Curriculum Vitae
STUART BROCK
Education
- Princeton University, Ph.D., January 2002.
- Princeton University, M.A., 1996.
- Australian National University, M.A., 1995.
- Monash University, B.A. (with first class honors) 1993.
Areas of Specialisation
Metaphysics, Philosophy of Language, Philosophy of Literature.
Areas of Competence
Epistemology, Logic, Philosophy of the Emotions, Philosophy of Religion.
Academic Positions
- Associate Professor, Philosophy Programme, Victoria University of Wellington, 2014–present.
- Senior Lecturer, Philosophy Programme, Victoria University of Wellington, 2005–2013.
- Lecturer, Philosophy Programme, Victoria University of Wellington, 2002–2004.
- Assistant Professor (Tenure Track), Department of Philosophy, Western Washington University, 1999–2002.
- Lecturer, Department of Philosophy, Princeton University, Spring, 1999.
Administrative Positions
- Associate Dean (Academic Programmes), Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, 2016–present.
- Associate Dean (Postgraduate Research), Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, 2015–2016.
- Deputy Head of School, School of History, Philosophy, Political Science and International Relations, Victoria University of Wellington, 2012–2014.
- Acting Head of School, School of History, Philosophy, Political Science and International Relations, Victoria University of Wellington, December 2012–June 2013.
- Associate Dean (Students), Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington, 2007–2010.
- Head of the Philosophy Programme, Victoria University of Wellington, 2005–2007.
Recent Courses Taught (2017-2019)
- PHIL 105: The Big Questions
- PHIL 106: Contemporary Ethical Issues
- PHIL 107: Philosophy of Media and the Arts
- PHIL 123: Critical Thinking
- PHIL 201: Knowledge and Reality
- PHIL 445: Contemporary Approaches to Philosophy
- FHSS 103: Great Ideas
- FHSS/HRIR 207: The Future of Work
- FHSS 302: BA Internship
- SCIS 414: Science and Humanities
Publications
Books:
Edited Collections
Journal Articles:
Book Chapters:
Short Discussion Notes and Book Reviews:
- Realism and Antirealism (co-authored with Edwin Mares) Acumen/Routledge (2007).
- A Critical Introduction to Fictionalism (co-authored with Fred Kroon and Jonathan McKeown-Green) Bloomsbury (2018).
Edited Collections
- Fictional Objects, co-edited with Anthony Everett (ed.), Oxford University Press (2015).
Journal Articles:
- ‘Fictionalism About Fictional Characters.’ Noûs, 36 (2002) pp. 1-21.
- ‘The Ubiquitous Problem of Empty Names,’ Journal of Philosophy, (2004) pp. 277-298.
- ‘World-Indexed Descriptivism and the Spurious Problem of Referring Names,’ Philosophical Analysis, (2006) pp. 197-204.
- ‘Fiction, Feelings, and the Emotions,’ Philosophical Studies, 132 (2007) pp. 211-242.
- ‘The Creationist Fiction: The Case against Creationism about Fictional Characters,’ Philosophical Review, 119 (2010) pp. 337-364.
- ‘The Puzzle of Imaginative Failure,’ Philosophical Quarterly, 62 (2012) pp. 443-463.
- ‘The Phenomenological Objection to Fictionalism,’ Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, 88 (2014) pp. 574-592.
- ‘Reductionism, Fictionalism, and the Objects of Thought,’ Philosophical Analysis, 33 (2015) pp. 89-103.
- ‘Fictionalism about Fictional Characters Revisited,’ Res Philosophica, 93 (2016) pp. 377-403.
- ‘Fictionalism, Figuralism and Presuppositionalism,’ Australasian Philosophical Review, (2017) pp. 1-3.
- 'A Recalcitrant Problem for Abstract Creationism,' Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, 76 (2018) pp. 93-98.
Book Chapters:
- ‘A Puzzle About Fictional Characters,’ (co-authored with Cei Maslen and Justin Ngai) From Fictionalism to Realism: Fictional and Other Social Entities, Carola Barbero, Maurizio Ferraris, and Alberto Voltolini (eds.), Cambridge Scholars Publishing (2013) pp. 63-86.
- Introduction, Fictional Objects, Stuart Brock and Anthony Everett (ed.), Oxford University Press (2015) pp. 1-23.
- ‘Fictionalism, Fictional Characters, and Fictionalist Inference,’ Fictional Objects, Stuart Brock and Anthony Everett (ed.), Oxford University Press (2015) pp. 230-254.
- ‘Is Philosophy Progressing Fast Enough?’ Philosophy’s Future: The Problem of Philosophical Progress, Damien Broderick and Russell Blackford (eds.) Wiley Blackwell (2017) pp. 119-131.
