Raffaella De Rosa

Raffaella De Rosa

Department of Philosophy
Rutgers University
Newark, NJ 07102
Phone number: 973-353-1857
Email: [email protected]

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Area of Specialization: Early Modern Philosophy Areas of Competence: Philosophy of Mind; Philosophy of Language; Cognitive Science; Continental Philosophy Research Languages: Italian; French; Latin; Ancient Greek
Education
  • 2002 Rutgers University. PhD in Philosophy
  • Dissertation: Innate Ideas and Intentionality:  Descartes vs Locke.
  • Committee: Martha Bolton (chair), John Cottingham (external reviewer), Frances Egan, Brian Loar
  • 2002 Certificate in Cognitive Science, Rutgers University
  • 1994-1995 Oxford University, Graduate fellow at University College (MURST Scholarship). Advisor: Dr William Child in philosophy of mind and language
  • 1994 Laurea (summa cum laude) in Philosophy, Department of Philosophy, University of Pisa, Italy
 
Employment
Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ
  • Fall of 2007-present: Member of the Graduate Faculty, Department of Philosophy
Rutgers University – Newark, Newark, NJ
  • 2025-2026: Full Professor and Acting Chair
  • 2018-2025: Full Professor and Chair
  • 2016-present: Full Professor
  • 2012-present: Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Philosophy
  • 2011-2012: Associate Professor and Acting Chair, Department of Philosophy
  • 2009-present: Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy
  • 2004-2008: Assistant Professor, Department of Philosophy
  • 2004-present: Member of the Graduate Faculty, Department of Psychology
University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
  • 2002-2004: Assistant professor, Department of Philosophy
  • 2004-present: Member of the Graduate Faculty, Department of Psychology     
University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
  • 2002-2004: Assistant professor, Department of Philosophy
 
Visiting Positions
  • St Petersburg State University, New York Institute, Russia Summer 2009 July 6-July 26
  • Princeton University, Princeton, NJ Spring of 2007: Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Philosophy. (Invited Position)
 
