My Ph.D. is from the University of Kansas, my J.D. from Indiana University, and I joined the department in 2000. I am currently Professor of Philosophy and Adjunct Professor of Political Science. I am also Distinguished Humanities Professor in the College of Arts and Sciences.

My work has come in recent years to fall under three main headings. First, I work on issues—exegetical and interpretive as well as critical and substantive—arising out of John Rawls’s moral and political philosophy. Second, I work on philosophical issues raised by the theory, law and practice of human rights. Third, I work on various normative and conceptual issues in applied political and legal philosophy—for example, over the last few years I have worked on hate crimes laws, state neutrality and compulsory education, and reparations for historical injustice. I continue also to maintain a general interest in the philosophy of law, especially analytic jurisprudence and punishment theory.

Recent, representative publications

• Books
  • Handbook of International Political Theory, 2 volumes.  Palgrave Publishing.  2023-2024.  Collection of original essays co-edited with Howard Williams, David Boucher and Peter Sutch.
  • The Rawls Lexicon. Cambridge University Press, 2015.   A comprehensive reference for Rawls scholars co-edited with Jon Mandle.
  • The Blackwell Companion to Rawls. Wiley-Blackwell Publishing, 2014.  Collection of original essays co-edited and introduced with Jon Mandle.
  • Human Rights: The Hard Questions. Cambridge University Press, 2013.  Collection of original essays co-edited and introduced with Cindy Holder.
  • Coercion and the State. Springer Publishing, 2008.  Collection of original essays co-edited with Walter Riker.
  • Rawls. Ashgate Publishing, 2008.  Edited and introduced collection.
  • On the Philosophy of Law. Wadsworth Publishing, 2006.  Monograph in the Philosophical Topics series.
  • Rawls’s Law of Peoples: A Realistic Utopia? Blackwell Publishing, 2006.  Collection of original essays co-edited with Rex Martin.
  • Universal Human Rights: Moral Order in a Divided World. Rowman and Littlefield Publishing, 2005.  Collection of original essays co-edited with Mortimer Sellers.
• Articles & Chapters
  • “Rawls and American Political Traditions.” Journal of Social Philosophy, 2023.
  • “A Society of Peoples: The Nature and Limits of Rawls’s International Vision.” Handbook in International Political Theory, vol. 2, Palgrave Publishing, D. Boucher, et al, eds., (chapter 17) 2023.
  • “Faith and the Common Good in Rawls’s Political Thought.” Rawls and the Common Good, Roberto Luppi, ed., Routledge, pgs. 37-59, 2022.
  • “Rawls on Race in the United States.” The Tocqueville Review, v. 43.1, pgs. 69-87, 2022.
  • “Rawls, Law-Making and Liberal Democratic Toleration.” Jurisprudence, v.12.1, pgs. 17-46, 2021.
  • “Public Political Reason: Still Not Wide Enough.” John Rawls: Debating the Major Questions, S. Roberts-Cady and J. Mandle, eds., Oxford University Press, pgs. 20-36, 2020.
  • “Moral Psychology, Stability and The Law of Peoples.”  Canadian Journal of Law and Jurisprudence, v. 30.2, pgs. 363-397, 2017.
  • “Human Right to Health Care?  Participatory Politics, Progressive Policy and the Price of Loose Language.”  Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics, v. 37.4, 2016.
  • “Postcards: From Philosophical Theology to Ethics as Science to Democratic Theory.”  The Blackwell Companion to Rawls, Jon Mandle & David Reidy, eds., Blackwell Publishing, pp. 7-31, 2014.