- 'Religious Fictionalism and Pascal's Wager,' New Essays on Philosophical Fictionalism, Fred Kroon and Bradley Armour-Garb (eds.), Oxford University Press (forthcoming 2018).
- 'Abstract Objects and the Causal Order: No Cause for Concern' (co-authorer with Cei Maslen), Joshua Brown and Otavio Bueno (forthcoming 2019).
- 'Causal Reference and Empty Terms' The Routledge Handbook of Linguistic Reference, Stephen Biggs and Heimir Geirsson (eds.), Routledge (forthcoming 2019).
Short Discussion Notes and Book Reviews:
- ‘Modal Fictionalism: A Response to Rosen.’ Mind, 102 (1993) pp 147-150 [published as a student].
- Book Review: Modality by Joseph Melia Australasian Journal of Philosophy, (2005).
- Book Review: Lying, Misleading and What is Said by Jennifer Saul, Australasian Journal of Philosophy, (2013) pp. 831-832.
- Book Review: Reference and Existence by Saul Kripke, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews, (2014).
- Book Review: Time in Fiction by Craig and Emily Caddick Bourne, Australasian Journal of Philosophy, (forthcoming, 2017).
Presentations (From 2010)
- ‘The Puzzle of Imaginative Failure,’ Australasian Association of Philosophy Conference, University of New South Wales, Australia (July 2010)
- ‘The Puzzle of Imaginative Failure,’ Waikato University (September 2010)
- ‘The Misfire Solution to the Puzzle of Imaginative Failure,’ (Invited Paper) Michigan University (February 2011)
- ‘Fiction, Morality and Imagination,’ Turin University, Italy (May 2011)
- ‘The Phenomenological Objection to Fictionalism’ (Invited Paper) Turin University, Workshop on Fiction and Social Objects (May 2011)
- ‘The Phenomenological Objection to Fictionalism,’ The Australasian Association of Philosophy Conference, Otago University, New Zealand (July 2011)
- ‘A Puzzle About Fictional Characters,’ The Australasian Association of Philosophy Conference, University Wollongong, Australia (July 2012)
- ‘Fictionalism, Fictional Characters, and Fictionalist Inference,’ The Australasian Association of Philosophy Conference, University of Queensland, Australia (July 2013)
- ‘Fictional Characters and Nuances of Fictionalism,’ The World Congress of Philosophy, University of Athens, Greece (August 2013)
- ‘Fictionalism, Fictional Characters, and Fictionalist Inference,’ The Korean Society for Analytic Philosophy Conference, Seoul National University, South Korea (August 2013)
- ‘Is There Enough Progress in Philosophy?’ Invited Speaker, Australian National University (July 2014)
- ‘The Objects of Thought’ Invited commentary at APA Pacific Division Meeting (April 2015) – paper presented in absentia.
- 'Religious Fictionalism' Invited speaker at a workshop on Fictionalism, Hamburg University, Germany.
Recent MA and PhD Supervision
PhD Supervision
MA Supervision
- Primary Supervisor, Jordan Skrzynski PhD (currently enrolled).
- Primary Supervisor, Anton Killin PhD (graduated 2017).
- Primary Supervisor, Katharine Hamilton PhD (graduated 2016).
- Primary Supervision: Tessa Balan PhD (suspended).
- Secondary Supervisor, Michael Gilchrist PhD (graduating 2018).
- Secondary Supervisor, Felice Marshal PhD (graduating 2018).
MA Supervision
- Primary Supervision: Chrissy van Hulst MA (graduated with merit 2018).
- Primary Supervision: Mathew Logan MA (graduated with merit 2017).
- Primary Supervision: Jordan Skrzynski MA (graduated with distinction 2017).
- Primary Supervision: Josef Holden MA (graduated with distinction 2015).
- Primary Supervision: Justin Ngai MA (graduated 2012).
- Primary Supervision: Alistair Hammel MA (graduated with merit 2010).
- Secondary Supervisor, Jennifer Gosnell MA (graduated 2014).