Publications
Books
  • 2010, Descartes and the Puzzle of Sensory Representation, Oxford University Press (Hardcover). Paperback Edition in Fall 2013.
Peer Reviewed Articles:
  • 2026, “The Self-luminousness of consciousness: Locke’s awareness principle as a defense of an empiricist account of the origin of ideas.”The British Journal For the History of Philosophy, 34(2):256-280 DOI: 10.1080/09608788.2025.2576185
  • 2017 “Descartes and the Curious Case of the Origin of Sensory Ideas” in Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, Volume 97, Issue 3. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1111/phpr.12421
  • 2015 “René Descartes: Sensory Representations.” In Oxford Bibliographies in Philosophy. Ed. Duncan Pritchard. New York: Oxford University Press. DOI: 10.1093/OBO/9780195396577-0272
  • 2011 “Rethinking the Ontology of Cartesian Essences” in British Journal for the History of Philosophy, Vol.19, 4, July 2011, pp.605-622.
  • 2009 “Cartesian Sensations” in Philosophy Compass, Volume 4, Issue 5, September 2009, pp. 780-792.
  • 2007 “The Myth of Cartesian Qualia”, in Pacific Philosophical Quarterly, Vol.88, Issue 2, 2007, pp. 181-207.
  • 2007 “A Teleological Account of Cartesian Sensations?” in Synthese, Vol. 156, 2007, pp. 317-342.
  • 2005 “Prinz’s Problematic Proxytypes”, in The Philosophical Quarterly, Vol.55, No. 221, 2005, pp. 595-606.
  • 2004 “Descartes on Sensory Misrepresentation: the Case of Materially False Ideas”, in the History of Philosophy Quarterly, Vol.21, n3, 2004, pp. 261-280.
  • 2004 “The Question-Begging Status of Locke’s Anti-Nativist Arguments”, in Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, Vol.69, n1, 2004, pp. 37-64.
  • 2000 “On Fodor’s Claim that Classical Empiricists and Rationalists Agree on the Innateness of Ideas”, in An International Journal of Interdisciplinary Research, Vol.14, 2000, pp. 240-269.
  Invited contributions (also refereed):
  • 2026, “Is The Science of the Mind an Experimental Science? Descartes and Malebranche on the Nature of Mind” (forthcoming in Vili Lahteennmaki (ed.), Malebranche and Descartes, Routledge)
  • 2016 “Locke’s Critique of Innatism” in Matthew Stuart (ed.), in The Blackwell Companion to Locke, Wiley-Blackwell, pp. 157-174.
  • 2013 “Descartes and the Puzzle of Sensory Representation: Precis” in Analytic Philosophy, 54 (1): 93-96. (For a book symposium on Descartes and the Puzzle of Sensory Representation)
  • 2013 “Replies to Vinci and Nelson” in Analytic Philosophy, 54 (1): 117-128 (For a book symposium on Descartes and the Puzzle of Sensory Representation)
  • 2004 “Quine’s Holisms” [co-authored with Ernest Lepore], in Roger Gibson (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Quine, Cambridge University Press, 2004, pp. 65-90. Reprinted in Nirmalaya Narayan Chakraborty and Madhucchanda Sen (eds) Empiricism and The Two Dogmas, Rabindra Bharati University, 2006, pp.18-45.
  • 1999 “Is There a Problem about Davidson’s Externalism vis-à-vis His Holism?”, in M. De Caro (ed.), Interpretations and Causes. New Perspectives on Donald Davidson’s Philosophy, Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1999, pp. 201-216.
Conference Proceedings:
  • (1) 1996, “Donald Davidson: the Problem of Meaning between Truth and Interpretation” (Translation from: “Donald Davidson: Il Problema del Significato tra Verita’ e Interpretazione”), in C. Penco e G. Sarbia (eds), Alle Radici Della Filosofia Analitica, Erga Edizioni, 1996. These are the Proceedings of the SIFA (Italian Society of Analytic Philosophy).
Book Reviews
  • (1) 2008 “Review of Cecilia Wee’s Material Falsity and Error in Descartes’s   Meditations” in The Journal of the History of Philosophy, vol.46, 4, 2008, pp.641-642.
  • (2)   2007 “Review of Lex Newman (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Locke’s “Essay Concerning Human Understanding, in Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews (in pre
  • (3) 2002 “Review of Cowie’s What’s Within? Nativism Reconsidered”, in the Australasian Journal of Philosophy, Issue 1, 2002, pp.119-122.
  • (4)  1995 “Review of Putnam’s Words and Life”, in Philosophical Books, vol.36, 4, 1995, pp.267-270.
Translations
  • Translation (with Daniel Garber) of Emanuela Scribano “Hume e Spinoza sulla relazione di causa and effetto” into English (“Hume and Spinoza on the relation of cause and effect”), in Daniel Garber and Steven Nadler (eds.), Oxford Studies in Early Modern Philosophy Volume 4, Oxford University Press, December 2008.
  Submitted Work
  • Is The Science of the Mind an Experimental Science? Descartes and Malebranche on the Nature of Mind (submitted to The British Journal of the History of Philosophy)
  Presentations
  • 2025 “Comments on Amy Shmitter.” NYU Conference in Early Modern Philosophy, NYU, New York City, November 7-9, 2025.
 
  • 2025 “Malebranche and Descartes on Knowledge of the ” Convegno Studi Cartesiani, Universita’ degli Studi di Bari, Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy, October 22-23, 2025.
 
  • 2025 “Why Classical Empiricist Theories of Concept Acquisition do not Work: The Case of Locke.” Atlantic Canada Seminar in Early Modern Philosophy, ACSEMP, University of Halifax, July 9-11, 2025.
 
  • 2024 The self-luminousness of consciousness: Locke’s Awareness Principle as a defense of an empiricist account of the origin of ” History of Philosophy Research Seminar, University of Helsinki, Philosophy Department, October 4, 2024
 
  • 2024 The self-luminousness of consciousness: Locke’s Awareness Principle as a defense of an empiricist account of the origin of ideas.” Atlantic Canada Seminar in Early Modern Philosophy, ACSEMP, University of Halifax, July 9-10, 2024.
 
  • 2024 “Why Classical Empiricist Theories of Concept Acquisition do not Work: The Case of Locke.” NY/NJ workshop in early modern philosophy, May 8, 2024.
 
  • 2024 “The self-luminousness of consciousness: Locke’s Awareness Principle as a defense of an empiricist account of the origin of ideas.” York University, Seminar in Early Modern Philosophy, YUSEMP, May 3-4, 2024
 
  • 2023 “La Scienza della Mente: La Controversia tra Cartesio e Malebranche,” Universita’ Della Sapienza, Rome, Italy, October 16, 2023.
 
  • 2023 “The self-luminousness of consciousness: Locke’s Awareness Principle as a defense of an empiricist account of the origin of ideas” University of Salento, Lecce, Italy, April
 
  • 2022 “Is the science of the mind an experiential science? Descartes and Malebranche on knowledge of the Mind,” NY/NJ workshop in early modern philosophy, November
 
  • 2022 “Is the science of the mind an experiential science? Descartes and Malebranche on knowledge of the Mind,” Princeton-Bucharest Seminar in Early Modern Philosophy, Bucharest, October 14-16, 2022.
 
