Douglas W. Portmore is professor of Philosophy. He is also an associate editor for Ethics: An International Journal of Social, Political and Legal Philosophy and Discussion Notes editor for the Journal of Ethics & Social Philosophy.
His research focuses mainly on morality, rationality, and the interconnections between the two, but he has also written on well-being, posthumous harm, and the non-identity problem. Currently, he is working on a book tentatively entitled "Oughts and Options: Opting for the Best." The book concerns what is, perhaps, the least controversial normative principle concerning action: you ought to perform your best option—that is, the option that is most highly favored by your reasons. The book sets aside substantive questions such as whether we have reason to promote our own good, promote the general good, abide by Kant’s categorical imperative, all of these, or none of these. Instead, it focuses on other issues, such as: What are our options? Which options do we assess directly in terms of how good they are and which do we assess in terms of their relations to other options? What do we hold fixed when assessing how good an option is? Do we, for instance, hold fixed the agent's present desires, beliefs, and intentions?
Before coming to ASU in 2005, he taught at the College of Charleston from 1998-2000 and at California State University, Northridge from 2000-2005. During the 2008-09 academic year, he was a faculty fellow at the Center for Ethics and Public Affairs, Murphy Institute, Tulane University. During the summer of 2015, he was a visiting fellow within the School of Philosophy, Research School of Social Sciences, Australian National University. And, during the 2016-17 academic year, he was a Laurance S. Rockefeller Visiting Faculty Fellow at the University Center for Human Values, Princeton University.
His research focuses mainly on morality, rationality, and the interconnections between the two, but he also writes on wellbeing, posthumous harm, and the nonidentity problem. He recently finished a book entitled: Commonsense Consequentialism: Wherein Morality Meets Rationality. The book defends a version of consequentialism that both comports with our commonsense moral convictions and shares with other consequentialist theories the same compelling teleological conception of practical reasons. Currenly, he is working on a couple of papers the principle holds that we ought to perform our best option -- the option that we have most reason, all things considered, to perform.
Spring 2022 | |
---|---|
Course Number | Course Title |
PHI 105 | Intro to Ethics |
PHI 335 | History of Ethics |
PHI 493 | Honors Thesis |
PHI 599 | Thesis |
PHI 792 | Research |
PHI 799 | Dissertation |
Fall 2021 | |
---|---|
Course Number | Course Title |
PHI 420 | Topics in Philosophy |
PHI 492 | Honors Directed Study |
PHI 541 | Normative Ethics |
PHI 599 | Thesis |
PHI 792 | Research |
PHI 799 | Dissertation |
Spring 2021 | |
---|---|
Course Number | Course Title |
PHI 101 | Introduction to Philosophy |
PHI 306 | Applied Ethics |
PHI 599 | Thesis |
PHI 792 | Research |
PHI 799 | Dissertation |
Fall 2020 | |
---|---|
Course Number | Course Title |
PHI 337 | Ethical Theory |
PHI 599 | Thesis |
PHI 792 | Research |
PHI 799 | Dissertation |
Spring 2020 | |
---|---|
Course Number | Course Title |
PHI 420 | Topics in Philosophy |
PHI 591 | Seminar |
PHI 599 | Thesis |
PHI 792 | Research |
PHI 799 | Dissertation |
Fall 2019 | |
---|---|
Course Number | Course Title |
PHI 101 | Introduction to Philosophy |
PHI 306 | Applied Ethics |
PHI 599 | Thesis |
PHI 792 | Research |
PHI 799 | Dissertation |
Spring 2019 | |
---|---|
Course Number | Course Title |
PHI 105 | Intro to Ethics |
PHI 420 | Topics in Philosophy |
PHI 540 | Topics in Value Theory |
PHI 599 | Thesis |
PHI 792 | Research |
PHI 799 | Dissertation |
Fall 2018 | |
---|---|
Course Number | Course Title |
PHI 599 | Thesis |
PHI 792 | Research |
PHI 799 | Dissertation |
Spring 2018 | |
---|---|
Course Number | Course Title |
PHI 101 | Introduction to Philosophy |
PHI 420 | Topics in Philosophy |
PHI 570 | Topics in Metaphysics |
PHI 599 | Thesis |
PHI 792 | Research |
PHI 799 | Dissertation |
Fall 2017 | |
---|---|
Course Number | Course Title |
PHI 101 | Introduction to Philosophy |
PHI 338 | Metaethics |
PHI 599 | Thesis |
PHI 790 | Reading and Conference |
PHI 792 | Research |
PHI 799 | Dissertation |