  • “Social Justice, the University and the Temptation to Mission Creep.” Social Justice and the University, Harry Dahms, Jon Shefner et al., eds., Palgrave Publishing, pgs. 128-148, 2014.
  • “Cosmopolitanism and Human Rights.” Routledge Companion to Political and Social Philosophy, Jerry Gaus et al., eds., Routledge Publishing, pgs. 494-504, 2012
  • “On the Human Right to Democracy: Searching for Sense without Stilts.” Journal of Social Philosophy, v.43, n.2, pgs. 177-203, 2012.
  • “Cosmopolitanism: Liberal and Otherwise.” In Cosmopolitanism vs. Non-Cosmopolitanism: Critiques, Defenses and Reconceptualizations, Gillian Brock, ed., Oxford University Press, 2013, pgs. 175-198.
  • “The Right and the Good.” A Companion to Political Philosophy: Methods, Topics and Tools, Antonella Besussi, ed., Ashgate Publishing, pgs. 111-122, 2012.
  • “Philosophical Perspectives on Human Rights.” Contemporary Perspectives on Human Rights, Claudio Coradetti, ed., Springer Publishing, pgs. 23-49, 2012.
  • “Philosophical Foundations of Human Rights.” International Human Rights Law, Daniel Moeckli, et al., eds., Oxford University Press, 2010, pgs. 39-63. Co-authored with Jim Nickel.
  • “Rawls’s Religion and Justice as Fairness,” History of Political Thought, v. XXXI, n.2., pgs. 309-343, 2010.
  • “Human Rights and Liberal Toleration,” Canadian Journal of Law and Jurisprudence, v.23, n.2, pgs. 287-317, 2010.
  • When Good Alone Isn’t Good Enough: Examining Griffin’s On Human Rights.” Social Theory and Practice, 2009, v.35, n.4, pgs. 623-647, 2009.
  • “Human Rights: Institutions and Agendas.” Public Affairs Quarterly, v. 22.4, pgs. 409-433, 2008.
  • “A Just Global Economy: In Defense of Rawls.” The Journal of Ethics, v. 11.2, pgs. 193-236, 2007.
  • “Reciprocity and Reasonable Disagreement: From Liberal to Democratic Legitimacy.” Philosophical Studies, v.132, pgs. 243-291, 2007.
  • “Relativism, Self-Determination and Human Rights,” Democracy in a Global World: Human Rights and Political Participation in the 21st Century, Deen Chatterjee, ed., Rowman and Littlefield. 2007. With James Nickel, co-author.
  • “Three Human Rights Agendas.”  Canadian Journal of Law and Jurisprudence, v.19, n.2, pgs. 237-255, 2006.
  • “The Structural Variety of Historical Injustices.” Journal of Social Philosophy, v.37, n.3, pgs. 360-376, 2006.  With Jeppe von Platz, co-author.
    * Awarded Berger Prize, American Philosophical Association, Committee on Law and Philosophy, 2009.
  • “An Internationalist Conception of Human Rights.” The Philosophical Forum, v.36, pgs. 367-397, 2005.
  • “Hate Crimes Laws: Progressive Politics or Balkanization?” Civility and its Discontents: Civic Virtue, Toleration and Social Fragmentation, Chris Sistare, ed., Univ. Press of Kansas, 2004.
  • “Rawls on International Justice: A Defense.” Political Theory, v. 32, pgs. 291-319, 2004.
  • “Hate Crimes, Oppression and Legal Theory.” Public Affairs Quarterly , v. 16, pgs. 259-285, 2002. * Awarded Berger Prize, American Philosophical Association, Committee on Law and Philosophy, 2005.
  • “Justice and the Tutelary State.” Southern Journal of Philosophy, v.40, pgs. 97-122, 2002.
  • “Pluralism, Liberal Democracy and Compulsory Education.” Journal of Social Philosophy, v.32, pgs. 585-609, 2001.
  • “Rawls’s Wide View of Public Reason: Not Wide Enough.” Res Publica v.6, pgs. 49-72, 2000.

