“Happy Endings and the Illusions of Narrative Coherence.” Mini-Conference on the Epistemology of Natural and Artificial Systems, California State University, Long Beach.
2005
“The Pathologies of Standard Analytic Epistemology.” Philosophy Departments at the University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and the University of Cincinnati.
“Institutional Policies as Moral Prosthetics.” University of Chicago, Center for Decision Research Workshop, Graduate School of Business.
“Paternalism and Cognitive Bias.” Law and Society Association, Las Vegas, NV.
“The Pathologies of Standard Analytic Epistemology.” Symposium on Empirical Methods in Epistemology. Central Division APA. Commentators: Ram Neta and David Sosa.
2004
“The Science and Policy of Happiness.” Loyola University Chicago, Conversation in the College.
2003
“What the Animals are Saying about Language.” Indiana University, Speech Research Lab.
“Basic Needs, Welfare, and the Science of Happiness.” Northern Illinois University Philosophy Department.
“The Biological Basis of Speech: Talking to the Animals and Listening to the Evidence.” University-wide lecture at Columbia University, NY. Archived at http://www.columbia.edu/~remez/02-03compiled.pdf. The talk was presented to the University Seminar on Language and Cognition.
2002
“Epistemology as (Philosophy of) Science.” University of Washington Philosophy Department and California State University, Long Beach.
“The Sciences of Self-Knowledge.” Self-Knowledge Conference. University of Utah.
2001
“Self-Serving Bias and Self-Binding Solutions.” University of Illinois at Chicago Philosophy Department.
“Measured Realism and the Scientific Gaze: Internalism, Externalism, and Actuarial Paths to Clinical Knowledge.” American Psychological Association, San Francisco.
2000
“50 Years of Successful Predictive Modeling Should be Enough: Lessons for the Philosophy of Science.” Philosophy of Science Association meeting (with Michael Bishop).
“Debiasing and the Case of Judgment.” Howard University, Washington, D.C.
1999
“Realistic Models of the Mind.” A series of six, three-hour lectures at the University of Innsbruck between December 1 - 15.
“The Mental Representation of Variability in Speech.” University of the Basque Country, San Sebastian, Spain.
“Concepts and Properties: New Philosophical Proposals about Artifacts and Relations.” Northwestern Psychology Department Brown Bag, Northwestern University.
1998
“Scientific Realism and the Radically Contingent Nature of the History of Science.” Bryn Mawr Lecture Series, Bryn Mawr College.
“Measured Realism and Statistical Inference: An Explanation for the Fast Progress of ‘Hard’ Psychology.” Philosophy of Science Association meeting, Kansas City, Kansas.
“Nativism, Statistical Complexity, and Speech.” Society for Philosophy and Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. Commentator: Arlene Carney.
1997
“The Biology of Speech: Or, What to Infer from Talking to the Animals.” Speech Research Laboratory, Indiana University.
“Complexity, Emergence, and the Statistics of Large Populations.” History and Philosophy of Science Series, Northwestern University.
“The Perceptual Motivation for Sinewave Speech.” Language Processing Lab, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
1996
“Vowel Environments in Minimal Pair Sequences.” Poster at the Acoustical Society, Waikiki Beach, Hawaii.
“Nativism, Speech, and Complexity.” Philosophy-Neuroscience-Psychology program, Washington University.
“Duration as a Boundary Cue in Minimal Pairs.” Poster at Psychonomic Society, Chicago, IL.
“Metaphysics, Method, and the Mouth.” Society for Philosophy and Psychology, San Francisco, CA.
“Fundamental Frequency in Minimal Pair Sentences.” Poster at Acoustical Society, Indianapolis, IN.
1995
“Metaphysical Morals of Speech Perception.” Philosophy Department, University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana.
“Statistical Designs as Instruments.” International congress in the philosophy of science, Florence, Italy.
“Integrative Knowledge: The New Naturalism in Philosophy.” Keynote address, Annual Research Conference at Governor's State University.
1994
“Austere Realism and the Worldly Assumptions of Inferential Statistics.” Philosophy of Science Association, New Orleans, LA.
“Metaphysics, Method, and the Mouth.” Science and Technology Research Series at Northwestern University.
“Positivism and Its Lingering Influences in Psychology.” Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago.
1993
“A Measured Realism for Psychology: Statistical Designs as Instruments.” Committee on the Conceptual Foundations of Science and the Fishbein Center for the History of Science and Medicine, University of Chicago; also presented in November 1993 at Philosophy Department Speaker series, University of Illinois at Chicago.
“Gender Diversity in Science.” 5th Annual Cuba Conference, Havana, Cuba.
“F0 Declination and Lexical Recognition.” Research talk at the Parmly Hearing Institute.
