Curriculum Vitae of Dr. Mark R.
Alfino
Department of Philosophy, Gonzaga
University, Spokane, WA 99258
(509) 313-6753, alfino@gonzaga.edu, alfino.org.
Education
The University of Texas at Austin,
Ph.D. in Philosophy, 1989.
The University of Texas at Austin, M.A. in Philosophy, 1984.
George Washington University, B.A. in Philosophy, 1981.
Teaching and Research Areas
Philosophy of Culture, Happiness,
Wisdom, Information Ethics, Intellectual Freedom, Applied Ethics, Ethics, Philosophy
of Food, Moral Responsibility
Teaching Experience
Professor, Gonzaga University,
Spokane, WA (2001-present)
Associate Professor, Gonzaga University, Spokane, WA (1995-2001).
Assistant Professor, Gonzaga University, Spokane, WA (1989-1995).
Courses Taught
Undergraduate
Critical Thinking; Introduction to Philosophy; Introductory
Ethics; Philosophy of Human Nature; Business Ethics; Symbolic
Logic; Contemporary Philosophy; Philosophical Issues in Poverty
Studies; Philosophy of Literature; Philosophy of Law; Philosophy
of Language; Philosophy of Information; Postmodern Thought; Philosophy of
the Visual Arts; Philosophy of Time; Happiness; Wisdom; Philosophy and Creative
Writing; Philosophy of Culture; Philosophy of Italian Culture; Philosophy of
Culture - Benin; Philosophy of Food; Moral Responsibility and Free Will;
Happiness and Wisdom.
Graduate
Theories of Multiple Intelligence (School of Education); Philosophical
Style, Research, and Writing, Hellenistic Philosophy (Philosophy MA Program);
Organizational Ethics; Organizational Communication; (School of
Professional Studies); Communication Theory (MA/TESL); Moral Responsibility and
Free Will (Philosophy MA Program)
Books and Edited Volumes
Information Ethics
for Librarians, co-authored with Linda Pierce, MacFarland
and Associates, 1997.
Handbook of
Intellectual Freedom: Theories, Concepts, and Cases, co-edited with Laura Koltutsky, (Litwin
Press, Spring 2014). Winner of the 2014-2016 Obler
Award from the American Library Association.
McDonaldization
Revisited: Critical Essays in Consumer Culture, co-edited with Robin Wynard and John Caputo, Westport, CT: Greenwood
Press, 1998.
The Future of Moral
Responsibility, special issue of The Journal of
Information Ethics, 28.1 (Spring 2019). Guest Editor.
Articles
“Advancing Critical
Thinking and Information Literacy Skills in First Year College Students,” College
and University Libraries, v 15 n. 1-2, 2008.
"Another Look
at the Derrida-Searle Debate," Philosophy and Rhetoric 24.2
(1991): 143-152.
"At the Margins
of Representation in Postmodern Philosophy and Literature," Comparative
Literature in Canada/ La Littérature Comparée au Canada: The Unmaking of Margins/ Defaire les Marges, 20
(1989).
"Breaking
Managerial Information Monopolies: Ethical Considerations in Setting Workplace
Information Policy," Journal of Information Ethics 4.1
(Spring 1995): 5-10.
"Deep Copy
Culture," in The Aesthetics and Ethics of Copying, Darren
Hudson Hicks and Reinhold Smücker, Bloomsbury Press,
October 2016.
"Do Expert
Systems Have a Moral Cost?" Journal of Information Ethics 2.2
(Fall 1993): 15-19. Reprinted in Richard Stichler and
Robert Hauptman (Eds.), Ethics, Information and Technology: Readings, MacFarland
and Associates, 1998, 95-100.
“Free Speech Issues
in the Regulation of Social Media Platforms” Journal of Information Ethics,
32.1 (Spring 2023): 10-14.
"Information
Rights vs. Information Virtues," Journal of Information Ethics 1.1
(Fall 1992): 13-17. Reprinted in G. Lee Bowie, Kathleen M. Higgins, Meredith W.
Michaels, Thirteen Questions in Ethics and Social Philosophy, 2nd
Edition, Harcourt Brace Publishers, 1997.
