Curriculum Vitae
https://www.nanditheunissen.com/
lit44[at sign]pitt.edu
Areas of Specialty
Ethics, Meta-ethics (especially value theory)
Current Position
Associate Professor
University of Pittsburgh (Fall 2018).
Duane L. Peterson Assistant Professor in Ethics
Johns Hopkins University (fall 2012- spring 2018).
Education
PhD in Philosophy with distinction
(Committee: Katja Vogt, Joseph Raz, Patricia Kitcher, David Velleman)
Columbia University (May 2012)
MPhil in Philosophy
University of Sydney (2004–2006)
First class honors with University Medal (Philosophy)
University of Sydney (2003)
BA (Philosophy, English)
University of Western Australia (1999–2002)
Book
The Value of Humanity. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2020.
Reviewed:
Richard Kraut, Review of The Value of Humanity, by L. Nandi Theunissen, Mind, (June 2020): https://academic.oup.com/mind/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/mind/fzaa029/5857285.
Rory O’Connell, Review of The Value of Humanity, by Nandi Theunissen. Philosophy 96.3 (April 2021):486-490.
Kenneth Walden, Review of The Value of Humanity, by L. Nandi Theunissen. Ethics 131.4 (July 2021): 808-812.
Theptawee Chokvasin, “Review of The Value of Humanity, by Nandi Theunissen,” Suranaree Journal of Social Science, Vol. 14. No. 1, 147-148.
Discussed:
Richard Kraut and David Sussman. 2021. “Author Meets Critics: Nandi Theunissen, The Value of Humanity.” In Central APA, February 2021.
“Ethics Review Forum: Theunissen’s The Value of Humanity, Reviewed by Walden,” Pea Soup (blog), July 16, 2021, https://peasoup.deptcpanel.princeton.edu/2021/07/ethics-review-forum-theunissens-the-value-of-humanity/.
Humanities Center Book Launch Duet with R.A. Judy, Pitt Humanities Center, March 2022.
Edited Volume
Rethinking the Value of Humanity. Edited by Sarah Buss and Nandi Theunissen. Oxford: Oxford University Press, Jan 2023.
ARTICLES & BOOK CHAPTERS
“Realism about the Good For Human Beings.” The Oxford Handbook of Moral Realism, edited by Paul Bloomfield and David Copp. Oxford: Oxford University Press, September 2023.
“Activity, Consciousness, and Well-Being,” Analysis, Volume 83, Issue 1, January 2023, Pages 134–146: https://doi.org/10.1093/analys/anac081
“Explaining the Value of Human Beings.” In Rethinking the Value of Humanity, edited by Sarah Buss and Nandi Theunissen. Oxford: Oxford University Press, Jan. 2023.
“Must We Be Just Plain Good? On Regress Arguments for the Value of Humanity,” Ethics, 128, No. 2 (2018): pp. 346-372.
“Kant’s Commitment to Metaphysics of Morals,” European Journal of Philosophy, Vol. 24, Iss. 1 (2016): pp. 103-128.
New projects
“The New Mooreans” under review.
“‘Unselfing’ and its Discontents: A Reply to Iris Murdoch,” The Sovereignty of the Good 50 After, edited by Carla Bagnoli and Brad Cokelet. Cambridge: Cambridge Philosophical Anniversaries, in progress.
“A Relational Theory of Value” a volume on W. D. Ross, edited by Robert Audi and David Phillips, in progress
Second book project: Reclaiming The Beneficial, in progress.
Reviews
TALKS (Invited*)
“Is Good Fundamental?”
Tufts University, Philosophy Colloquium, October 2023 (upcoming).*
Dartmouth College, Philosophy Colloquium, November 2023 (upcoming).*
University of Chicago, Philosophy Colloquium, February 2024 (upcoming).*
Columbia University, Philosophy Colloquium, February 2024 (upcoming).*
Franklin and Marshall, Philosophy Colloquium, April 2024 (upcoming).*
Princeton Workshop on Value Theory, Center for Human Values, March 2023.*
“Revisiting Regress Arguments for the Value of Humanity”
Mind-Dependent Artifacts: Artifact Dependent Minds, Institute for Philosophy and New Humanities, New School for Social Research, September 2023. *
Human Dignity: Theory and Practice, Concordia/McGill, April 2023. *
“The New Mooreans”
University of Toronto, Philosophy Department, January 2023.
Washington University in St Louis, Philosophy Department Colloquium, October 2022. *
University of Vermont, Philosophy Department Colloquium, November 2022. *
Practical Philosophy Workshop, University of Chicago, April 2022. *
Ryerson Reasons, Action, and Mind Speaker Series, organized by David Hunter, March 2022. *
University of Arizona, Philosophy Department Colloquium, September 2021.*
University of Notre Dame, Philosophy Department Colloquium, September 2021. *
Seminar in Value Theory, Queens University, organized by Kerah Solomon-Gordon, April 2021. *
Harvard University, Philosophy Department, January 2020.