1992
“Speech Perception and the Psychological Environment.” Invited talk, Psychology Department Colloquium, Loyola University, Chicago, IL.
“Robustness and Integrative Survival in Significance Testing: The World's Contribution to Rationality.” American Philosophical Association Pacific Division meeting in Portland.
“The Metaphysical Morals of Psychological Method.” Philosophy Departments at University of Georgia, Athens, GA, and Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL.
“Demon vs. Disciplined Skepticism: Diverse Tests on an Independent World". Philosophy Department, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA.
1991
“Robustness and Integrative Survival in Significance Testing: The World's Contribution to Rationality.” Society for the History and Philosophy of Science, Canadian Philosophical Association in Kingston, Ontario.
“Realism in the Social and Behavioral Sciences: Statistical Designs as Instruments of Measurement.” Science Studies Center at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA.
“A Realistic Look Backward.” Philosophy Department, Queens University (Canada).
1990
“A Realistic Look Backward.” Science & Technology Group at University of Hawaii, Manoa.
1989
“How the Success of Science Depends on Folk Psychology.” Department of Philosophy, Susquehanna University, Selinsgrove, PA, and Humanities Department, Stevens Institute of Technology.
“Two-factor Semantic Theories.” Department of Philosophy, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA.
1988
“Psychoanalytic Science and the Gentle Caress of Reductionism.” Annual Mellon Postdoctoral Lecture, Bryn Mawr College.
TEACHING
GRADUATE ADVISEES
Marcella Russo Linn, Ph.D., 2017. Instructor, Loyola University.
Matthew Kelsey, Ph.D., 2013; Arizona State and Regis College. “The Mother of Chaos and Night - Kant's Metaphilosophical Attack on Indifferentism”, completed Spring 2013.
Stephanie Hare, MA (chair), completed Spring 2012; currently a cognitive neuroscience PhD student at Georgia State University.
Paul Voelker, Ph.D. in Theology, 2010; “Religion, Science, and the Conscious Self: Bio-psychological Explanation and the Debate between Religious Dualism and Naturalism”
Kate Biederman, Ph.D., 2008. Bio-ethics. “Moral Responsibility and the Limits of Ignorance”
Matthew Butcher, MA (chair), completed 2006.
Abe Schwab, Ph.D., 2005; Brooklyn College. Bio-ethics. “Modelling Effective Autonomy: Trust and Bounded Cognition in Medicine”
Jason Beyer, Ph.D., 2003; Illinois Valley Community College. Philosophy of Religion. “God and Explanation: A Defense of Philosophical Naturalism”
Phyllis Cullen, Ph.D. in Nursing, 2001; University of Iowa. “Feature Selection Methods for Intelligent Systems Classifiers in Healthcare”
Sara Waller, Ph.D., 1998; Case Western University. “A Defense of Semantic Conventionalism”
Dwayne Mulder, Ph.D., 1996; Sonoma State University. “Explanation and Ontological Reasoning”
Irene Applebaum, Ph.D., University of Chicago (outside committee member), 1995; University of Montana. “Speech perception: A philosophical analysis”
James Twine, MA (chair), completed 2004.
Paul Newell, MA (chair), completed 2000.
Undergraduate Directed Studies
Fr. Ben Hawley, S.J., Independent Study on Moral Realism and Psychological Virtue (Spring 1995), now Pastor & Director of Catholic Campus Ministry, St. Mary Student Parish, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
Lauren Taglia (Leadership Mentoring Program) Spring 1998 (now an MD in Chicago)
April Winslow (Spring 1996) Qualia and Consciousness (now a RN and media force on nutrition and eating disorders)
Suann Silvest (supervised for INM research project 1998)
Haroldas Subacious - Consciousness and Free Will (Summer 1995)
Leann Ondek -- Honors contract (Spring 2001)
Deepa Bhatt – Honors Contract (Spring 2002)
Emilio Fanto – 2 Independent Studies (Summer 2002) (Happiness; Welfare)
Kristi Terbrack (Spring 2001 – for Psychology credit) – Now at the Quinlan School (2001)
Joseph Cesario – Joe Cesario (Fall 1999) – Independent Study - Automaticity and Rationality
NSF to Columbia University in Social Psychology, now tenured at Michigan State
Shahid Buttar, 2000, (Loyola BA, Stanford J.D.), Executive Director, Bill of Rights Defense Committee – co-authored article on Inheritance, Journal of Law & Politics, a specialty journal published by University of Virginia Law School
Meriem Sadoun - Loyola InterFuture Project (2014-15) – The Link Between the State, Muslim Adolescent Girls and Sports
Graduate Student Independent Studies
Stephanie Hare (Fall 2012); Phyllis Cullen (Spring 1999); Dwayne Mulder (Spring 1993); Sara Waller (Fall 1996); Robbie Blasser (Fall 2013)
COURSES TAUGHT
Wonder and Explanation (Loyola; Grad Seminar, Fall 2015)
The Philosophy and Psychology of Decision-Making (Loyola – Cross-listed with Psych 279; satisfies a Philosophy Core requirement and a Psychology Cognitive requirement; Jumbo course of 200 students, taught every semester).