"Integrating
Information Literacy Skills into a linked Freshman ‘Thought and Expression’
Learning Community” College and Undergraduate Libraries (2008),
co-authored with Michele Pajer, Linda Pierce, and Kelly Jenks.
"Intellectual
Property and Copyright Ethics," Business and Professional Ethics
Journal, 10.2 (1991): 85-109. Reprinted in Robert A. Larmer (Ed.), Ethics in the Workplace, Minneapolis,
MN: West Publishing Company, 1996, 278-293.
"Is there a
Crisis of Dissent and Disagreement in Argument Theory?” Reason to Dissent.
Proceedings of the 3rd European Conference on Argumentation, Catarina
Dutilh Novaes, Henrike Jansen, Jan Albert van Laar and Bart Verheij, eds, 2019.
"Misplacing
Privacy," Journal of Information Ethics 10.2 (Fall 2001):
5-9
"Naturalizing
Wisdom," Regarding the Mind Naturally, eds. Milkowski, Marcin and Konrad Talmont-Kaminski,
Cambridge Scholars Press, 2013.
"Philosophies
of Intellectual Freedom," in Handbook of Intellectual Freedom:
Theories, Concepts, and Cases, co-edited with Laura Koltutsky,
Litwin Press, Spring 2014.
"Plotinus and
the Possibility of Non-Propositional Thought," Ancient Philosophy,
8 (1989): 273-284.
"Postmodern Hamburgers:
Taking a Postmodern Attitude Toward McDonald's," in Mark Alfino, Robin
Wynyard, and John Caputo (Eds.), McDonaldization Revisited: Critical
Essays in Consumer Culture, Greenwood Press, 1998, 175-189.
"Privacy,
Surveillance, and the Good Life," cover story, The Local Planet, Spokane,
Washington, March 18, 2004
"Rationality
and the Right to Privacy." in Today's Moral Issues, ed. Daniel
Bonevac, fourth edition, (2001). Mountain View:
Mayfield Publishing. p. 307-312, co-authored with Randy Mayes.
"Reconstructing
the Right to Privacy," Social Theory and Practice, v 29
no 1, January 2003, co-authored with Randy Mayes.
"Research
Crimes, Misdemeanors, and Tolerated Deceptions," Journal of
Information Ethics 5.1 (Spring 1996): 5-8.
"The
Information Ethics of Polite Work Culture," Journal of Information
Ethics 4.2 (Fall 1995): 9-12.
"The Social
Nature of Information Ethics," with Linda Pierce, Library Trends v
49 no. 3 Winter 2001, 471-85.
"The Virtue of
the Information Manager," Journal of Information Ethics 2.1
(Spring 1993): 16-20. Reprinted in G. Lee Bowie, Kathleen M. Higgins, Meredith
W. Michaels, Thirteen Questions in Ethics and Social Philosophy,
2nd Edition, Harcourt Brace Publishers, 1997.
"Traditional
vs. Information Management Theory," Journal of Information Ethics 7.1
(Spring 1998): 5-9
"Twenty Years
of Information Ethics and the Journal of Information Ethics," Journal
of Information Ethics 21.2 (Fall 2012): 13-17.
"Two Futures
for Library Copyright Policy," ALKI 6.3 (1990): 77-79.
“Universal Access
and Its Asymmetries.” Journal of Information Ethics.
"Will the
Center Hold? Core Values in A Changing Information Environment," with
Linda Pierce, PNLA Quarterly 63.1 Fall 1998, 16-17
Book Reviews
Ethical Issues in
Dialysis and Transplantation, Carl Kjellstrand, M.D. and John B. Dossetor (Eds.), Dordrecht,
The Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1992, American Journal of
Kidney Diseases 24.1, (July 1994): 155-156, co-authored with Paul
Alfino.
Free Speech: Ten
Principles for a Connected World, Timothy Garton
Ash, Journal of Information Ethics 27.1 (Spring 2018),
125-148.
How is Language
Possible? J. N. Hattiangadi, Texas
Foreign Language Education Papers 2.1 (1988): 152-156.
How to Lose the
Information War, Journal of Information Ethics,
31.2 (2022), 138-141.
Liars: Falsehoods
and free speech in an age of deception. Cass Sunstein. Journal
of Information Ethics 32.1 (2023), 83-85.
