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Faculty, CLI
Specialty: Philosophy
Phone: 507-258-8221
Fax: 507-258-8066
Office: 318 Commons
Email: cdbrewer@r.umn.edu
Education
Ph.D. Candidate, Philosophy, University of Illinois Chicago, 2003 – present
M.A., Philosophy, University of Illinois at Chicago, 2006
B.A., Philosophy, Ursinus College, 2002
Background
I am currently completing my PhD in philosophy from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Before coming to UMR, I taught classes at Ursinus College, the University of Illinois at Chicago and the Center for Talented Youth.
Teaching
With my colleagues, Aaron Kostko and Brian Mondy, I am responsible for teaching 'Introduction to Philosophy', 'Introduction to Ethics', 'Ethics of Medicine and Sciences', and 'History and Philosophy of Science'. Courses I have taught in the past include ‘Philosophy of Science’, ‘Introduction to Philosophy’, ‘Introduction to Ethics’, ‘Introduction to Logic’ and ‘Logic: Principles of Reasoning’.
Research
My primary fields of research are history of modern philosophy, with a focus on the philosophies of Kant and Hume, and Kant’s ethical theory. I am currently focusing on Kant’s metaphysics (specifically his notion of material substance) as a response to Humean skepticism.
In Kant’s ethical theory, I am particularly interested in the distinction he makes between hypothetical imperatives and categorical imperatives. More specifically, I am interested in Kant’s account of the relationship between councils of prudence and the categorical imperative. I am also quite interested in the Kantian notion of retribution and whether or not his notion of retribution is consistent with other aspects of his ethical theory.