<p> Jacob Shaw Mills Curriculum Vitae</p><p>Houston Community College Cell: 713-825-6913 Central College Email: [email protected] 1300 Holman St. Houston, TX 77004</p><p>EDUCATION:</p><p>Rice University, Houston, TX PhD, Philosophy, 2007-2014 Dissertation: “Leibniz on Modality” Primary Advisors: Mark Kulstad and Gregory Brown Other Advisors: Richard Grandy and Robert Sleigh</p><p>University of Houston, Houston, TX M.A., Philosophy, 2005-2007 Thesis: “Leibniz on Infinity and the Structure of Matter” Advisor: Gregory Brown</p><p>St. John’s College, Santa Fe, NM B.A., Liberal Arts, 1996-2000 Thesis: “The Philosophical Problem as a Linguistic Problem” Advisor: Caleb Thompson</p><p>Areas of Specialization: </p><p>History of Early Modern Philosophy Metaphysics </p><p>Areas of Competence: </p><p>Logic (Through Completeness, Modal Logic and Alternate Logics) Ethics (Introductory) Ancient (Introductory)</p><p>DISSERTATION ABSTRACT:</p><p>Many scholars believe that Leibniz’s modal metaphysics is inconsistent and perhaps even tends toward necessitarianism. I argue that his two accounts of modality—possible worlds and infinite analysis—are compatible and do not result in necessitarianism. Things that exist contingently are not necessary because they are dependent on God’s choice of the best. Furthermore, it is the bestness of a contingent existent that accounts for the infinity of the analysis involved. However, had God chosen otherwise no individual that now exists would exist. Thus Leibniz seems to be committed to the idea that all of an individual’s properties are essential. I show how Leibniz endorsed an error theory about an individual’s modal and counterfactual profile where modal claims are accounted for in terms of counterparts at other worlds. I connect these ideas to the work of Robert Sleigh and show that while Leibniz thought all of an individual’s properties are intrinsic, they are not all essential. </p><p>TEACHING:</p><p>Houston Community College (Central, Coleman) Intro Phil, Spring 2017 (x3) Symbolic Logic, Spring 2017 Bioethics, Spring 2016</p><p>Houston Community College (W Loop, Central) Intro Phil, Fall 2016 (x4) Symbolic Logic, Fall 2016</p><p>University of Houston Bioethics, Spring 2016</p><p>University of Houston, Honors College Human Situation, Spring 2016 Human Situation, Spring 2016</p><p>University of Houston, Honors College Human Situation, Fall 2015 Human Situation, Fall 2015</p><p>University of Houston, Honors College Human Situation, Spring 2015 Human Situation, Spring 2015 Artists and Their Regions: DiverseWorks and Houston’s Art Institutions, Spring 2015</p><p>University of Houston, Honors College Human Situation, Fall 2014 Human Situation, Fall 2014</p><p>University of Houston Symbolic Logic, Fall 2014</p><p>University of Houston Symbolic Logic, Summer 2014</p><p>University of Houston, Honors College Human Situation, Spring 2014 Human Situation, Spring 2014 University of Houston, Honors College Human Situation, Fall 2013</p><p>University of Houston Intro Ethics, Fall 2013</p><p>Rice University Symbolic Logic, Spring 2013</p><p>Houston Community College (W Loop, Spring Branch) Symbolic Logic, Intro Ethics, Summer 2012</p><p>Rice University Symbolic Logic, Spring 2012</p><p>Houston Community College (NW) Intro Ethics, Symbolic Logic, Spring 2012</p><p>Houston Community College (Spring Branch) Symbolic Logic, Fall 2011</p><p>Houston Community College (W Loop) Intro Phil, Symbolic Logic, Summer 2011</p><p>Houston Community College (W Loop) Intro Phil, Symbolic Logic, Summer 2010</p><p>Houston Community College (Central) Intro Phil, Intro Ethics, Summer 2009</p><p>Houston Community College (Central) Intro Phil, Summer 2008</p><p>Rice University T.A., Fall 2013, First-Year Writing Intensive Seminar T.A., Fall 2012, First-Year Writing Intensive Seminar T.A., 2009-2011, Mathematical Logic T.A., 2008, History of Philosophy II</p><p>University of Houston T.A., 2005-2007</p><p>St. John’s College Head of Junior Lab Program, 1999-2000 St. John’s College Lab Assistant, 1997-2000</p><p>PUBLICATION:</p><p>Review of Gregory Brown and Yual Chiek, Eds. “Leibniz on Compossibility and Possible Worlds,” in Journal of the History of Philosophy (forthcoming Oct 2017 issue)</p><p>“Explicability Arguments and the PSR” Southwest Philosophical Studies, vol. 33 </p><p>CONFERENCES AND PRESENTATIONS:</p><p>Invited:</p><p>2016 