Oxford Handbook on
the Philosophy of Death, Notre Dame Philosophical
Reviews, June 30, 2013 (online).
"Self-deception
and the philosophical assumptions of truth telling." Review of The
Folly of Fools: The Logic of Deceit and Self-Deception in Human Life, Journal
of Information Ethics, 23.2 (Fall 2014): 82-86.
The Case Against
Free Speech: The First Amendment, Fascism, and the Future of Dissent, Journal
of Information Ethics, 29.2 (Fall 2020), 104-107.
The Freedom to Lie:
A debate about democracy. Swan, John and Noel Peattie. Journal
of Information Ethics 22.2 (Fall 2013), 83-85.
What Snowflakes Get
Right: Free Speech, Truth, and Equality on Campus Journal of Information Ethics, 29.2 (Fall 2020), 102-104.
Invited Lectures and Public Talks
"Abstract
Justice and the Construction of Subjectivity" American Philosophical Association
Eastern Division Meeting, December 1992.
"Academic
Freedom in a Catholic Context". Gonzaga University.
"Business
Failure & Corporate Managerial Responsibility," co-authored with Brian
Steverson, Society for Business Ethics Annual Conference, Boston,
Massachusetts, August 8-10, 1997.
"Business
Values for Successful Business Partnerships," Business Ethics Workshop. Seventh
Meeting of the U.S. West Coast - Far East Russian Ad Hoc Working Group,
Anchorage, Alaska, September 17th, 2002.
"Copyright and
Culture," Workshop: The Ethics of Copying, Center for
Interdisciplinary Research (ZiF), Bielefeld
University, Germany, July 8-15, 2014.
"Critical
Perspectives on Copyright" (Inland NW Health Sciences Librarians)
"Critical
Thinking Across the Curriculum," Whitworth College, Faculty Development
Day, October 16, 1998, Keynote Speaker & Workshop Leader.
"Darwin for
Everyone!" Spokane Secular Society, February 9, 2012.
"Do
Philosophers Have Anything More to Say about Wisdom?"
"Gaming
Wisdom," April 11, 2012, Nammour
Symposium, UCSU, Sacramento, California.
"Good Grounds
for Metaphor," An Evening of Metaphor, Gonzaga College of Arts and
Sciences Faculty Colloquium, February 12, 1999.
"How a Philosopher
Looks at the News," Spokane Community College, Humanities Center, May 22,
2018.
"International
Business Ethics for the New Millenium," Workshop
On Strengthening Integrity in the Private Sector through
Business Ethics and Codes of Conduct Programs, U.S. Department of Commerce
Office of Eastern Europe, Russia and Independent States Good Governance
Program, Foundation for Russian American Economic Cooperation (FRAEC), June 7,
2002, Seattle, Washington.
"Introspection,
narration, and bias in the epistemology of subjective well-being," University
of Southern Denmark, Odense, January 7, 2016.
"Is there a
crisis of dissent and disagreement in argument theory?" European
Conference on Argumentation, Groningen, Netherlands, June 24-27, 2019.
"Leonardo's
Renaissance," invited talk for Spokane Museum of Arts and Culture, July
17, 2011
"Limits of Some
Formal Approaches to Risk: Directions for Future Research," Delft
University of Technology, Delft, Netherlands, June 14, 2006, with Randy Mayes.
"Managing the
Work Ethic," 1st Annual Robert Spitzer Presidential Institute on
Organizational Leadership, March 16-18, 2000, Cavanaugh's Inn,
Spokane, WA 99203.
"Moral Terroir:
Rethinking traditional approaches to ethical diets," Philosophy
Department Colloquium, Gonzaga University, Spokane, Washington, October 12,
2017.
"Moral Values
in Complex Systems," Focus on Results, joint annual meeting of
the local chapters of the American Society for Quality and Association for
Quality and Participation, Spokane, WA, October 18, 1999. Keynote Speaker.
"Naturalizing
Wisdom," Kazimierz Naturalism Workshop, 2008, Dolny, Poland.
"Neo-Platonism
in the Florentine Renaissance," guest speaker at WSU humanities course,
July 22, 1999
"Nine Suggestions
for Increasing Happiness," Wellness Talk, Gonzaga University, December 10,
2000.
