CV
Matthew Tedesco
Associate Professor of Philosophy
Chair, Department of Philosophy & Religious Studies
Beloit College
700 College Street
Beloit, WI 53511
(608)363-2146
tedescom@beloit.edu
Areas of Specialization:
Ethical Theory, Applied Ethics (especially Biomedical Ethics)
Areas of Competence:
Metaethics, Social and Political Philosophy, Philosophy of Law, Logic, Philosophy of Religion
Employment and education:
Beloit College (2004-present)
Associate professor (2010-present)
Assistant professor (2004-2010)
University of Colorado at Boulder (1998-2004)
Ph.D. in Philosophy (2004)
Dissertation: The Moral Problem of Friendship
M.A. in Philosophy (2001)
Hofstra University (1993-1997)
B.A. cum laude in Philosophy and English (1997)
Honors Thesis: “Suspense of Judgment in Hume’s Philosophy of Religion”
Publications:
"It Would Be A Mercy: Choosing Life or Death in Westeros and Beyond the Narrow Sea"
Game of Thrones and Philosophy, ed. Henry Jacoby (Open Court, 2012) pp. 99-112
"Intuitions and the Demands of Consequentialism"
Utilitas, Vol. 23, No. 1 (March 2011) pp. 94-104
“The Friendship That Makes No Demands”
Facebook and Philosophy, ed. Dylan Wittkower (Open Court, 2010) pp. 123-134
"Thomson’s Samaritanism Constraint”
Philosophy in the Contemporary World, Vol. 14, No. 2 (Fall 2007) pp. 112-126
“Indirect Consequentialism, Suboptimality, and Friendship”
Pacific Philosophical Quarterly, Vol. 87, No. 4 (December 2006) pp. 567-577
"The Moral Status of the Double-O Agent”
James Bond and Philosophy, eds. James South and Jacob Held (Open Court, 2006) pp. 111-120
"Civil Disobedience” (with John Harris)
The Encyclopedia of Public Administration and Public Policy, ed. Jack Rabin (Marcel Dekker, Inc., 2003) pp. 189-194
"Theism, Naturalistic Evolution, and the Probability of Reliable Cognitive Faculties: A Response to Plantinga”
Philo, Vol. 5, No. 2 (Fall/Winter 2002) pp. 235-241
Papers Presented:
"Euthanasia is not out of Control in the Netherlands: Defending the Groningen Protocol"
Association for Professional & Practical Ethics Meeting, Cincinnati (March 2012)
“Harm, Consent, and Practical Joking”
Wisconsin Philosophical Association Meeting, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh (April 2009)
"Harm, Consent, and Practical Joking”
Center for Values and Social Policy, University of Colorado at Boulder (April 2009)
“Intuitions, Assumptions, and the Demands of Consequentialism”
Central States Philosophical Association Meeting, St. Paul (September 2008)
"Some Moral Concerns about Practical Joking"
34th Annual Conference on Value Inquiry: Social Justice and Individual Responsibility, Adrian College (April 2007)
“Indirect Consequentialism, Suboptimality, and Friendship”
American Philosophical Association, Central Division Meeting, Chicago (April 2006)
“The Conflict between Morality and Friendship”
2nd Annual Hawaii International Conference on Arts and Humanities (January 2004)
“Two Epistemological Problems for Indirect Consequentialism”
Center for Values and Social Policy, University of Colorado at Boulder (November 2003)
“On Violinists and Virtue: Abortion and Virtue Ethics”
31st Annual Conference on Value Inquiry: The History of Value Inquiry, University of North Dakota (April 2003)
“Friendship and the Scope of Impartiality”
Center for Values and Social Policy, University of Colorado at Boulder (November 2002)
“Theism, Naturalistic Evolution, and the Probability of Reliable Cognitive Faculties”
Society of Christian Philosophers Conference, Mountain-Plains Regional Meeting, Boulder (October 2001)
“Kagan’s Consequentialism and the Subjective Perspective”
Michigan State University Graduate Conference in Ethics and Social-Political Thought (October 2000)
Other Presentations:
"Choosing for Children: Identity, Autonomy, and the Hardest Choices"
5th Undergraduate Ethics Symposium at the Janet Prindle Institute for Ethics at DePauw University (April 2012)
"Being Good is Hard; or, Some Things, You Can't Un-Learn"
Beloit College Last Lecture Series (April 2012)
"Euthanasia is not out of Control in the Netherlands: Defending the Groningen Protocol"
Beloit College Faculty Forum (October 2011)
“Qualitatively Assessing Critical Thinking, and Other Assessment Puzzles”
Missions, Majors, and Liberal Education: A Conference on Assessing Student Learning in the ACM, Ripon College (September 2009)
“Experiments and Intuitions: Making Ethics Harder, More Repulsive, and Better”
Beloit College Faculty Forum (April 2009)
“The Moral Foundations of a Green Ethic”
Greening Beloit College Series (March 2009)
“The Ethics of Cultivating Talents”
Phi Beta Kappa Presidential Address, Beloit College (May 2008)
“Assignments from Teaching”
Panelist, ACM Workshop on Preparing Students for Responsible Citizenship, Beloit College (April 2008)
“Inspiration”
Convocation address, Beloit College (August 2007)
“Emerson and the Responsibilities of the Scholar”
Phi Beta Kappa Presidential Address, Beloit College (May 2007)
“A Culture of Life, a Can of Worms: Drawing the Moral Line”
Beloit College Spiritual Life Program Series on Moral Values (October 2005)
