CV
mail: kevinvallier-at-gmail-dot-com
Areas of Specialization: Social & Political Philosophy, Ethics
Areas of Competence: Philosophy, Politics & Economics, Business Ethics, Philosophy of Religion
Current Focus: Religion & Politics, Public Reason Liberalism, Deontological Ethics, The Social Contract Tradition, John Stuart Mill, History of Economic Thought
Education
Ph.D. University of Arizona, Philosophy, 2011.
B.A. Washington University in St. Louis, Philosophy (economics minor), cum laude, 2004.
Dissertation
Liberal Politics and Public Faith: A Philosophical Reconciliation (abstract below).
Committee: Gerald Gaus (chair), Thomas Christiano, David Schmidtz, Steven Wall, Nicholas Wolterstorff, Christopher Eberle
Peer Reviewed Publications
2011 “Can Liberal Perfectionism Justify Religious Toleration? Wall on Promoting and Respecting,” in Philosophical Studies, forthcoming (published online 14 August). (link here)
2011 “Liberalism, Religion and Integrity,” in Australasian Journal of Philosophy, forthcoming (published online 28 March). (link here)
2011 “Introduction,” in Convergence Justifications in Public Reason Symposium, Public Affairs Quarterly, 25(4): 257-259.
2011 “Consensus and Convergence in Public Reason,” in Convergence Justifications in Public Reason Symposium, Public Affairs Quarterly, 25(4): 261-279.
2011 “Against Public Reason’s Accessibility Requirement,” in Journal of Moral Philosophy, 8(3): 366-389. (link here)
2010 “Production, Distribution and J.S. Mill,” in Utilitas, 22(2): 103-125. (link here) (PDF here)
2009 “The Roles of Religious Conviction in a Publicly Justified Polity: The Implications of Convergence, Asymmetry and Political Institutions,” (Gaus & Vallier) in Philosophy and Social Criticism 35(1): 51-76. (link here) (PDF here)
Chapters in Companions/Edited Volumes
2012 “Religion in Public Life,” (Eberle & Vallier) in The Routledge Companion to Social and Political Philosophy, edited by Gerald Gaus & Fred D’Agostino, London: Routledge, forthcoming.
2012 “Public Discourse,” in Philosophy and Politics: Method, Tools, Topics, edited by Antonella Besussi, Farnham, U.K.: Ashgate, forthcoming.
Reviews
2010 Review of Thomas Scanlon, Moral Dimensions: Permissibility, Meaning, Blame in The Journal of Value Inquiry, 44: 561-565. (link here) (PDF here)
Encyclopedia Entries
2012 Entries on “Liberty of Conscience,” “Martin Luther King,” and “Public Choice Theory,” in A Rawls Lexicon, edited by Jon Mandle and David Reidy, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, forthcoming.
2012 Entry on “Public Justification,” (D’Agostino & Vallier) in The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, edited by Edward N. Zalta, update forthcoming.
Selected Presentations
2011 “The Eligibility of a Polycentric Constitution.” American Philosophical Association, Eastern Division.
2011 “Capitalism: What Is It? Why Have It?” The University of Kentucky.
2011 “Religion in Public Life: What’s the Problem?” Brown University.
2011 “Liberalism, Religion and the Promise of Convergence.” University of Tennessee.
2010 “Convergence and Consensus in Public Reason.” American Political Science Association.
2009 “Liberalism without Privatization.” American Philosophical Association, Central Division.
2008 “A Religious Challenge to Justificatory Liberalism.” CUNY Graduate Conference.
2007 “Two Religious Challenges to Justificatory Liberalism.” Arizona Workshop in Philosophy.
2007 “Liberalism and Economic Growth.” American Philosophical Association, Pacific Division.
Selected Awards
2011 Post-Doctoral Fellowship, Brown University, Political Theory Project.
2010 Arizona Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Fellowship (university-wide).
2010 Most Outstanding Philosophy Graduate Student (Fink Award), University of Arizona.
2009 Humane Studies Fellowship.
2008 Humane Studies Fellowship.
Teaching
At Brown:
2011 Prosperity and Poverty, Fall 2011 – POLS 1150
2011 Economic Freedom and Social Justice, Fall 2011 – POLS 2230 (with John Tomasi)
At Arizona:
2009 Philosophy of Religion, Fall 2009 (PHIL 233).
2009 Ethics & Economics of Wealth Creation (PHIL/ECON 205).
2008 Ethics & Economics of Wealth Creation (PHIL/ECON 205).
Teaching Assistant at Arizona:
2008 Medieval Philosophy, Spring 2008, with Houston Smit (PHIL 261).
2008 Ethics & Economics of Wealth Creation (lead TA), with Gerald Gaus (PHIL/ECON 205).
2007 Ethics & Economics of Wealth Creation, with Gerald Gaus (PHIL/ECON 205)
2007 Individual Reasoning & Social Order, with Gerald Gaus (INDV 103).
2006 Personal Morality, with Michael Gill (INDV 102).
2006 Law & Morality, Spring 2006, with Connie Rosati (PHIL 324).
2005 Mind, Matter & God, with Christopher Maloney (INDV 104).
Professional Service
2012 Guest Editor, Public Affairs Quarterly, vol.25 (4), “Convergence Justifications in Public Reason.”
2011 Lead Facilitator, Public Reason Blog Reading Group on The Order of Public Reason.
2011 Assistant Director, University of Arizona, The Order of Public Reason Conference.
2010 Assistant Editor, Creating Wealth: Ethical and Economic Perspectives, edited by David Schmidtz, San Diego: Cognella, July 2010.
2010 Research Assistant, Arizona Freedom Center.
2007 Assistant Director, Public Reason Workshop.
2006 Coordinator, Arizona Workshop in Philosophy.
Occasional Referee for: Ethical Theory and Moral Practice, Politics, Philosophy and Economics, Political Studies, Journal of Philosophical Research, Theoria, Res Publica.
Interviews, Blogging
2011 Philosophy TV discussion, “Political Liberalism and Religion,” with Jason Brennan. (link here). Contributor to Public Reason and PEA Soup blogs.
Dissertation Abstract
Political philosophers widely assume that public reason liberalism is hostile to religious contributions to liberal politics. My dissertation argues that this assumption is a mistake. Properly understood, public reason liberalism does not privilege religious or secular reasoning; a compelling conception of public reason liberalism can balance the claims of secular citizens and citizens of faith. I develop a framework that can resolve the tensions between liberalism and faith not only at a theoretical level but in the practical matters of dialogue, public policy, institutional design and constitutional law.
References
Gerald Gaus
James E. Rogers Professor of Philosophy
University of Arizona
ggaus-at-email-dot-arizona-dot-edu
David Schmidtz
Kendrick Professor of Philosophy
Joint Professor of Economics
University of Arizona
schmidtz-at-email-dot-arizona-dot-edu
Thomas Christiano
Professor of Philosophy
University of Arizona
thomasc-at-email-dot-arizona-dot-edu
Nicholas Wolterstorff
Noah Porter Professor of Philosophical Theology, Emeritus.
Yale University
Senior Fellow, Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture, University of Virginia.
nicholas-dot-wolterstorff-at-yale-dot-edu
John Tomasi
Associate Professor of Philosophy
Director, Political Theory Project
Brown University
john_tomasi-at-brown-dot-edu
Christopher J. Eberle
Associate Professor of Philosophy
United States Naval Academy
eberle-at-usna-dot-edu
Steven Wall
Associate Professor of Philosophy
Freedom Center
University of Arizona
spwall-at-aol-dot-com