  • 2017 Rutgers Newark “Representational Nativism and the evidence from neuroscience”, Colloquium Series, Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience.
 
  • 2017 Halifax, Canada. Dalhousie University, Atlantic Seminar in Early Modern Philosophy, “Descartes and the Innateness of Sensations” August 4-6, 2017.
 
  • 2017 Miami, USA. University of Miami, Department of Philosophy, Colloquium Series, “Descartes and the Curious Case of the Origin of Sensory Ideas,” April 7, 2017.
 
  • 2016 Lecce, Italy. Contribution to a workshop on the entry “Sensatio” to the Nouvel Index Scolastico-Cartesien, Vrin, 2017 edited by Igor Agostini, Chiara Catalano, Siegrid Agostini, Ilaria Coluccia and Emanuela Orlando. University of the Salento, Department of Philosophy, Center for Cartesian Studies, July 21-24.
 
  • 2016 University of Oxford, Oxford Seminar in Early Modern Philosophy, Department of Philosophy, Mansfield College, “Descartes and the Curious Case of the Origin of Sensory Ideas,” March 14-15.
 
  • 2015 University of the Salento, Department of Philosophy, Center for Cartesian Studies, Italy, “Descartes and the Curious Case of the Origin of Sensory Ideas” July 6.
 
  • 2015 Helsinki, Finland, “Descartes’ Arguments for the Innateness of Sensations,” University of Helsinki, Philosophy Department, April 17, 2015.
 
  • 2015 Vancouver, Canada, “Descartes on Material Falsity”, First Meeting of the Descartes Society at the Meeting of the American Philosophical Association, Pacific Division, April 1-    5, 2015.
 
  • 2015 Edmonton, Canada, “Descartes’ Arguments for the Innateness of Sensations,” University of Alberta, Department of Philosophy, Colloquium Series, March 12,
 
  • 2014 Urbana Champaign, USA, “Descartes’ Arguments for the Innateness of Sensations,” University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Department of Philosophy, Colloquium Series, November 7, 2014.
 
  • 2014 Milwaukee, USA. “Descartes’ arguments for the Innateness of Sensations” Midwest Early Modern Conference, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Sep-26-28, 2014.
 
  • 2014 Lecce, Italy. Author-meets-critics session on Raffaella De Rosa Descartes and the Puzzle of Sensory Representation at the University of the Salento, Department of Philosophy, Center for Cartesian Studies, July 4 2014.
 
  • 2014 Chicago, Il, USA. “Descartes on Innateness and Triggering Causation” at the Meeting of the American Philosophical Association, Central Division, February 26-March1.
 
  • 2014 Austin, Texas, USA “Descartes and The Curious Case of Sensations,” Colloquium Series, Philosophy Department, March 28
 
  • 2014 Irvine, California, USA “Descartes and The Curious Case of Sensations,” Scientia Workshop, Philosophy Department., Saturday February 8.
 
  • 2013 McMaster University, Hamilton Canada “Locke’s Real Challenge to Innatism”, Colloquium Series, Philosophy Department, October 11
 
  • 2013 Lodi, NJ, USA. “Locke’s Real Challenge to Innatism,” Colloquium Series, Philosophy Department, Felician College, April 10 2013.
 
  • 2013 San Francisco, USA. “Descartes’ Nativism: The Curious Case of Sensations”. Symposium on Innate Cognition, Meeting of the American Philosophical Association, Pacific Division, March 27-30.
 
  • 2013 Davis, USA. “Locke’s Critique of Nativism.” Davis Extravaganza Philosophy Conference, University of California, Davis, Philosophy Department, March 25-26 2013
 
  • 2012 Atlanta, USA, “Comment on Amy Schmitter’s ‘” ‘I’ve Got a Little List:’ the Classification of the Passions and Forms of Explanation in 17th Century Philosophy.” Symposium on Early Modern Theories of the Passions, Meeting of the American Philosophical Association, Eastern Division, December 27-30.
 
  • 2012 New London, CT, “Descartes on the Innateness of Sensations” Connecticut College, Department of Philosophy, October 18.
 
  • 2012 Hanover, USA, “Descartes on the Innateness of Sensations”, 6th Bi-annual Margaret Wilson Philosophy Conference, Dartmouth College, Philosophy Department (June 22-24)
 
  • 2012 Chicago, USA, “Comments on Andrew Platt’s ‘Johann Clauberg’s Account of Mind-Body Interaction’”, Meeting of the American Philosophical Association, Central Division, February 15-18.
 