Teaching Experience:
Beloit College:
Logic (Phil 100):
Spring 2013, Spring 2012, Fall 2010, Fall 2009, Fall 2007
Introduction to Philosophy (Phil 110):
Fall 2009, Fall 2008, AY 2007-8, 2006-7, 2005-6, 2004-5
Introducing Philosophy through Star Trek (Phil 115):
Spring 2013, Spring 2012
Modern Philosophy (Phil 205):
Spring 2012, Fall 2010, Spring 2005
Ethical Theory (Phil 220):
Fall 2011, Spring 2010, Fall 2005
Biomedical Ethics (Phil 221):
Summer 2013, Spring 2013, Spring 2010, Spring 2009, Spring 2008, Spring 2007, Spring 2006, Spring 2005
Environmental Ethics (Phil 224):
Fall 2012, Fall 2008, Fall 2005
Philosophy of Law (Phil 243):
Fall 2010, Fall 2008, Spring 2006
Philosophy of Religion (Phil 255):
Spring 2007
Seminar on Affluence and Assistance (Phil 380):
Spring 2009
Seminar on Contractualism (Phil 380):
Fall 2007
Seminar on Consequentialism (Phil 380):
Fall 2004
Colloquium in Philosophy (Phil 385):
Fall 2010, Fall 2009, Fall 2008, Fall 2007, AY 2006-7, 2005-6, 2004-5
First-Year Initiatives Seminar on The Things We Believe (INIT 100):
Fall 2012, Fall 2011
First-Year Initiatives Seminar on Natural Disasters (FS 100):
Fall 2006
University of Colorado at Boulder:
Introduction to Philosophy (Phil 1000):
Spring 2003
Ethics (Phil 1100):
Summer 2003, Spring 2001, Fall 2000
Philosophy and Society (Phil 1200):
Spring 2002, Fall 2001
Philosophy of Religion (Phil 1600):
Summer 2002
Other:
Philosophy (Beloit College Upward Bound program for high school students):
Summer 2006
Service:
Beloit College:
Faculty Coordinator for the Accreditation Initiative (2012-)
Chair, Department of Philosophy & Religious Studies (2011-)
Chair, Curriculum Oversight & Administration Committee (2011-2013)
Chair, Committee on Curriculum Development (2010)
Chair, Program and Professional Development Committee (2008-2010)
Team Leader, Curriculum Development Project (2009)
Weissberg Human Rights Program Committee (2008-2009)
Budget Advisory Group (2006-2008)
Academic Performance Committee & Judicial Board (2005-7)
Strategic Planning Subcommittee on Scientific Inquiry & Literacy (2006-2007)
Transfer & Exchange Student Seminar Leader (2008)
Department Lead, Teagle Foundation grant project on assessment (2006-2008)
Family Weekend Planning Committee (2005)
Institute on Experiential Learning: Beloit College team (2005)
IDST Summer Workshop (2005)
President, Phi Beta Kappa, Beloit College chapter (2006-2008)
Vice President, Phi Beta Kappa, Beloit College chapter (2004-2006)
Search Committee: Cognitive Science, tenure-track (2007-8)
Search Committee: Asst. Director of Field & Career Services (2007)
Search Committee: Academic Advising (2006)
Search Committee: Philosophy, tenure-track (2004-2005)
Faculty Sponsor: Beloit College team, Wisconsin Regional Collegiate Ethics Bowl (2005)
Faculty Advisor: Beloit Science Fiction & Fantasy Association (2008-2010)
Faculty Advisor: H.E.A.L.T.H. Club (2005-2009)
Faculty Advisor: Habitat for Humanity (2006-2010)
Faculty Advisor: Water Polo Club (2006)
Faculty Advisor: Philosophy Club (2005)
University of Colorado at Boulder:
T.A. Mentor, Department of Philosophy (2003-2004)
Graduate Representative, Department of Philosophy Self-Study Committee (2002-2003)
Lead Graduate Teacher, Department of Philosophy (2002-2003)
Graduate Student President, Department of Philosophy (2001-2002)
Assistant Director and Instructor, Philosophy Outreach Program of Colorado (1999-2001)
Assistant Director and Instructor, Summer Philosophy Institute of Colorado (1999-2000)
Referee, Rocky Mountain Student Conference (2001, 2002)
Coordinator, Graduate Student Ethics Reading Group (2000-2002)
Graduate Curriculum Committee, Department of Philosophy (2000-2003)
Undergraduate Curriculum Committee, Department of Philosophy (2000-2003)
Other:
Referee, Wisconsin Philosophical Association Annual Meeting (2012)
Textbook reviewer, Prentice Hall (2007)
Textbook reviewer, Longman Publishers (2005)
Awards:
Best Formal Paper by an Early Career Scholar Award (2012)
Association for Practical and Professional Ethics
Alumnus of Distinction (2008)
Commack High School (Commack, NY)
Teacher of the Month (February 2008)
Beloit Rotary Club and Greater Beloit Chamber of Commerce
Underkofler Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award (2007)
Beloit College
Devaney Dissertation Fellowship (2003-2004)
Center for Humanities and the Arts, University of Colorado at Boulder
Lowe Humanities Fellowship (Fall 2003)
College of Arts and Sciences, University of Colorado at Boulder
Graduate Teacher Certification (Fall 2003)
Graduate Teacher Program, University of Colorado at Boulder
Philosophy Department Dissertation Research Fellowship (Fall 2002)
Philosophy Department, University of Colorado at Boulder
Graduate Student Teaching Excellence Award (Spring 2002)
Graduate School, University of Colorado at Boulder
Undergraduate Departmental Honors in Philosophy (Spring 1997)
Department of Philosophy, Hofstra University
Professional Memberships:
American Philosophical Association
Association for Professional and Practical Ethics
Phi Beta Kappa