"Offense,
Academic Freedom, and Speech Ecologies" American Library Association,
Orlando, FL, May 27, 2016.
"Philosophical
Method in Applied Ethics: The Case for Narrative Analysis" Eastern APA.
"Post-lapsarian and Postmodern Models of Language in Plotinus. Society
for Neo-platonic Studies. March 22, 1991.
"Relativism and
Naturalism: The Case of Evolutionary Ethics," 3rd Alain Locke
Conference, Howard University, Washington, D.C., September 15-17,
2000.
Relativism in the
Representation of Philosophy" Interdepartmental Colloquium on
Relativisms, The History of Science, and Literary Theory. March 27, 1988.
"Rethinking
Critical Thinking," keynote for PLATO Critical Thinking conference for
Washington Community Colleges, Hilton Hotel, Spokane, WA, May 13, 2016.
"Some Limits of
Transparency in Promoting Intellectual Freedom," Information Ethics
Roundtable, University of Madison, Wisconsin, April 2015.
"Sourcing
Values in a Food Philosophy: Notes toward a Moral Terroir", AFHVS/ASFS
Annual Conference, Oxyfood 2017, Occidental
College, Los Angeles, June 14-17, 2017.
"Surveillance
and Counter-Surveillance and Evolutionary Psychology," Surveillance
and Anti-Surveillance, MacCaulay Honors
College, April 25, 2009.
"Techno-rationality
and the Modern Academy," George Washington University, September 28, 2012.
"The 19th
Century Macello at the intersection of Italian
studies and food studies,” Canadian Association for Italian Studies,
Orvieto, Italy, June 13-16, 2019.
"The Ethical
Library: Responsibilities to Our Users and Staff in the Information Age,"
with Linda Pierce, Oregon Library Association/Washington Library
Association Joint Annual Conference, Portland, Oregon, April 23-26, 1997.
"The Gospel of
Prosperity," article for Gonzaga Magazine, December 2013.
"The Moral
Value of Information," Symposium: Information Ethics: Gossip, Privacy, and
the Moral Value of Information," 49th Annual Meeting of the
Northwest Conference on Philosophy, Central Washington University, Ellensberg, WA, November 7-8, 1997.
"The Place of
Narrative Method in Organizational Ethics"
"The
Universality of Free Speech Culture," Presentation for the
colloquium Enlightenment and Freedom of Speech, Institute of Philosophy,
Jagiellonian University, May 19-20, 2017.
"Trade Secretes
in Professional Services," Information Ethics Roundtable, American
Philosophical Association Pacific Meeting, March 22, 2006.
"Trade Secrets
in Professional Services," Spring 2006 Information Ethics
Roundtable, American Philosophical Association Pacific
Meetings, March 22, 2006.
"Using Wikis in
Philosophy," Pacific Division Meeting of the American
Philosophical Association, Westin Hotel, San Francisco, April 1, 2010.
"What Can We
Learn from Postmodern Theories of Truth and Meaning?" Gonzaga
University, March 27, 2012.
"Why Privacy
Matters," Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR,
May 4, 2015.
"Wisdom and the
Negotiation of Standards for Evaluating Success," Nammour
Symposium 2010, California State University at Sacramento, April 20th,
2010.
Miscellaneous Professional Activity
"Academic
Freedom in a Catholic Context," debate with Fr. Robert Spitzer, February
25, 2002.
"Bring Back
Librarians," Guest Opinion, Spokesman Review, February 12, 2008
Chair, Colloquium of
the Society for Business Ethics, American Philosophical Association Pacific
Division Meeting, Los Angeles, CA, March 26, 1998.
Chair, Colloquium
of the Society for Business Ethics, American Philosophical Association
Pacific Division Meeting, Seattle, WA, April 6, 1996.
Chair, Colloquium
of the Society for Philosophy and Public Affairs, "Poverty
Policy," American Philosophical Association Central Division Meeting,
Chicago, IL, April 27, 1995.
Chair, Colloquium
on Metaphysics, American Philosophical Association Eastern Division
Meeting, Boston, MA, December 27-31, 1990.
Chaired session,
"What is Pragmatic Ethics?," APA Pacific
Division Meeting, San Francisco, March 25, 2005.