Binghamton University SUNY, Philosophy Department Colloquium, October 2019. *
Amherst College, Philosophy Department Colloquium, September 2019.*
Workshop in Value Theory, organized by Christian Piller, University of York, June 2019.*
Northwestern University Society for the Theory of Ethics and Politics, with a response by Gwen Bradford, organized by Kyla Ebels-Duggan, Richard Kraut, and Stephen White, Evanston IL, May 2019.
University of Pittsburgh, Colloquium for Prospective Graduate Students, March 2019.*
Value in Practice: A Conference on the Philosophy of Joseph Raz, with a response by David Enoch, organized by Amanda Greene, Ulrike Heuer and David Owens, King's College, London, July 2018.*
“A Response to Garrett Cullity’s Ross and the Foundations of Morality”
Notre Dame-ACU International Ethics Conference, April 2022.*
Humanities Center Book Launch Duet
With R.A. Judy, University of Pittsburgh Humanities Center, March 2022.*
Author Meets Critics session for Richard Kraut’s, The Quality of Life (with Valerie Tiberius and Peter Railton)
Central Division APA, February 2022.*
“A Response to Kyla Ebels-Duggan’s Buckpassing and the Value of a Person,”
Scanlon Workshop, organized by Brad Cokelet, October 2021.*
Author Meets Critics: The Value of Humanity
Central APA, with Richard Kraut and David Sussman, organized by Sarah Buss, February 2021.*
“Explaining the Value of Human Beings”
Central Division APA, with Kyla Ebels-Duggan, February 2022.*
Mudd Center for Ethics Keynote Address, Washington and Lee University, March 2021.*
University of Pittsburgh, Philosophy Department, January 2018.
Columbia University, Inaugural Alumni Lecture, March 2018.*
“The Normativity of Good For”
Workshop on Well-being, organized by Mauro Rossi, Sarah Stroud, and Christine Tappolet, Montreal, February 2017 (attended remotely).*
“Must We Be Just Plain Good?”
Ancient and Contemporary Philosophy Workshop 2017-18, with responses by Michelle Moody-Adams & Thimo Heisenberg, organized by Katja Maria Vogt, Columbia University, February 2018.*
Online discussion on PEA Soup, with a precis by Richard Kraut, January 2018.*
Joseph Raz’s Law School Colloquium, Columbia University, October 2015.*
The Mentoring Workshop for Women in Philosophy, University of Massachusetts Amherst, June 2013.
Johns Hopkins University, Philosophy Department, February 2012.
Northwestern University, Philosophy Department, January 2012.
Wisconsin at Milwaukee Philosophy Department, February 2012.
The Mellon Foundation, Columbia University, May 2011.
On Mike Titelbaum's “Reasons Without Reasons-For”
St Louis Annual Conference on Reasons and Rationality, St Louis, May 2017.
On Paul Boswell's “Guise of the Good”
The Northwestern Society for the Theory of Ethics and Politics, organized by Kyla Ebels-Duggan, Richard Kraut, and Stephen White, Evanston, April 2017.
“What is the Subject Matter of Ethics?”
Flash Seminars, Johns Hopkins University Initiative for furthering the Humanities, October 2015.*
Commentary on Joseph Raz’s “On the Justifications of Traditions”
The Authority of Tradition, College of William and Mary, October 2014.*
“On the Value of Human Beings”
New York German Idealism Workshop, New York, April 2014 *
Rocky Mountains Ethics Congress, Boulder Colorado, August 2014.
Dignity and Autonomy in Kant’s Ethical Theory, organized by Jens Timmermann, University of St Andrews, May 2011.*
“Responsibility and the Value of Noumenal Beings”
Northwestern University Society for the Theory of Ethics and Politics, organized by Kyla Ebels-Duggan, Richard Kraut, and Stephen White, Evanston IL, May 2013.
On Eamon Quinn’s “Values in Partiality”
Rocky Mountain Ethics Congress, Boulder Colorado, August 2011.
On Anne Baril’s “Eudaimonist Virtue Ethics and Contemporary Normative Ethical Theory”
Rocky Mountain Ethics Congress, Boulder Colorado, August 2010.
“Korsgaard on Moral Responsibility”
Aspects of Responsibility, Central European University, July 2009.
“Conservatism and Criticism”
The Annual Conference of the Australasian Association of Philosophy, University of Melbourne, July 2008.
“The Value of Truth: On Friction and Sincerity”
The Annual Conference of the Australasian Association of Philosophy, University of Sydney, 3–8 July 2005.
Events Organized
Reading group on pleasure and the good, Pitt, 2021-2022.
