Elizabeth Ventham
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Elizabeth Ventham [email protected] | lizzyventham.wordpress.com Areas of Specialization: Normative Ethics, Metaethics, Moral Psychology Areas of Competence: Applied Ethics, Philosophy of Mind, Epistemology, Feminist Philosophy, Political Philosophy I am currently a Postdoctoral Research Associate at The University of Liverpool, working on the project ‘How Does It Feel? Interpersonal Understanding and Affective Empathy’ with Professor Thomas Schramme. Publications • Supererogation and the Case Against an ‘Overall Ought’ (2020) American Philosophical Quarterly 57(2) 181-192 • Reflective Blindness, Depression and Unpleasant Experiences (2019) Analysis 79(4) 684-693 Teaching Experience: Teaching Fellow at Trinity College Dublin 2018-19 and 2019-20, convening the following modules: Ethics: Well-being (1st Year Philosophy) (Half-module) An Introduction to Moral Philosophy (1st Year Philosophy) (Half-module) Moral Philosophy (3rd Year Philosophy) Ethics and Moral Motivation (4th Year Philosophy and PhD students) Ethics (MPhil Philosophy) Responsibilities also include supervising dissertations for both undergraduate and MPhil students across all areas of ethics, as well as some feminist philosophy. Guest Lecturer for The University of Southampton for the following modules: Appearance and Reality (2nd Year Philosophy) : Berkeley on Idealism 2017-18 Course Convenor for The University of Southampton for the following modules: Ethical Theory and Philosophy (Student Selected Unit for 3rd year medical students) 2016-17, 2017-18 Teaching Assistant for The University of Southampton for the following modules: Appearance and Reality (2nd Year Philosophy) 2016-17, 2017-18 Jekyll & Hyde: Ethics in Science, Engineering and Technology (2nd Year Open) 2015-16 1 Knowledge and Mind (1st Year Philosophy) 2016-17, 2015-16, 2014-15 Ethics (1st Year Philosophy) 2014-15 Education: 2014-2018 PhD in Philosophy. University of Southampton. Passed with minor corrections in October 2018. Supervised by Alex Gregory and Fiona Woollard Thesis title: Desires, Reasons and Moral Obligations My thesis looks at the connection between desires and what’s valuable, what reasons we have, and what we ought to do. Chapters 1 and 2 defend the idea that agents’ reasons to act are necessarily linked to what they desire. Chapters 3 and 4 look at what we ought to do. The project looks to promote a better understanding of our mental states, our desires and our motivations and what this can tell us about our moral lives. 2013-2014 MA Philosophy, Distinction. University of Southampton Dissertation title: Moral Obligations and The Demandingess Objection Supervised by Jonathan Way 2009-2012 BA Philosophy, First Class Honours. University of Southampton Dissertation Title: Act- Consequentialism as a More Accurate Moral Code than Rule- Consequentialism Supervised by Jonathan Way Selected Works In Progress: • Hypothetical Imperatives and a Response to Bootstrapping (Under review) • Moral Imperatives without Categoricity (Under review) • Weighing Desires (Under review) • Unconscious Desires (Under review) • Internal Reasons and Persuadability (In progress) Presentations and Responses: • With Friends Like These… (co-authored with Brian Carey) o (2020 but cancelled due to COVID-19) Society for Applied Philosophy, Edinburgh University. • Weighing Desires 2 o (2020 but cancelled due to COVID-19) Open Sessions at The Joint Sessions, University of Kent o (2020 but cancelled due to COVID-19) European Congress of Analytic Philosophy, Utrecht University o (2019) Second Groningen Metaethics Workshop, University of Groningen • Morality without Categoricity o (2019) UK Kant Society Conference ‘Kant and his Critics’, University of Bristol o (2019) Braga Meetings on Ethics and Political Philosophy, University of Minho o (2019) International Conference in Ethics, University of Porto o (2018) Invited Speaker at the Irish Philosophical Society annual conference, University College Dublin • Different Kinds of ‘Oughts’ and a Response to Bootstrapping Objections o (2019) Open Sessions at the Joint Sessions, University of Durham o (2018) Morality and Rationality Revisited, University of Leeds • Pleasure and Desire o (2019) Colloquium talk at Trinity College Dublin • Practical Reason, Depression and Suicide o (2019) Medical Ethics and Law at the End of Life, University College Dublin • Moral Reasoning o (2019) Reasoning and Imagination Labs Talk, for the Trinity College Dublin Psychology Department • Supererogation and the Case Against an ‘Overall Ought’ o (2018) Future of Normativity, University of Kent o (2016) Understanding Value V, University of Sheffield • Practical Reasons and Persuadability o (2018) Understanding Value VII, University of Sheffield o (2018) REAPP, Reading • Reflective Blindness and Depression o (2018) Poster presentation at BSET, University of Sheffield 3 • Pleasure and Pain: A Defence of the Motivational Account o (2017) Postgraduate Sessions at The Joint Sessions in Edinburgh o (2017) Women in Philosophy Amsterdam Postgraduate Conference o (2017) Understanding Value VI, University of Sheffield o (2016) Open Minds XII, University of Manchester • Response to Alfonso Anaya’s Radical Externalism and the Three-Place Relational View of Experience o (2015) BPPA, Southampton • Are Our Intuitions about Morally Prohibited Acts Appropriate for Judging Morality? o (2013) Masterclass on ‘The Right and the Good’, University of Southampton Selected Academic Services / Administrative Duties / Public Outreach: 2020 – Co-organising a conference with Dr Brian Carey on ‘The Normativity and Epistemology of Friendship’, for September 2020. 2020 – Gave a public lecture to ~150 people on ‘Why should we be good?’, for Trinity College Dublin’s Public Lecture Series on Big Questions in Philosophy. 2020 – Guest speaker for the Edinburgh MSc course ‘Contemporary Issues in Ethics’, where we discussed my paper ‘Reflective Blindness, Depression, and Unpleasant Experiences’. 2020 – Referee for a number of journals, including American Philosophical Quarterly, and Philosophical Quarterly. 2019 – Gave a public lecture to ~100 people on Diotima, for Trinity College Dublin’s Public Lecture Series on Great Philosophers. 2019 – Interviewed for the Irish Times on moral desires, based off a talk I gave at the Irish Philosophical Society conference. https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/is-morality-just-a-matter-of-following-your- deepest-desires-1.3842841 2019 – Interviewed for NearFM local radio programme ‘Lifeline’ on mental health and moral psychology. 4 2019 – Gave a public lecture to ~100 people on Well-being, for Trinity College Dublin’s Public Lecture Series on Big Questions in Philosophy. 2019 – Speaking at a public lecture on ‘The Breakdown of Trust in Society’ at Trinity College Dublin, for the school of social sciences and philosophy. (Over 100 registered attendees) 2019 – (to present) Serving on a subcommittee for the improvement and innovation of teaching, Trinity College Dublin. 2019 – Referee for a number of journals, including Analysis, Synthese, The Journal of Ethics, Philosophical Explorations. 2019 – (to present) Course convenor for TSM (joint-honours) Sophister students at Trinity College Dublin. 2018 – (to present) Appointed Co-Director of MAP UK, a growing initiative with 18 UK chapters (and 98 chapters worldwide). https://www.mapforthegap.org.uk 2018 – Launched MAP UK philosophy blog, editor 2018-present. https://www.mapforthegap.org.uk/blog 2018 – Gave a public lecture to ~100 people on Philippa Foot, for Trinity College Dublin’s Public Lecture Series on Great Philosophers. 2018 – Delivered philosophy seminars to school students with The University of Southampton’s Widening Participation Scheme. 2017 – Became Postgraduate Representative for The University of Southampton’s philosophy department. 2016 – Founded MAP Chapter at The University of Southampton (Minorities And Philosophy) see https://www.mapforthegap.org.uk/ for details. 2016 – Co-organised British Society for Aesthetics Postgraduate Conference Organised submissions and blind refereeing. 2015 - Co-organised British Postgraduate Philosophy Association Conference Organised and invited keynotes, organised the careers day, reviewed papers, chaired talks, gave welcome and closing talks. 5 2014 – Gave careers talks and demonstration sessions to college students about studying philosophy at University of Southampton. Awards & Funding: 2020 – Successfully applied for a £2000 Mind Association grant for ‘The Normativity and Epistemology of Friendship’ conference to be held at Trinity College Dublin. 2018 – Nominated for a ‘Vice-Chancellor’s Teaching Award’ for my “excellent contribution to teaching” by the Director of Programmes in Philosophy at The University of Southampton. 2018 – Awarded a ‘Doctoral College Research Award’, for the best piece of research in the Faculty of Humanities at The University of Southampton. 2017 – Awarded ‘Best Postgraduate Teaching Assistant’ in the university-wide Southampton Student’s Union Academic Awards. 2017 – Awarded a ‘Doctoral College 2017 Director’s Award’, a university-wide award, under the category ‘Citizenship and Community’ at The University of Southampton. 2014 – Awarded a Vice-Chancellor’s Scholarship for PhD study at The University of Southampton. 2013 – Awarded a Sue Wilson Scholarship for MA study at The University of Southampton. Referees Available upon request. 6 .