Recent, representative presentations

• “Is There a Human Right to Democracy?” Peking University, International Political Theory Workshop, 2023.
• “The Variable Normative Force of Legal Right.” The Right and The Good Conference, Pretoria University, South Africa, 2022.
• “Legitimacy and Law-Making: Domestic and International.” LUISS University, Political Science Faculty Seminar, Rome, Italy, 2021.
• “From American Progressivism to Rawlsian Political Liberalism.” LUISS University, Rawls Centennial Conference, Rome, Italy, 2021.
• “Keeping the Faith: Progressive Democracy from Croly to Rawls.” University of Virginia, School of Law, A Theory of Justice: 50 Years Later Conference, 2021.
• “Learning to Love Legitimacy.” Center for Legal Studies, CEJUR/PGM-SP, Sao Paulo, Brazil, 2021.
• “A Society of Peoples: The Nature and Limits of Rawls’s International Vision.” Cardiff University, Normative International Political Theory Faculty Seminar, 2021.
• “Thoughts on ‘Kazanistan’.”   University of Richmond, 2018.
• “Life Needs No Justification: Positivism, Reflective Equilibrium, Stability.” Cardiff University, Philosophy, 2016.
• “Between Natural Law and Positivism:  Justice as Fairness as American Jurisprudence.” Cardiff University, Law, 2016.
• “Making a People:  Rousseau, Rawls and Democratic Theory in America.” Cardiff University, Politics, 2016.
• “The Moral Psychology of Rawls’s Law of Peoples.”  European Consortium for Political Research, Prague, 2016.
• “Saving Rawls:  Comments for Gary Chartier.”  Molinari Society, “Author Meets Critics” Symposium, American Philosophical Association, Vancouver, 2015.
• “Basic Rights as Public Reason Constraints on a Constitutional Convention.”  World Congress of Social Philosophy and Philosophy of Law (IVR), Washington DC, 2015.
• “Participatory Politics, Progressive Policy and the Right to Health Care.”  Human Rights Program, University of Chicago, 2014.
• “Picture and Frame:  Looking for Rawls’s Vision.”  Center for British Studies, University of California-Berkeley, 2014.
• “On the Alleged Human Right to Democracy: Searching for Sense without Stilts.” Society for Philosophy and Public Affairs, Washington, DC, 2011.
• “Rawls and the Essentially Religious Perspective.”  6th Annual Religion and Philosophy Conference, Baylor University, 2011.
• “How (Not) to Think About Human Rights.” University of Kansas, Dept. of Philosophy, 2009.
• “Good without God? A Conversation about Rights and Justice.” A Veritas Conversation with Nick Wolterstorff. University of Tennessee, 2009.
• “Nickel and Rawls on Human Rights and Toleration.” American Philosophical Association, Central Division, Chicago, 2009.
• “The Structural Variety of Historical Injustices.” American Philosophical Association, Pacific Division, Vancouver, 2009. With Jeppe von Platz, co-presenter.
• “Method and Content in Rawls’s Law of Peoples.” Society for Philosophy and Public Affairs, Vancouver, 2009.
• “Human Rights and Foreign Intervention.” Oregon State University, Dept. of Philosophy, 2009. A symposium with Michael Blake.
• “Toleration, Rights and Religious Freedom: Comments for William Sweet.” Baker Center for Public Policy, U. of Tennessee, Religious Freedom Workshop, 2009.
• “Human Rights, International Law, and Global Politics.” Vanderbilt School of Law, 2008.
• “Human Rights:  Matching Agendas and Institutions.” Society for Philosophy and Public Policy, APA Pacific Division Meeting, San Francisco, 2007
• “Political Authority, Minimal Legitimacy and Human Rights in Talbott’s Which Rights Should be Universal?” American Philosophical Association, Author Meets Critics Session, Pacific Division, Portland, 2006.
• “Corrective Justice, Reparations and Rawls’s The Law of Peoples.” Part of two day symposium on reparations and international/global justice. World Congress of Social Philosophy and Philosophy of Law (IVR), Spain, 2005.
• “Reciprocity Confronts Reasonable Disagreement.” American Philosophical Association, Pacific Division, Pasadena, 2004.
• “Justice and the Global Economy in Rawls’s The Law of Peoples.” Global Justice Conference (With APA Pacific Division Meeting), Pasadena, 2004. American Philosophical Association, Central Division, Chicago, 2004.
• “Religious Conviction and Democratic Politics: Is Reconciliation Possible?” Marshall Steele Center for Religion and Philosophy, Hendrix College, Arkansas, 2004.