Wayne D. Riggs

Associate Professor
Department of Philosophy
455 West Lindsey, Room 605
University of Oklahoma
Norman , OK 73019-0535
(405) 325-5950
wriggs@ou.edu

Education

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Ph.D., August 1995

Thesis: “Epistemic Pluralism”

Advisors: Michael Resnik and William Lycan

 

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, M.A., 1992

Thesis: “Proof in Mathematics”

Advisor: Michael Resnik

 

Texas A&M University, B.A. in philosophy, 1990

 

Areas of Specialization:

Epistemology, Value Theory

Academic Work Experience

Assistant Professor, University of Oklahoma, 1995-2002
Associate Professor, University of Oklahoma, 2002-present

Research

Refereed Articles and Book Chapters

  1. "Two Problems of Easy Credit," forthcoming in Synthese.
  2. “Knowledge, Understanding, and the Meno Requirement,” forthcoming in Epistemic Value, A. Haddock, A. Millar, & D. H. Pritchard, eds. (Oxford: Oxford University Press).
  3. “Luck, Knowledge, and Control,” forthcoming in Epistemic Value, A. Haddock, A. Millar, & D. H. Pritchard, eds. (Oxford: Oxford University Press) .
  4. "Epistemic Risk and the Subjectivity of Justification," Acta Analytica 23 (1), April 2008, 1-8.
  5. “The Value Turn in Epistemology,” in New Waves in Epistemology, Duncan Pritchard & Vincent Hendricks, eds. (Palgrave Macmillan, 2008).
  6. “Why Epistemologists Are So Down on Their Luck,” Synthese 158 (3), November 2007, 329-344.
  7. “Understanding Virtue and the Virtue of Understanding,” in Intellectual Virtue: Perspectives from Ethics and Epistemology, Michael DePaul & Linda Zagzebski, eds. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003).
  8. “Balancing our Epistemic Goals,”Noûs 37 (2), June 2003.
  9. “Beyond Truth and Falsehood: The Real Value of Knowing that P,” Philosophical Studies 107 (1), 2002, 87-108.
  10. “Reliability and the Value of Knowledge,” Philosophy and Phenomenological Research 64 (1), January 2002, 79-96.
  11. “What Are the ‘Chances’ of Being Justified?” The Monist 81 (3), 1998, 452-472.
  12. “The Weakness of Strong Justification,” Australasian Journal of Philosophy 75 (2), 1997, 179-189.
  13. “Truth, Justification, and Epistemic Value,” & “Author’s Replies,” [to commentaries by Michael Huemer and Ben Fischer] The Journal of the Association for Systematic Philosophy 2 (2), 1996, 1-9 & 12-15.
  14. “Can A Coherence Theory Appeal to Appearance States?” Philosophical Studies 67 (3), 1992 (co-author: Jonathan Kvanvig), 197-217.

 

Book Reviews

  1. Intellectual Virtues, by Robert Roberts and Jay Wood, forthcoming in Mind
  2. The Value of Knowledge and the Pursuit of Understanding, by Jonathan Kvanvig, (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews, March 2004, at “http://ndpr.icaap.org/”

 

Works in Progress

  1. "Epistemic Value" entry for the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
  2. “Insight, Open-mindedness, and the Highest Epistemic Good”
  3. "A Compatibilist Theory of Epistemic Credit" (with Neal Judisch)

 