Other Professional Activity (From 2010)
Philosophy Programme:
New Zealand Association of Philosophy:
Australasian Association of Philosophy:
Journal Editing:
Other Contributions to the Research Environment:
Community (New Zealand):
Academic Programme Reviews:
Victoria University of Wellington: University-Level Contributions
Victoria University of Wellington: Faculty-Level Contributions
- Programme Director, Philosophy, Politics, and Economics Programme (2018-present)
- Conference Organizer, Mini-Conference celebrating the work of Kendall Walton, Victoria University of Wellington (March 2008)
- Convenor of the Philosophy Research Seminar Series (2008-2010, 2012-2014)
- Philosophy Placement Officer (2012-2015)
- Undergraduate Coordinator (2019-present)
New Zealand Association of Philosophy:
- Victoria University Representative, 2017-present
Australasian Association of Philosophy:
- Treasurer, Australasian Association of Philosophy, 2010-2014
- Member of Council, 2010-2015
- Member of the Executive, 2010-2015
- Member of the Philosophy in Higher Education Committee, 2010-2012
- Member of the Journals ERA Ranking Committee, 2010-2011
- Member of the Committee to Improve Relations between Divisions, 2010-2011
- Member of the Finance Committee, 2014-2015
- Conference Liaison Officer, Australasian Association of Philosophy, 2011-2012
- Conference Organizer, Australasian Association of Philosophy (NZ), 2012
- Convenor of the Philosophy in the Community Committee, 2013-2015
- World Congress of Philosophy, Organizing Committee 2016-present
- Conference Organiser, Australasian Association of Philosophy Conference, 2018
- Member of the Board of Directors, Australasian Association of Philosophy Conference, 2018-present
Journal Editing:
- Associate Editor of the Australasian Journal of Philosophy, 2014-present
- Guest Editor for the Australasian Philosophical Review, 1.2: 2017.
Other Contributions to the Research Environment:
- Insight Grants Evaluation Panel for Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), 2013.
- Grading of MA thesis: Australian National University, Jonathan Andy Tapsell, Models of Philosophical Thought Experimentation, 2014
Community (New Zealand):
- ‘Future of Work and the Future of Education,’ Presentation to the Work in Progress Conference (https://www.wipwellington.co.nz) 8 November 2017
- Radio New Zealand interview on the Jessie Mulligan show (http://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/afternoons/audio/201859860/why-ba-graduates-could-run-the-country) 25 September 2017
- ‘Why BA graduates will control the economy,’ Newsroom (www.newsroom.co.nz/@future-learning/2017/09/04/45972/why-ba-graduates-will-control-the-economy) 4 September 2017
- ‘Employability and the Humanities,’ Presentation to the Scots College Careers Evening, 23 August 2017
- Victoria University Coordinator for Radio New Zealand Partnership on “Great Ideas” podcast (http://www.radionz.co.nz/programmes/great-ideas) 2016-2018
- Lecture to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment on The Illusion of Certainty and the Turkey Illusion (May, 2016)
- Lecture Series (Three Weeks) to Victoria Community Continuing Education, ‘The Illusion of Everyday Rationality,’ (March, 2012)
- Lecture to the Ministry of Research, Science and Technology on Cognitive Biases (June, 2009)
- Lectures to the Ministry of Health (National Screening Unit) on Communicating Health Risks (April, 2008)
Academic Programme Reviews:
- Chair of the Review Panel for the Science and Society Programme, Victoria University of Wellington (2016)
- Chair of the Review Panel for the Biology, Marine Biology and Ecology and Biodiversity Programmes, Victoria University of Wellington (2012)
- External Panel Member reviewing the Philosophy Department, University of Otago (2012)
Victoria University of Wellington: University-Level Contributions
- Member of the University Preparation Board of Studies (2010)
- Member of University Learning and Teaching Strategy Group (2010)
- Evaluation of Research Grant proposals for the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) (2010)
- Member of University Student Experience Strategy Group (2010)
- Member of the Steering Group to Review Undergraduate Education at Victoria (2011)
- Member of the VicTeach Advisory Committee (2014-present)
- Convenor of the VicTeach Finance and Review Committee (2014-present)
- Member of the Victoria Advisory Group for the Online Enrolment System (2015-2016)
- Member of the Victoria Research Establishment Grant Committee (2015-2018)
- Member of the Victoria Learning and Teaching Committee (2016-2018)
- Member of the VUW Academic Committee, (2016-2018)
- Member of University Academic Board (2017-2018)
Victoria University of Wellington: Faculty-Level Contributions
- Convener FHSS Academic Committee (2007-2010; 2016-2018)
- Convener of the FHSS Postgraduate Committee (2015-2016)
- Convener of the Working Party reviewing the Bachelor of Arts (2016)
- Member of the FHSS Management Team (2015-2018)
- Member of the Faculty of Education Academic Committee (2016-2018)
- Member of the Master of Arts Working Party, FHSS (2011-2012)
- Member of the FHSS Learning and Teaching Committee (2011-2015)
- Member of the VicTeach Advisory Committee (2014-present)
- Member of the FHSS Research Committee (2015-2016)
- Member of Te Maruako Aronui / FHSS Learning, Teaching and Equity Committee (2017-2018)
This is an abridged CV. Feel free to contact me for a full CV.