  • 2011 Turku, Finland, “Descartes’ Causal Principle and the Case of Mind-Body Causation” University of Turku, Finland, Philosophy Department, Workshop on Early Modern Metaphysics of Causality and Representation, December 16-17.
 
  • 2011 Pomona, CA “Descartes on the Innateness of Color Sensations” Cal Poly Ponoma, Philosophy Department, meeting of the Southwest Seminar in Early Modern Philosophy, December 3-4. [I had to decline invitation due to family reasons]
 
  • 2011 Beijing, China, “Descartes’ Dispositional Nativism and Locke’s Critique” College of Philosophy and Sociology, Beijing Normal University, August 27.
 
  • 2011 Chapel Hill, NC “Comments on Cathay Liu’s ‘A Count of Cartesian Universals’” KCL (Kings College London)/UNC (University of North Carolina) Conference on Early Modern Philosophy, University of North Carolina, May 13-15, 2011.
 
  • 2011 San Diego, CA. Author-Meets-Critics session on Raffaella De Rosa Descartes and the Puzzle of Sensory Representation, Meeting of the American Philosophical Association, Pacific Division (April 20 – 23).
 
  • 2011 Minneapolis, Minnesota. Presentation of “The Real Challenge of Locke’s Critique of Nativism” at the meeting of the American Philosophical Association, Central Division (March 30-April 2).
 
  • 2011 Newark, USA. Presentation of “Descartes and Locke on Implicit Knowledge and Innateness” at the NJIT Workshop, February 22, 2011.
 
  • 2010 New Brunswick, New Jersey. Presentation of “Locke on Innate Ideas” at the Center for Cognitive Science, Rutgers University, New Jersey (December 9)
 
  • 2010 Helsinki, Finland. Presentation of “Locke’s Critique of Innatism” at the Research Seminar of the Philosophy Disciplines, University of Helsinki, Finland, (November 25)
 
  • 2010 New York, New Presentation of “Cartesian Sensations and the case of Body-to-Mind Causation” at the Sue Weinberg Lecture Series: A Conference Honoring Dr Weinberg, CUNY, Graduate Center.
 
  • 2010 London, UK. Presentation of “Descartes’ Causal Principle and the Case of Mind-Body Causation” at the Institute of Philosophy, University of London, UK (July 16)
 
  • 2010 Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Presentation of “Descartes’ Causal Principle, Its Alleged Similarity Condition and the Innateness of Sensory Ideas” at the Atlantic Canada Seminar in Early Modern Philosophy in the Philosophy Department at Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada (July 8th – July 11)
 
  • 2010 St. Paul, Minnesota. Presentation of “Is Descartes’ Causal Principle an Explanatory Principle?” at the Midwest Seminar in Early Modern Philosophy held in the Philosophy Department at Macalester College, St Paul, Minnesota (April 30 – May 2 2010)
 
  • 2010 Syracuse, New York. Presentation of “Descartes’ Causal Principle and Its Alleged Similarity Condition” at the Upstate New York Workshop in Early Modern Philosophy, Philosophy Department, Syracuse University (March 7, 2010)
 
  • 2010 Instanbul, Turkey. Presentation of “Locke’s Critique of Innate Ideas” at the University of Instanbul, Philosophy Department (February 9, 2010)
 
  • 2009 Irvine, California. Presentation of “Descartes’s Causal Principle and Its Alleged Similarity Condition” at the Scientia Workshop, Philosophy Department, University of California at Irvine (October 2, 2009)
 
  • 2009 St Petersburg, Russia. A series of six lectures entitled “Is the Mind Endowed? The Debate over Innate Ideas in Early Modern Philosophy” at St Petersburg State University, New York Institute, (July 6-26, 2009)
 
  • 2009 Siena, Italy, Presentation of “Descartes and Qualia” at the Mind and Language Conference, University of Siena (May 31-June 3, 2009)
 
  • 2008 Vancouver, Canada. Presentation of “Rethinking the Ontology of Cartesian Essences” at the Pacific Northwest/Western Canada Seminar in Early Modern Philosophy, Simon Fraser University (October 17-19, 2008)
 
  • 2008 Chicago, Illinois. Presentation of “On Causal Accounts of the Representationality of Cartesian Sensations”, Philosophy Department, Northwestern University. (September 29, 2008)
 