Commentary on Carl
Anderson, "Anscombe on Self-Consciousness and Self-Reference," NW
Conference on Philosophy, Pacific University, Forest Grove, OR,
Nov. 10-11, 2000.
Commentary on Harvey
S. James, "Reinforcing Ethical Decision-Making Through Organizational
Architecture," New Work in Business Ethics, Colloquium of the Society
for Business Ethics, American Philosophical Association Pacific Division
Meeting, Los Angeles, CA, March 26, 1998.
Commentary on Jerry Cederblom, "Reason and Emotion in Argument," APA
Pacific Division Meeting, Seattle, WA, March 30, 2002.
Commentary on John Oberdiek, "Towards an Irresponsible Theory of
Distributive Justice," Inland Northwest Philosophy Conference,
University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, April 5-7, 2002.
Commentary on Mark
Weinstein, "Some Foundational Problems with Informal Logic and Their
Solutions," Colloquium of the Association of Informal Logic and
Critical Thinking, American Philosophical Association Pacific Division
Meeting, Seattle, WA, April 4, 1996.
Commentary on
Michael O'Rourke, "Aiming and Referring," Philosophy of Language
Colloquium, 48th Annual Meeting of the Northwest Conference on Philosophy,
University of Portland, Portland, Oregon, October 25-26, 1996.
Commentary on,
"Ethical Issues of the Employment at Will Doctrine," Kentucky
Philosophical Association, Georgetown College, Georgetown, Kentucky, 1984.
Commentator on
Harriet Baber, "Ex Ante Desire and Post Hoc Satisfaction," Inland
Northwest Philosophy Conference, Univeristy of Idaho,
Moscow, Idaho, March 25, 2005.
"Come Together,
Right Now," Editorial, The Gonzaga Bulletin, November 11, 2005.
"Common-Sense Philosophy?," letter, The New York Times Book Review,
October 27, 1985.
Director,
"Improving Teaching Through Technology," M.J. Murdock Charitable
Trust. Grant, $56,000 for technology training and collaboration at Gonzaga
University and Heritage College. 2000-2005.
Executive Board,
Society for Philosophy and Public Affairs 1997.
"'Fair use'
questions plague copyright law," letter, The Chronicle of Higher Education,
March 18, 1992: B3-4.
"Finding
Happiness and Wisdom at Gonzaga," talk for Gonzaga University Alumni,
Washington Athletic Center, Seattle, Washington, April 8th, 2010.
"International
Development: Gonzaga's Africa Programs," Spokane Unitarian Church, October
10, 2007.
Moderator, Panel on
"Sacred Choices," featured speaker, Dan Maguire, Planned Parenthood
Inland Northwest, Spokane, WA, April 8, 2002.
Panelist,
"Genetics and Ethics I, II, and III," Medical Ethics Conferences at Sacred
Heart Medical Center, Spokane, WA, March 7th, April 4th, and May 2nd, 2001.
Panelist, "The
Human Genome Project: The Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications," St.
Stephen's Lecture Series, Sacred Heart Medical Center, Providence Auditorium,
Spokane, WA, November 16, 2001.
Panelist, Colloquium
on Marketing Ethics, National Council for Marketing and Public Relations,
National Conference, Seattle, Washington, March 15-18, 1992.
Panelist, Colloquium
on Marketing Ethics, National Council for Marketing and Public Relations,
Regional Conference, Coeur D'Alene, Idaho, April 7-9, 1991.
Participant,
"Virtual Classroom Workshop," Washington Center for the Improvement
of Undergraduate Education, January 20th, 1996, Evergreen State College.
Participant,
American Bar Association's 9th Annual Higher Education Conference: Literature,
History, Culture & the Courtroom, Fort Worth, Texas, February 11-13, 1993.
Participant, NEH
funded summer seminar on Philosophy of Jurisprudence, led by David Luban at the University of Maryland's Institute for Philosophy
and Publicy Policy, Summer 1991.
Peer Review, Articulate
Contact: A Post-Semiotic Account of the Nature of Language, book
manuscript, SUNY Press, reviewed April, 1993.
Peer Review, Ethics:
Discovering Right and Wrong, Louis P. Pojman, 3rd Edition, Wadsworth,
Publishing Co. Consulting on needed changes for new edition.Peer Review, Conferences papers for the 1998
Annual Meeting of the Society for Business Ethics.