Workshop on the Value of Humanity, Johns Hopkins University,
April 2016.
Scholarships and Awards
GSAS Teaching Fellow
Columbia University, 2011
Mellon Foundation Interdisciplinary Graduate Fellow
ISERP, Columbia University 2010–2011
Kluge Fellowship
Columbia University Scholars Program, 2010–2011
Toby Strober Memorial Scholarship
Dissertation Fellowship 2009–2010; and 2010–2011
Summer School Scholarship
Central European University, 2009
Columbia University GSAS Scholarship
Full funding for the graduate program, 2006–2012
Traveling Scholarship
University of Sydney, 2006–2009
Lucy Firth Prize
Department of Philosophy, University of Sydney, 2005
Andrew Donald Campbell Memorial Prize
Highest course-work results in MPhil Program, University of Sydney, 2004
Australian Postgraduate Award (APA)
Full Funding For MPhil Program
University of Sydney, 2004–2006
APA Supplementary Scholarship Award
Faculty of Arts, University of Sydney, 2004–2006
University Medal
Department of Philosophy, University of Sydney, 2003
John Anderson Prize For Best Honours Thesis
Department of Philosophy, University of Sydney, 2003
UWA Graduates Association Prize Arts (English)
Faculty of Arts, University of Western Australia, 2002.
James Bourke Memorial Prize in Third Year English
Department of English, University of Western Australia, 2002.
S A Grave Prize in Third Year Philosophy
Department of Philosophy, University of Western Australia, 2002.
Walter Murdoch Prize in First Year English
Department of English, University of Western Australia, 1999.
Teaching
The Self and its Discontents (upper level undergraduate seminar)
Virtue, Reason, and the Good (graduate seminar).
Topics in Meta-Ethics (philosophy majors seminar; graduate seminar).
The Value of Humanity (graduate / undergraduate seminar).
Foundations of Ethics (graduate seminar).
Topics in the Theory of Value I & II (graduate seminar).
Introduction to Moral Philosophy (lecture course).
Topics in Plato (freshman seminar).
Advisees
Rajiv Hurhangee (primary)
Jason Kay (primary)
Vivian Feldblyum (primary)
Aaron Abma (primary)
Sofia Berinstein (second reader)
Ashley Purdy, (dissertation committee)
Taylor Coles (dissertation committee)
Shmuel Gomes, UC Riverside (dissertation committee)
Aaron Segal, comprehensive paper (chair)
Undergraduate advisees: placed at Yale Divinity for a fully funded MA; PhD program in Philosophy at UConn; funded MA in Philosophy at the University of Houston, UNC Chapel Hill PhD.
Service at UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH
Graduate placement officer (2022-2023 & 2023-2024).
Practical Philosophy search committee (2022-2023, 2023-2024).
Ad hoc committee for promotion to Associate Professor, fall 2021.
Honors Thesis advisor, 2020-2021.
BPhil Defense Committee, 2021.
Director of graduate admissions, 2020-2021.
Brackenridge Fellowship advisor, 2020.
Colloquium committee, 2019-2020.
Early Modern search committee, 2018-2019.
Graduate admissions committee, 2018-2019.
Service at Johns Hopkins University
Undergraduate advisees placed in Philosophy PhD programs at University of Chicago, Yale, and Columbia.
Dissertation director for Sandy Koll, The Value of Relationships, (successfully defended, May 2017). Currently lecturer at Georgetown University.
Dean’s Teaching Fellowship Review Committee for 2016-7.
Acting Director of Undergraduate Studies, Spring 2015.
Political and Moral Thought Committee, 2014-2018.
General Service
Referee, Philosopher’s Imprint.
Referee, Australasian Journal of Philosophy.
Referee, Kantian Review.
Referee, Archiv für Geschichte der Philosophie.
Referee, Mind.
Referee, American Academy in Berlin.
Referee, Oxford University Press.
Referee, Nous.
Referee, Journal of Philosophy.
Referee, European Journal of Philosophy.
Referee, Journal of Philosophical Research.
Referee, Philosophical Quarterly.
Referees
Katja Maria Vogt
Professor of Philosophy, Columbia University
Tel: +1 212-854-3539
http://www.katjavogt.com/
kv2101[at sign]columbia.edu
Sarah Buss
Professor of Philosophy, University of Michigan
Tel: 734.764.6285
sbuss[at sign]umich.edu
Richard Kraut
Charles and Emma Morrison Professor in the Humanities
Northwestern University
Office: Kresge 3-205
Tel: +1 847-491-2552
rkraut1[at sign]northwestern.edu
David Velleman
Professor of Philosophy, NYU
Tel: +1 212-998-8320
https://files.nyu.edu/dv26/public/index.html
jdvelleman[at sign]nyu.edu