  • 2008 Ithaca, New York. Presentation of “Descartes’ Causal Principle and its Alleged Similarity Condition” at the 4th Biannual Margaret Dauler Wilson Philosophy Conference, Cornell University (June 30-July 2, 2008) (I declined the invitation)
 
  • 2007 Baltimore, Maryland. Presentation of “On Causal Accounts of the Representationality of Cartesian Sensations” at the meeting of the Eastern Division of the American Philosophical Association (December 27-30, 2007)
 
  • 2007 New York, New York. Presentation of “Descartes on the Teleology of Sensation in Meditation Six” together with Daniel Garber (Princeton University) and Alison Simmons (Harvard University) at the NY/NJ Research Group in Early Modern Philosophy (November 26, 2007)
 
  • 2007 Samobor, Croatia. Presentation of “Descartes on Qualia,” at the International Conference on Descartes and Contemporary Philosophy, organized by the Society for the Advancement of Philosophy and the Department of Philosophy of the Centre for Croatian Studies at the University of Zagreb (May 20-23, 2007)
 
  • 2007 Chicago, Illinois. Presentation of “Descartes’ Causal Principle and Its Alleged Similarity Condition”, at the meeting of the Central Division of the American Philosophical Association (April 18-21, 2007)
 
  • 2007 Princeton University, New Presentation of “Cartesian Sensations: Qualia or Representations?” in Professor Daniel Garber’s graduate seminar (Philosophy 515: Special Topics in the History of Philosophy: Cartesian Dualism and 17th Century Materialism) (April 4 and April 10, 2007)
 
  • 2007 Portland, Oregon. Presentation of “A Causal Account of Cartesian Sensations?” at the Pacific Northwest/Western Canada Seminar in Early Modern Philosophy, Lewis and Clark College (March 9-11, 2007)
 
  • 2006 Washington, DC. Presentation of “Rethinking the Ontology of Cartesian Essences,” at the meeting of the Eastern Division of the American Philosophical Association (December 27-30, 2006)
 
  • 2006 New York, New York. Presentation of “A Causal Account of cartesian Sensations?” at the NY/NJ Research Group in Early Modern Philosophy (October 23, 2006)
 
  • 2006 Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Presentation of “Cartesian Bodies: Causes or Occasions of Sensations?”, at the Atlantic Canada Seminar in Early Modern Philosophy (ACSEMP), Dalhousie University (July 6-9, 2006). (I had to decline the invitation for medical reasons)
 
  • 2006 Chicago, Illinois. Presentation of “The Myth of Cartesian Qualia” at the meeting of the Central Division of the American Philosophical Association (April 26-29, 2006)
 
  • 2006 Portland, Oregon. Presentation of “A Teleological Account of Cartesian Sensations?” at the meeting of the Pacific Division of the American Philosophical Association (March 22-26, 2006)
 
  • 2005 New Brunswick, New Jersey. Presentation of “Descartes on Sensory Representation and Misrepresentation” at the “What is Cognitive Science?” Talk Series, Rutgers Center for Cognitive Science (November 3, 2005)
 
  • 2005 Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Presentation of “The Myth of Cartesian Qualia” at the Atlantic Canada Seminar in Early Modern Philosophy, Dalhousie University (July 8-10, 2005)
 
  • 2005 Manchester, England. Presentation of “Prinz’s Problematic Proxytypes” at the Joint Session of the Mind Association and Aristotelian Society, University of Manchester (July 8-11, 2005). (I had to decline the invitation because the Joint Session of the Mind Association and Aristotelian Society conflicted with the above Atlantic Canada Seminar in Early Modern Philosophy)
 
  • 2005 Istanbul, Turkey. Presentation of “The Myth of Cartesian Qualia” at the Southeast European Seminar in Early Modern Philosophy, Bogaziçi University, Istanbul, Turkey (August 8-12, 2005)
 
  • 2005 Florianopolis, Brazil. Presentation of “The Myth of Cartesian Qualia” at the Fourth Principia International Symposium at the Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianopolis, Brazil (August 8-11, 2005). (I had to decline the invitation because the Symposium conflicted with the above Southeast European Seminar in Early Modern Philosophy)
 
  • 2005 Istanbul, Turkey. Presentation of “A Teleological Account of Cartesian Sensations?” at the University of Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey (August 5, 2005)
 
  • 2005 Newark, New Jersey. Presentation of “Is The Mind Endowed? at the Rutgers-Newark Research-Day (April 19, 2005)
 
  • 2005 Oslo, Norway. Presentation of “A Teleological account of Cartesian Sensations?”, at the Philosophy Department, University of Oslo, Norway (March 10, 2005)
 
