AARON FINLEY
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​Curriculum Vitae

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Employment
Spring 2022
Lecturer, Department of Philosophy
University of California, San Diego

Fall 2021
Lecturer, Department of Philosophy
University of San Diego 
Education
2013-2021
​​University of California, San Diego
Ph.D. in Philosophy, Spring 2021
2009-2013
​University of Wisconsin, Madison
B.S. Majors: Philosophy and Mathematics
Areas of Specialization and Competence
AOS: Moral and Political Philosophy
AOC: Environmental ethics, Technology and Moral Values, Medical Ethics

Dissertation and Committee
Dissertation Title: The Principle of Fairness and Natural Duties
Committee members: Richard Arneson (co-chair), Saba Bazargan-Forward (co-chair), Samuel Rickless, Andy Lamey, Sean Ingham

Short Abstract
In The Principle of Fairness and Natural Duties I defend two major claims. First, the Principle of Fairness (PoF) is not vulnerable to a number of objections often leveled against it. The PoF is most often used to explain our duty to obey the law, and its defenders and critics alike almost universally agree that the PoF relies on cooperative intentions. Critics argue that relatively few people in existing political societies have cooperative intentions the PoF requires. If so, the PoF cannot do the work of explaining the duty to obey the law. In response, I argue that the PoF does not rely on cooperative intentions. By emphasizing mutually advantageous labor instead, I can acknowledge the importance of working together while avoiding the problems associated with determining the mental states of individuals. My dissertation’s second major claim is that the duty to obey the law is best grounded in a hybrid theory that combines the PoF with the natural duty of justice. Theories of the duty to obey the law grounded in the PoF are often seen as rivals to those grounded in the natural duty of justice, but I argue that this opposition is misguided. Each theory suffers from an explanatory gap that the other is able to fill. By combining the two, I defend a theory of the duty to obey the law that breaks new ground in the literature, and that is not vulnerable to objections facing other prominent theories.

Publications
“Slack-Taking and Burden-Dumping” Journal of Ethics and Social Philosophy, Forthcoming

Presentations
“Fair Play and Artificial Agents”
USD, Brown Bag Colloquium Series, presenter, 2021

“Fairness and the Right to Freedom of Movement”
UCSD, 2020 Interdisciplinary Conference on Movement, contributor, 2020

“Slack-Taking and Burden-Dumping”
UCSD, MaPPS, presenter 2019

“Fairness and Voluntary Acceptance”
Pacific APA, Session on Political Philosophy, session commentator, 2019

USD, Conference on Exploitation, session chair, 2016

Teaching Experience
Courses Taught as Primary Instructor
  • Philosophy 115: Philosophical Methods (Spring 2022)
  • Philosophy 110: Intro to Philosophy (Fall 2021)
  • Philosophy 27: Intro to Ethics (Winter 2021)
  • Philosophy 13: Intro to Ethics (Summer 2020)
  • Philosophy 27: Ethics and Society I (Winter 2020)
  • Philosophy 27: Ethics and Society I (Summer 2019)

Courses Assisted as a T.A.
  • INTL 101: Culture and Society in International Perspective (Fall 2019)
  • Phil 27: Ethics and Society I (Spring 2019, Summer 2018, Fall 2017, Winter 2015, Spring&Fall&Winter 2014)
  • Phil 13: Intro to Ethics (Spring 2018)
  • Phil 10: Intro to Logic (Summer 2017)
  • Humanities 2: Rome, Christianity, and the Middle Ages (Spring 2017, Spring 2016)
  • Humanities 1: The Foundations of Western Civilization (Winter 2017, Winter 2016)
  • Seminar on Teaching in the Humanities (Fall 2016, Fall 2015)
  • Phil 164: Technology and Human Values (Summer 2016)
  • Phil 28: Ethics and Society II (Spring 2015, Fall 2013)

Graduate Coursework
Courses Taken for Credit
  • Spring 2018: Seminar on Global Justice (Richard Arneson & Andy Lamey)
  • Winter 2018: Audited, Seminar on Moral Responsibility (Manuel Vargas)
  • Spring 2016: Independent Study on Political Obligation (David Brink)
  • Spring 2016: Seminar on Social Norms (Gerry Mackie)
  • Winter 2016: Seminar on Ancient Conceptions of Wisdom (Donald Rutherford & Monte Johnson)
  • Winter 2016: Seminar on Contemporary Social Theory (Harvey Goldman)
  • Fall 2015: Seminar on Legal interpretation (Samuel Rickless)
  • Fall 2015: Seminar on the EU and Global Governance (Christina Schneider)
  • Spring 2015: Independent Study on Political Legitimacy (Richard Arneson)
  • Spring 2015: Seminar on Kant’s Ethics (Eric Watkins & Lucy Allias)
  • Winter 2015: Seminar on Truth and Science (Gila Sher)
  • Winter 2015: Seminar on Science and the Law (Craig Callender & Nancy Cartwright)
  • Fall 2014: Seminar on the Perception of Time (Rick Grush)
  • Fall 2014: Seminar on Metaethics (David Brink)
  • Spring 2014: Seminar on Distributive Justice (Richard Arneson)
  • Spring 2014: Seminar on Pragmatics in Philosophy of Language (Jonathan Cohen)
  • Winter 2014: Philosophy of Logic (Gila Sher)
  • Winter 2014: Seminar on the Politics of Plato and Aristotle (G.H. Anagnostopoulos)
  • Fall 2013: Seminar on Kant’s Critical Philosophy (Clinton Tolley)
  • Fall 2013: Symbolic Logic (Samuel Rickless)

Service and Professional Development
Summer Program for Women in Philosophy
  • Volunteer Office Hours Advising – Summer 2021

Nominations and Presentations
  • Summer Graduate Teaching Scholar Program, UCSD, Engaged Teaching Hub 10-week course, Spring 2019
  • “Teaching Reflection and Research Roundtable”, UCSD, Panelist, Engaged Teaching Hub, Fall 2019

Workshops, UCSD’s Teaching + Learning Commons 
  • “Getting Started with Remote Active Learning”, Spring 2019
  • “Lessons Learned from Teaching in a Remote Learning Environment”, Spring 2019
  • “Class Time in Summer Session & Crafting a Lesson Plan for Day 1”, Spring 2019
  • “Teaching Statements”, UCSD, Writing Hub, Spring 2019
  • “Designing a Student-Centered Syllabus”, Spring 2019
  • “Fostering Growth Mindset through Productive Struggle”, Spring 2019
  • “Developing Course Learning Outcomes and Drafting a Calendar”, Spring 2019
  • “Alternative Assessment Strategies”, Spring 2019
  • “Providing Efficient Online Feedback on Student Writing”, Spring 2019
  • “Remote Teaching Chat”, Spring 2019
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