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Associate
Professor of Philosophy Ph.D.,
Rutgers University, 1997 Areas
of research: Metaphysics,
philosophy of mind, physicalism, consciousness, a priori knowledge I joined the
faculty at the University of Florida in 1997 after completing my doctorate at
Rutgers University. My research
has been in metaphysics and philosophy of mind, focusing on the doctrine of
physicalism, the claim, roughly, that everything that exists is in some sense
ultimately physical in nature.
I've also worked on such topics as the nature of intrinsic properties,
questions about mental causation, functionalist treatments of the mind, and
the role of conceptual analysis and/or a priori knowledge in metaphysics
generally. My interest in
epistemology has grown as well and one of these days I just might publish
something in the field. My major
project for the near future, however, is to return to the task of completing
a book defending physicalism. Recent graduate seminars have included courses in
epistemology, physicalism, and the problem of consciousness. By way of
undergraduate teaching, I regularly teach the philosophy major's required
course in epistemology (PHI3300) as well as the elective course in philosophy
of religion (PHI3700). Other
undergraduate courses I teach include Philosophy of Mind (PHI4320),
Metaphysics (PHI3500), and Analytic Philosophy (PHP4784), as well as a bit of
Intro to Philosophy (PHI2010), Philosophical Writing (PHI3950) and Ethical
Theory (PHI4662). I am also the
faculty advisor for UF's Gator Freethought society. Teaching
information and current courses General
information for undergraduates Philosophy of Religion PHI 3700
Spring 2008 Seminar in Philosophy of Mind PHI 6326
Spring 2008 Selected Publications "How To Be A (Sort of) A Priori Physicalist." Philosophical Studies 131 (1):
185-225. October 2006. "Intrinsicality without Naturalness." Co-authored with William Butchard and
Kelly Trogdon. Philosophy and
Phenomenological Research 70 (2): 326-350. March 2005. "Multiple Realizability and Psychological Laws: Evaluating Kim's Challenge." In Physicalism and Mental
Causation: The Metaphysics of Mind and Action. Sven Walter and
Heinz-Dieter Heckmann. Imprint
Academic Publishers, UK.
2003. Pages 59-84. "Functionalism and Causal Exclusion." Pacific Philosophical Quarterly 84 (2): 198-214. June 2003. "DuprŽ's Anti-Essentialist Objection to
Reductionism." The
Philosophical Quarterly 53 (211): 181-200. April 2003. "Sufficiency Claims and Physicalism: A Formulation." In Carl Gillett and Barry Loewer,
eds., Physicalism and Its Discontents. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 2001. Pages
57-73. "Experience, Appearance, and Hidden Features." PSYCHE 7(09), July 2001. http://psyche.cs.monash.edu.au/v7/psyche-7-09-witmer.html "Locating the Overdetermination Problem." The British Journal for the
Philosophy of Science 51: 273-286. June 2000. Selected Recent
Presentations "Realization and the Promise of Explanatory
Import." November 11, 2007,
Florida Philosophical Association (Tallahassee, Florida) and April 6, 2007,
Southern Society for Philosophy and Psychology (Atlanta, Georgia). "Realization,
Higher Order Properties, and Explanatory Import." October 14, 2006. At the conference on Mind, Body and
Realization, held at Lafayette College, Easton, Pennsylvania. Comments on Alyssa Ney: "Physicalism as an
Attitude." April 14, 2006.
Southern Society for Philosophy and Psychology. Charleston, South Carolina. Comments on William Rottschaefer: "The Many Places of
Knowledge in Nature: Reflections
on Hilary Kornblith's Knowledge and Its Place in Nature." March 25, 2006. Pacific Division,
American Philosophical Association.
Portland, Oregon. Comments on Barry Loewer: "Why Is There Anything
Except Physics?" October
2004. Kline Colloquium on
Physicalism. University of
Missouri at Columbia. Comments on Andrew Melnyk: "Rea on
Naturalism." April 9,
2004. Southern Society for
Philosophy and Psychology, New Orleans, Louisiana. "The Shortcut Argument Against Coincident
Objects." November 14
2003. Florida Philosophical
Association, St. Petersburg, Florida. "Functionalism, Causation, and the Bait and Switch
Problem." October 16-17,
2003. Central States
Philosophical Association.
Chicago, Illinois. Also
November 9, 2001. Florida
Philosophical Association.
Deland, Florida. "The Epistemic Conceivability Argument Against
Physicalism." April
2002. Central Division, American
Philosophical Association.
Chicago, Illinois.
Also: November 10,
2000. Florida Philosophical
Association. Sarasota, Florida. Current
projects "Realization and the Promise of Explanatory
Import." "Necessity, Identity, and A Priori Access." Demanding Physicalism
(book project) Faculty
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Email:
<gwitmer> Office:
115B Griffin-Floyd Hall (352) 392-2084 ext. 209 (Voice) (352) 392-5577 (Dept. Fax) Department of Philosophy 330 Griffin-Floyd Hall University of Florida Gainesville, FL 32611-8545 Office hours for Spring 2008:
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