International Conference on Mobile Brain-Body Imaging and the Neuroscience of Art, Innovation and Creativity, July 2016 (Participated in EEG monitoring during creative writing process. Did not present)</p><p>“The Metaphysics of Expression” De summa rerum: A Conference for Mark Kulstad, Feb 2015</p><p>“Infinite Analysis and the Guaranteed Proof Problem” Houston Circle for the Study of Early Modern Philosophy, Feb 2012</p><p>“Compossibility and the Law of the General Order” Houston Circle for the Study of Early Modern Philosophy, June 2011</p><p>“Leibniz on Infinity and the Structure of Matter” Leibniz Society of North America, Lunch Session, 2008</p><p>Peer Reviewed:</p><p>“Compossibility and the Law of the General Order” North Texas Philosophical Association, 2012</p><p>“Some Unremarked Continuities Between the Letter to Wedderkopf and the Confessio Philosophi” North Texas Philosophical Association, 2011</p><p>“Explicability Arguments and the PSR” New Mexico West Texas Philosophical Society, 2010 North Texas Philosophical Association, 2010</p><p>“Hegelian Metaphysics of Epistemology and the Ideal System” Mid-South Philosophy Conference, 2005 Pacific University Undergraduate Philosophy Conference, 2005</p><p>AWARDS/AFFILIATIONS/CONTRIBUTIONS:</p><p>HCC Philosophy Club, Fall 2016-Present</p><p>Designed and implemented a new program for the Center for Creative Work called the CW Fellows. This is a year-long mentorship program that students apply for by writing proposals and budgets for a creative project that they then execute. Fall 2015</p><p>Founded UH’s only current undergraduate Philosophy Club: Why-Phi: A Club for Philosophical Inquiry, Spring 2015-Spring 2016</p><p>Member of the Center for Creative Work, Fall 2014-Spring 2016</p><p>Summer Research Grant, Rice University, Summer 2013</p><p>Lodieska Stockbridge Vaughn Fellowship, 2012-2013</p><p>Templeton Summer Seminar on Evil and Early Modern Philosophy of Religion and Theology, 2010</p><p>Winner of the Templeton Summer Seminar on Evil and Early Modern Philosophy of Religion and Theology essay prize, 2010, for “Some Unremarked Continuities Between the Letter to Wedderkopf and the Confessio Philosophi”</p><p>Copy editing for The Philosophy of the Young Leibniz, Ed. by Mark Kulstad, Mogens Laerke, and David Snyder. Franz Steiner Verlag: Stuttgart, 2009</p><p>Member of the Houston Circle for the Study of Early Modern Philosophy, 2006-Present</p><p>Member of the APA</p><p>List of Graduate Classes:</p><p>Rice University:</p><p>Spring 2013</p><p>Gödel’s Incompleteness Proof, Richard Grandy</p><p>Spring 2011</p><p>Advanced Logic, Richard Grandy Metaphysics, Casey O’Callaghan Spring 2010</p><p>Contemporary Metaphysics and Epistemology, Casey O’Callaghan</p><p>Fall 2009</p><p>Theodicy, Mark Kulstad Pedagogy, Richard Grandy</p><p>Spring 2009</p><p>Spinoza, Mark Kulstad Contemporary Metaphysics and Epistemology, Casey O’Callaghan Ancient Ethics, Donald Morrison</p><p>Fall 2008</p><p>Philosophy of Science (Rational Practices), Melinda Fagan Early Modern Philosophy (Continental Rationalists), Mark Kulstad Continental Philosophy, Steven Crowell</p><p>Spring 2008</p><p>Moral Psychology, George Sher History of Analytic Philosophy, Richard Grandy Leibniz on Space, Mark Kulstad</p><p>Fall 2007</p><p>Spinoza and Leibniz, Mark Kulstad Perceptual Content, Nico Orlandi Mathematical Logic, Richard Grandy</p><p>University of Houston:</p><p>Spring 2007</p><p>Skepticism, Bredo Johnsen Modal Logic, James Garson Thesis, Greg Brown</p><p>Fall 2006</p><p>Leibniz’s Metaphysics, Greg Brown Causation in Early Modern Philosophy, Helen Hattab Thesis, Greg Brown</p><p>Spring 2006</p><p>Logic, James Garson Aristotle, Helen Hattab Philosophy of Logic, James Garson</p><p>Fall 2005</p><p>Metaphysics, Paul Saka Contractualism, Bill Nelson 17th Century Philosophy, Helen Hattab</p><p>REFERENCES:</p><p>Mark Kulstad Professor of Philosophy Department of Philosophy Rice University 713-348-2724 [email protected]</p><p>Gregory Brown Professor of Philosophy Department of Philosophy University of Houston 713-743-3202 [email protected]</p><p>Richard Grandy McManis Professor of Philosophy Chair Department of Philosophy Rice University 713-348-2720 [email protected]</p><p>Robert C. Sleigh Jr. Professor Emeritus Department of Philosophy University of Massachusetts Amherst 545-5803 [email protected] </p>