Philosophy of Social Science (University of Chicago – Spring 2005)
Epistemology (Loyola; Grad Seminar – Spring 2003, Fall 2004, Spring 2007)
Rational Judgment and Social Policy (Loyola; Grad Seminar - Fall 1999)
Philosophy of Science (Virginia Tech; Stevens; Loyola (Fall 2007); Graduate Seminar - Fall 1995)
Historical Introduction to the Philosophy of Science (Stevens)
Philosophy of Psychology (Loyola - Graduate Seminar - Fall 1992, Fall 1997)
Philosophy of Mind (Bryn Mawr College; Stevens; Loyola)
Metaphysics (Loyola; Graduate Seminar - Spring 1993)
Philosophy of Social Science (Stevens; Loyola; Graduate Seminar - Fall 1994)
Epistemology (Loyola)
Philosophy of Language (Bryn Mawr College; Stevens)
Language and Logic (Virginia Tech)
Regular lecturer in Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Minor Seminar and Lab courses (administered
by the Parmly Hearing Institute) since Fall 1997; Topics on Mind and Brain, the Moral
Status of Animals, Ethics of Sharing Information, Deaf Culture; Speech Perception Lab
Class
Knowledge and Reality: Truth (Loyola)
Knowledge and Reality: History of Modern Philosophy (Virginia Tech; Stevens)
Knowledge and Reality: Mind (Loyola)
Knowledge and Reality: Science (Loyola)
SELECTED ADMINSTRATIVE EXPERIENCE
Graduate School Dissertation Fellowship Committee, 2013-2016
Graduate School Teaching Fellowship Committee, 2013-2016
Hiring Committee, 2008-2009, 2010-2011
Chair, Undergraduate Essay Committee, 2008 – 2016
Member, Philosophy Department Essay Committee, 2013-2016
Graduate Placement Committee, 2001-2006
Graduate Dean Search Committee (Appointed by Provost), 2004-2005
Co-director of the Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Minor, 2001-2002
Faculty Mentor, 2003-2006, Center for Faculty Professional Development
Chair, Fall 2001, Science and Society Committee
Chair, Rank and Tenure Review Committee, 1997-1999
Co-director of Anglo-American Program, 1992-1998
Selection Committee, Summer Fellowship Program, Dean’s Office, 1998, 1999
Elected member of the Hiring Committee 1998-1999
Chair, Task Force on Grading, Academic Council, 1995
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
Program Committee member for the 2016 Meeting for Central APA
Psychology Today Online blogger, “The Greater Good”, October 2008 – present; http://blogs.psychologytoday.com/authors/jd-trout-phd
Program Committee Member, Philosophy of Science Association Meeting 2010,
Montreal, Canada
Editorial Board member, American Philosophical Quarterly, 2007–2012; Brain and Mind, 2000-2003.
Evaluator, Philosophical Gourmet Report, 2002-2004, 2004-2006, 2006-2008
Areas: Epistemology, Philosophy of Science
Refereeing
Books
Oxford University Press
MIT Press
Blackwell
Routledge
Rowman and Littlefield
Temple University Press
Acumen
Broadview
Wiley, WIRE series
Journals
Cognition
Philosophy of Science
British Journal for the Philosophy of Science
Psychological Review
Synthese
Noûs
Studies in Hist. and Philosophy of Science
Biology & Philosophy
Philosophical Studies
Philosophical Quarterly
Canadian Journal of Philosophy
European Journal of Philosophy
Int’l Journal for the Philosophy of Science
Psyche (an on-line journal)
Australasian Journal of Philosophy
Journal of Experimental Psychology: General; JEP: Human Perception and Performance
American Philosophical Quarterly
Law and Social Inquiry
Perspectives on Science
Journal of Philosophical Research
General Systems Theory
Mind, Brain, and Education
Society for Philosophy and Psychology
Episteme
HOPOS
Journal of Medical Ethics
Psychonomic Bulletin & Review
Current HIV Research
Politics, Philosophy and Economics
Social Theory and Practice
Journal of Empirical Legal Studies
Member of Philosophy of Science Association, American Philosophical Association, Society for Judgment and Decision-Making, Association for Psychological Science
Referee for Danish Council for Independent Research, John Templeton Foundation, Israel Science Foundation