  • 2004 Boston, Massachusetts. Comments on Jan-Erik “Leibniz and Locke and the Debate over Species” at Eastern Division Meeting of the American Philosophical Association (December 27-30, 2004)
 
  • 2004 New York, New York. Presentation of “A Teleological Account of Cartesian Sensations?”, at the CUNY Graduate Center (November 3, 2004)
 
  • 2004 Cambridge, Massachusetts. Presentation of “A Teleological Account of Cartesian Sensations?” at The New England Colloquium in Early Modern Philosophy, Harvard University (June 5-6, 2004)
 
  • 2004 Gainesville, Florida. Presentation of “Conceptualist vs Platonist Accounts of Cartesian Essences: An Illusory Debate?” at the Southeastern Seminar in Early Modern Philosophy, University of Florida (April 17-18, 2004)
 
  • 2004 Chicago, Presentation of “Prinz’s Problematic Proxytypes” at the meeting of the Central Division of the American Philosophical Association (April 22-25, 2004)
 
  • 2004 Columbia, South Carolina. Presentation of “Prinz’s Problematic Proxytypes”, Philosophy Research Seminar, Department of Philosophy, University of South Carolina (April 13, 2004)
 
  • 2004 Irvine, California. Presentation of “Conceptualist vs Platonist Accounts of Cartesian Essences: An Illusory Debate?” at the Meeting of the Cartesian Circle, Philosophy Department, University of California at Irvine (March 29, 2004)
 
  • 2004 Pasadena, California. Presentation of “Descartes’ Quasi-Platonism about Mathematical Essences” at the meeting of the Pacific Division of the American Philosophical Association (March 24-28, 2004)
 
  • 2003 Madison, Wisconsin. Presentation of “Descartes’ Quasi-Platonism about Mathematical Essences” at the Meeting of the Midwest Seminar in Early Modern Philosophy at the University of Wisconsin (December 6-7, 2003)
 
  • 2003 New Brunswick, New Jersey. Presentation of “Descartes’ Quasi-Platonism about Mathematical Essences” at Rutgers University (October 23-25, 2003)
 
  • 2003 Belfast, Ireland. Presentation of “Descartes on Sensory Misrepresentation” at the Joint Session of the Mind Association and Aristotelian Society (July 18-21, 2003)
 
  • 2003 Vancouver, Canada. Presentation of “Descartes on Sensory Misrepresentation” at the Meeting of the Society for Exact Philosophy (May 15-19, 2003)
 
  • 2003 Lancaster, South Presentation of “Descartes on Material Falsity: Sensory Representation and Misrepresentation”, meeting of the South Carolina Society for Philosophy (March 7-8, 2003)
 
  • 2003 Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. Presentation of “Descartes on Material Falsity: Sensory Representation and Misrepresentation”, Department of Philosophy, University of Lethbridge (February 14, 2003)
 
  • 2003 Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Presentation of “Descartes on Material Falsity: Sensory Representation and Misrepresentation”, Department of Philosophy, University of Alberta (February 13, 2003)
 
  • 2003 Newark, New Jersey. Presentation of “Is the Mind Endowed? Anti-Nativist Arguments Revisited”, Department of Philosophy, Rutgers University, Newark (February 4, 2003)
 
  • 2002 Columbia, South Carolina. Presentation of “Descartes on the Representationality of Sensation: The Case of Materially False Ideas”, Philosophy Research Seminar, Department of Philosophy, University of South Carolina (October 23, 2002)
 
  • 2002 Chicago, Presentation of “Quine’s Holisms”, in a Symposium on Quine at the meeting of the Central Division of the American Philosophical Association. (April 24-27, 2002). (Ernest Lepore presented our co-authored paper)
 
  • 2002 Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Presentation of “Locke’s Essay Book I: The Question-Begging Status of the Anti-Nativist Arguments”, Department of Philosophy, University of Alberta (February 11, 2002)
 
  • 2002 Columbia, South Carolina. Presentation of “Locke’s Essay Book I: The Question-Begging Status of the Anti-Nativist Arguments”, Department of Philosophy, University of South Carolina (February 4, 2002)
 
  • 2002 Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Presentation of “Locke’s Essay Book I: The Question-Begging Status of the Anti-Nativist Arguments”, Department of Philosophy, Wake Forest University (January 29, 2002)
 
  • 2001 Atlanta, Georgia. Presentation of “Descartes on the Representationality of Sensation: The Case of Materially False Ideas”, at the meeting of the Eastern Division of the American Philosophical Association (December 27-30, 2001).
 
