Matthew Homan

Matthew H. Homan

Assistant Professor

McMurran Hall 259B
(757) 594-7085
matthew.homan@cnu.edu

Education

Ph D in Philosophy, Emory University
MA in Philosophy, University of Memphis
BA in Philosophy, University of Richmond

Teaching

Phil 451: Great Philosophers (Descartes, Spinoza); Phil 425: Constitutional Theory; Phil 307: Current Trends in Modern Thought; Phil 304: Ethics/Current Value Questions; Phil 207: Ethical Issues in Business; Phil 205: Anatomy of Thought; Phil 202: Modern Philosophy; Phil 101: Critical Thinking

Research

Early Modern Philosophy; Epistemology; Philosophy of Mind; Ancient Philosophy; Ethics; History of Philosophy

Biography

Most of my research to date has been in early modern philosophy, focusing in particular on the philosophies of the 17^th century thinkers, René Descartes and Benedict de Spinoza, but my philosophical interests are wide-ranging. I am especially interested in issues of knowledge, mind, freedom, and ethics (and their interrelations). I published a monograph, entitled Spinoza’s Epistemology through a Geometrical Lens (Palgrave, 2021), which attempts to illuminate a range of longstanding interpretive issues in Spinoza’s epistemology by interpreting it in light of his philosophy of mathematics. I am currently working on projects on resolution and irresolution in Descartes' ethical thought; Aristotle's denial of deliberative capacity to natural slaves; and aspects of Hannah Arendt's thought (especially her analysis of statelessness and totalitarianism).

Selected Accomplishments

Journal Article, Academic Journal
(2024). Irresolution and Other Weaknesses of Soul in Descartes. Archiv für Geschichte der Philosophie.
Book, Scholarly-New
(2021). Spinoza's Epistemology through a Geometrical Lens. Palgrave Macmillan. Pages, 256.
Journal Article, Academic Journal
(2018). Geometrical Figures in Spinoza's Book of Nature. Journal of the History of Philosophy. Volume, 56. Issue, July. Pages, 455-476.
Journal Article, Academic Journal
(2018). Memory Aids and the Cartesian Circle. British Journal for the History of Philosophy.
Journal Article, Academic Journal
(2016). On the Alleged Exceptional Nature of Thought in Spinoza. Journal of Philosophical Research. Volume, 41. Issue, 2016. Pages, 1-16.
Book, Chapter in Scholarly Book-New
(2015). Rehumanizing Spinoza's Free Man. Rowman and Littlefield.
Journal Article, Academic Journal
(2015). Spinoza on a Supposed Right to Lie. History of Philosophy Quarterly. Volume, 32. Issue, 3. Pages, 235-252.
Journal Article, Academic Journal
(2014). Spinoza and the Problem of Mental Representation. International Philosophical Quarterly. Volume, 54. Issue, March 2014. Pages, 75-87.