Professional Presentations

  1. "Open-mindedness & Insight," University of Alberta Philosophy Department, March 28th, 2008.
  2. "The Epistemic Risk of (Mild) Subjectivism", Contemporary Epistemology conference in Bled, Slovenia, May 28th—June 2nd, 2007
  3. Discussant and Round-Table Panelist at the Rutgers Epistmeology Conference, May 4th & 5th, 2007
  4. “The Problem of Easy Credit ,” Pacific APA, April 2007
  5. "The Epistemic Risk of (Mild) Subjectivism," Central APA, April 2007
  6. "The Problem of Easy Credit," University of Arkansas Philosophy Department, March 2007
  7. “Luck, Knowledge and Control,” University of Oklahoma Philosophy Department, November 3, 2006
  8. “On Luck and Value,” Epistemic Value Conference, University of Stirling, August 19th, 2006
  9. Panelist at an OLA (Oklahoma Library Association) session titled "Corporate Sponsorship of Children's Programs: Ethics vs. Economics," March 31, 2006.
  10. "Getting the Meno Requirement Right," Pacific APA 2006, Author Meets Critics session on Jonathan Kvanvig's The Value of Knowledge and the Pursuit of Understanding
  11. “Insight, Open-mindedness, and the Highest Epistemic Good,” Virtue Epistemology Conference, University of Stirling , November 20, 2004. "
  12. Insight, Open-mindedness, and the Highest Epistemic Good,” University of Oklahoma Philosophy Department, October 15, 2004.
  13. “Why Epistemologists Are So Down on Their Luck,” University of Missouri Philosophy Department, September 24, 2004.
  14. Comments on “Reliabilism and the Skeptical Paradox,” Kelly Becker, American Philosophical Association Pacific Division Conference, March 25, 2004.
  15. Comments on “Rejecting the Ideal of Value-Free Science,” Heather Douglas, American Philosophical Association Eastern Division Conference, December 28, 2001.
  16. “Understanding Virtue and the Virtue of Understanding,” University of Oklahoma Philosophy Department, October 29, 2000.
  17. Comments on “Epistemic Akrasia, Virtues & Epistemic Rationality,” Christopher Hookway, “Virtue & Duty in Epistemology” conference, Santa Barbara, November 12-14, 1999.
  18. Comments on “Establishing the Credentials of Perception,” Evan Fales, Central States Philosophical Association conference, Norman, OK, October 29-30, 1999.
  19. Invited panelist, Farber Conference, “Can Epistemology Be Unified?” State University of New York at Buffalo, September 27-29, 1996.
  20. “What Are the ‘Chances’ of Justification?” University of Oklahoma Department of Philosophy Faculty Research Workshop, Fall 1996.

 

Public Presentations

 

Invited panelist at a public panel discussion entitled “Evolution of Life/the Species/Humans: What is the interaction between science and religion?” Sponsored by Westminster Presbyterian Church, Oklahoma City, OK.

 

 

Grants Received

 

Faculty Fellowship Program: Big 12 Universities: Spring 1998, Support for travel to the philosophy department at Texas A&M University for collaborative research purposes.

 

Junior Faculty Research Program Award: Summer 1997.

 

Teaching Experience
University of Oklahoma (Fall 1995-present)

Graduate Courses Taught

Epistemology

Topics in Epistemology (Epistemic Justification, Responsibility, and Virtue)

Philosophy of Science

Seminar in Epistemology (Virtue Epistemology)

Seminar in Epistemology (Value-Driven Epistemology)

Seminar in Contemporary Philosophy (Philosophy of Biology)

Seminar in Contemporary Philosophy (The Role and Concept of “Function”)


Undergraduate Courses Taught

American Philosophy

Philosophy of Biology

The Nature of Science

Symbolic Logic I

Introduction to Logic

Philosophy Majors Writing Workshop

History of Social & Political Philosophy

20th Century Anglo-American Philosophy

Epistemology

Logic and Scientific Method

Philosophy of Science

Introduction to Philosophy

 

Academic Service

 

Professional Service

 

Referee for:

 

Noûs

Synthese

Philosophy and Phenomenological Research

Canadian Journal of Philosophy

Australasian Journal of Philosophy

Philosophical Quarterly

Abstracta

Dialectica

Journal of Philosophical Research

Acta Analytica

Oxford University Press

Cambridge University Press

Routledge

 

University Service

 

Member, Colloquium Committee, University of Oklahoma Department of Philosophy, Fall 1995—Fall 1996; Fall 2004—Spring 2006; Fall 2007—present.

Member, Computer Committee, University of Oklahoma Department of Philosophy, Fall 1996—Spring 2003.

Web Site Manager, University of Oklahoma Department of Philosophy, Fall 1996—Fall 2000.  Developed and maintained department web site.

Minute-taker, University of Oklahoma Department of Philosophy, Fall 1997—Spring 1999.

Member of Dean of Arts and Sciences committee to study the feasibility of implementing web-based instruction in the College of Arts and Sciences. (Fall 1999)

Honors Liaison, University of Oklahoma Department of Philosophy, Fall 1999—Spring 2003..

Member, Undergraduate Studies Committee, University of Oklahoma Department of Philosophy, Fall 2001—Spring 2005.

Member, Committee A (departmental executive committee), Fall 2002—Spring 2003; Fall 2004— Spring 2006.

Member, College of Arts & Sciences Academic Appeals and Academic Misconduct Boards, Fall 2002—Spring 2003; Fall 2004—Spring 2005.

Member, College of Arts & Sciences Tenure and Promotion Board, Fall 2004—Spring 2006.

Member, Graduate Studies Committee, Fall 2005—present

Director of Graduate Studies for the Philosophy Department, Fall 2006—present

Member, University Library Committee, Fall 2006—present

Senator, Faculty Senate, Fall 2006— Spring 2008

 

Professional Organization Memberships

 

American Philosophical Association

 

Southwestern Philosophical Society

 

Central States Philosophical Association