  • 1994 Genova, Italy. “Donald Davidson: The Problem of Meaning between Truth and Interpretation” (Original Title: “Donald Davidson: il problema del significato tra verita’ e interpretazione”) at the SIFA (Italian Society of Analytic Philosophy) (October 24, 1994).
Honors and Awards
  • 2011, Author-Meets-Critics Session was organized by the American Philosophical Association on my book Descartes and the Puzzle of Sensory Representation, Meeting of the American Philosophical Association, Pacific Division (April 20 – 23).
 
  • 2008-2009 The Board of Trustees Research Fellowship for Scholarly Excellence ($2000). This fellowship recognized me as one of Rutgers University’s most distinguished young faculty members (university-wide competition).
 
  • 2006 NEH Summer Stipend ($5,000)
 
  • 2003 CLASS Award, College of Liberal Arts Scholarship Support, University of South Carolina ($4,500)
 
  • 2002 (Spring Semester) Rutgers University and Bevier Fellowship ($6,000) 2001 Graduate student Travel Award, Eastern APA ($300)
  • 2000 Distinction in Area Test in Philosophy of Language
 
  • 1995 – 1998, Rutgers University Excellence Fellowship ($33,000)
 
  • 1994-5, MURST Fellowship (University of Pisa Research Fellowship) ($5,000)
 
  • 1994 Graduated summa cum laude from the Philosophy Department at the University of Pisa, Italy.
 