Peer Review, Problems
in Business Ethics, textbook manuscript, Mayfield Publishing Co., first and
second drafts reviewed July and October 1996.
Peer Review, Thinking
Ethics, textbook manuscript, Wadsworth, Inc, prospectus reviewed May 1993,
manuscript reviewed August, 1993.
Peer Review, two
conference papers for 1994 Annual Meeting of The Association of Management.
Peer Review, Wake-Up
Calls, manuscript for business ethics casebook, Wadsworth, Inc., first
review May 1994, second review May 1995.
Peer Reviewer,
Canadian Research Council, 2015.
Peer Reviewer, Ethics
and Information Technology, 2008
Peer Reviewer, Moral
Philosophy and Politics, 2019.
Peer Reviewer, Politics,
Philosophy, and Economics, 2004
Peer Reviewer, Teaching
Philosophy, 2015.
Peer Reviewer,
Wadsworth Publishing Company, 2005.
"The Ethics of
Owning Cell Lines" for Ethics and Moral Perspectives Committee,
Sacred Heart Medical Center, February 18, 2002.
"Using Clickers
to Increase Student Participation and Learning," Center for Teaching and
Advising, Gonzaga University, October 18, 2012.
"Why the
Scientific Study of Religion is Important," The Socratic Club, Gonzaga
University, December 8, 2012.
Intramural Professional Activity
Committee Member,
CIS Core Curriculum Committee (2017-present), Library Search Committee (Spring
2019), Faculty Advisor to Multicultural Honor Society (2009-2015), Faculty
Advisor to Philosophy Club (intermittent), Philosophy Department Colloquium
Coordinator (2000-2017), Philosophy Department Outcomes for Majors Committee
(2014), Co-facilitator, Inland Northwest Philosophy Association (INPA)
(2012-present), Co-Director, Gonzaga-in-Benin Program (2013-present), Faculty
Benefits Committee (1999-2011), Thematic Programming Committee (2006-2008),
Center for Teaching and Advising Advisory Council (2006-2009); International
Program Advisory Council (2005-2007), Academic Coordinator for Study Abroad.
(2004-2008), Sacred Heart Hospital EMPC ethics committee (2003-2005), Criminal
Justice Program Advisory Committee (1999-2001), Faculty Scholarship Advisor
(1999-2001), Co-chair Budget Review and Reallocation Process (BRRP) (Summer 1998),
Faculty Assembly President (Fall 1998), Faculty Assembly Vice-President
(97-98), Web Steering Committee (97), Gonzaga Strategic Planning Council
(95-96), Gonzaga Technology Committee (95-96), Web Policy Committee (95-96),
Faculty Handbook Revision Committee (95-97), Faculty Assembly Constitution
Review Committee (94-96), Library Committee (93-95), Fall Faculty Conference
Program Committee, Co-Chair (1993 & 1994), Philosophy Club Faculty Advisor
(92-93), Cataldo Scholarship Committee, Chair
(92-93), Faculty Elections Committee, Chair (92-94), Publications Board
(91-92), Admissions Telethon Chairperson (91-93), Philosophy Department
Curriculum Revision Committee (90-91), Philosophy Department Reappointment
Committee (90-91), Woman's Studies Planning Group (90-91), St. Michael's
Institute Faculty Council (Facilitator, 90-91), St. Michael's Institute
Academic Senate (90-91), Committees: University Copyright Committee (89-91).
Grants
Gonzaga Research
Council, for materials costs, in preparation of book manuscript, Librarianship
Ethics for the Information Age. Spring 1996.
Research grant, St.
Michael's Institute, for updates to Guide Author, hypertext software. Fall
1995.
Research grant, St.
Michael's Institute, for research on the development of hypertext courseware.
Spring and Summer 1993.
Research grant, St.
Michael's Institute, for research on U.S. social welfare policy, Harvard
University, Widener Library, Cambridge, Massachusetts, Summer 1990.
Travel grant, for
travel to conference, Catholicism and Hermeneutics, Conception Seminary,
Conception, Missouri Feb 24-25, 1990.
Dissertation
Representation and
Closure of Meaning in Modern and Contemporary Philosophy of Language.