  • 1992 EEC Fellowship (European Community Fellowship) ($5,000)
Affiliations
  • Member: American Philosophical Association; Aristotelian Society; Society for Exact Philosophy; South Carolina Society for Philosophy.
Service
  • 2025 Co-organizer of a conference honoring the work of Martha Bolton, Rutgers University, New Brunswich, December 6, 2025
  • 2024 External Committee Member of Francesco Terenzio’ PhD dissertation in philosophy “L’Idea di Dio nel pensiero di Locke”, University of Chieti, Italy.
  • 2023 External Reviewer of the Philosophy Department at University of Rhode Island, Dec 4-6, 2023
  • 2023 Chair of Ad-Hoc Committee for Professor Golub’s promotion to Associate Professor with tenure (Fall 2023).
  • 2018-Present Chair of Philosophy, Rutgers-Newark.
  • 2017 (Spring) External Reviewer of Townson University Philosophy Department
  • 2016- 2017 Member of Search Committee for a tenure-track position in Ethics in the Philosophy Department.
  • 2016 (Spring) Referee for Eastern APA for Colloquium and Symposium papers in the History of Philosophy.
  • 2016 (Fall) Referee of article for CJP
  • 2016 (Fall) Referee article for APQ
  • 2016 (Fall) Review for NEH summer Stipends
  • 2015-2016 Chair of Ad-Hoc Committee for Dr Buechner’s Promotion to Associate Teaching Professor (2015-2016)
  • 2014 member of the search Committee for the Henry Rutgers Term Chair in Computer and Data Science
  • 2014 Member of the Cognitive Science group creating a new Minor in Cognitive Science
  • 2014 Organizer of the conference “The Innateness Hypothesis: Now and Then” at Rutgers-Newark, October 17-18.
  • Chair of Philosophy Department (July 1 2012-present)
  • Chair of Ad-Hoc Committee for Professor Aizawa’s promotion to Full Professor with tenure (Fall 2013).
  • Chair of Philosophy Search Committee (2012-2013)
  • Chair of Ad-Hoc Committee for Dr Kati Balog’s promotion to Associate Professor with tenure (Fall 2012)
  • Chair of Ad-Hoc Committee for Dr Buechner’s Annual Reappointment (2012-2013; 2013-2014 and 2014-2015)
  • Philosophy Representative at Major Connections and Open House events. (2012-2013)
  • Representative for Philosophy for Senior Awards (2012-2015)
  • Acting Chair of Philosophy Department (October 4 2011-June 30 2012)
  • Participant in the interviewing process of job candidates for the position of Digital Humanities Librarian for Dana Library (Spring 2012)
  • Organizer and coordinator of the Department Colloquium series (AY 2010-2011).
  • Member of the Third Year Review Committee for Prof Ishani Maitra (Spring 2011)
  • Member of the Search Committee in a core area of philosophy with a research agenda in applied philosophy, Rutgers University-Newark (2009-2010)
  • Outside Committee Member of Stephanie Wykstra’s PhD Dissertation in Philosophy “A Defense of Cartesian Certainty” (Rutgers, New Brunswick), Summer 2008. Chair: Ernie Sosa. Committee Members: Martha Bolton and Peter Klein.
  • Occasional Referee of papers for the ACSEMP (Atlantic Canada Seminar in Early Modern Philosophy) Conference (2007-present)
  • Committee member of Cassandra Foursha’s PhD Dissertation in Psychology entitled “Syntactic Acquisition and the Development of Bilingual Processing” (Rutgers-Newark) (2006-2007) Co-directors: Jennifer Austin and Gretchen Van de Walle.
  • Co-founder (with Catherine Wilson and Enrique Chavez-Arvizo) and current organizer of the NY/NJ Research Group in Early Modern Philosophy (2006-present)
  • Supervisor of Lisa Koumolous’ Honors Senior Thesis: “On Fodor’s Conceptual Nativism” (Rutgers-Newark) (2005-2006)
  • Member of the Search Committee in Epistemology and Philosophy of Science, Rutgers University-Newark (2005-2006)
  • Member of the Undergraduate Assessment Committee at Rutgers-Newark – Sub-Committee: General Curriculum Committee (2005-2006)
  • Committee member of the Mid-Atlantic Seminar in Early Modern Philosophy (2005-present)
  • Organizer of the meeting of the Mid-Atlantic Seminar in Early Modern Philosophy at Rutgers-Newark, October 29-30, 2005. (Primary organizer)
  • Co-organizer of the Colloquium in Public Philosophy at Rutgers-Newark (2004-2005)
  • Peer evaluation of the teaching abilities of adjunct faculty at Rutgers-Newark (2004-2005)
  • Contact person in the Philosophy Department for recruitment of students in the Honors College at Rutgers Newark (2004-2005)
  • Book proposals reviewer for Oxford University Press (2004, 2012, 2013)
  • Member of the Graduate Admission Committee, University of South Carolina (2003-2004)
  • Member of the Search Committee in Philosophy and Feminist Theory, University of South Carolina (2002-2003)
  • Committee Member of Cynthia Bryson’s PhD dissertation: “Marsilio Ficino’s Spiritus Triplex. A Coherent and Consistent Theory.” (2002-2003)
  • Member of the MA Comprehensive Exam Committee for Angela Pizur (February 11, 2003, University of South Carolina) (2002-2003)
  • Member of the MA Comprehensive Exam Committee for Monica Chou (February 3, 2003, University of South Carolina) (2002-2003)
  • Peer evaluation of the teaching abilities of senior and junior faculty (University of South Carolina) (2002-2003)
  • Referee: Mind & Language; The Philosophical Quarterly; Synthese; Dialogue: The Canadian Philosophical Review; Archiv Für Geschichte Der Philosophie; History of Philosophy Quarterly; Philosophers’ Imprint; The Canadian Journal of Philosophy; Journal of Philosophical Research; The History of Philosophy Journal; Oxford University Press; Ergo, An Open Access Journal of Philosophy.
Teaching Experience Princeton University
  • Upper-level Course in early Modern Philosophy: Descartes, Spinoza and Leibniz (300-level).
Rutgers University – Newark
  • 2023 Created and taught a new course 730:390 Philosophy Through Film
  • Selected Topics in Cognition: The Origins of Knowledge, graduate seminar in Psychology, co-taught with Prof. Gretchen Van De Walle, Psychology Department, Rutgers-Newark
  • Advanced Modern Philosophy (400-level) Philosophy Through Film (300-level) Modern Philosophy (300-level)
  • Introduction to Greek Philosophy (300-level) Introduction to Philosophy (200-level)
  University of South Carolina
  • Introduction to Philosophy (100 level) Introduction to Modern Philosophy (200 level)
  • Graduate seminar in XVIIth and XVIIIth Century Philosophy (700-level)
  • Graduate Seminar on Continental Rationalism (500-level)
   Rutgers University — New Brunswick
  • Critical Reasoning (100 level)
  • Upper-Level Class in the History of Philosophy: “Descartes, Locke and the XVIIth Century” (300 level)
  • Upper-Level Class in the History of Philosophy: “Hume, Kant and the XVIIIth Century” (300 level)
  • Introduction to Philosophy (100 level)
  Independent Studies and Supervision of Honors Thesis
  • 2022: UG Independent Study on the innateness debate
  • 2014: UG: Ravi Soijtra (Independent Study on Descartes’ Epistemology and Psychology)
  • 2007: UG: Terrence Pearson (Independent Study)
  • 2006: UG: Lisa Koumolous (Supervision of Honors Thesis. “On Fodor’s Conceptual Nativism”)
  • 2005: UG: Benavides Jessica, Hattem David, Koumolous Lisa, Phang Kerry-Ann (Independent Study)