Anthony Adrian is a senior philosophy major at Texas State University. His main interests are in metaphysics, philosophy of logic, and philosophical theology. He enjoys most debating about the metaphysics of material objects, which is the topic of his honors thesis. He wishes to pursue a Ph.D. in philosophy upon graduation. Stephen Bailey is a senior chemistry and philosophy double-major at Samford University. His primary philosophical interest is ethical theory, particularly bioethics. He hopes to spend the next few years working with underprivileged youth in rural Alabama after which he intends to go to medical school. Pete Faulconbridge is an undergraduate student studying Philosophy and Literature at the University of Warwick, UK. His philosophical interests center around the analytic philosophy of mind, language and aesthetics. He also has an interest in the staging of philosophy, and co-wrote and directed a series of philosophical dialogues for the stage entitled What good are the arts?. 121
Jenna Kreyche is a senior at Boston University pursuing a major in Philosophy and a minor in Psychology. Her primary philosophical interests include moral theory and philosophy of biology, particularly evolutionary theory and sociobiology, and how it may support or undermine moral systems. Jenna plans to pursue graduate studies in philosophy in the coming years. Blake McAllister is a senior philosophy major at Pepperdine University. He intends on entering into a doctoral program in philosophy in the Fall of 2011. His main interests include metaphysics, epistemology, and philosophy of religion. This will be Blake s second publication in Stance. Leonardo Moauro is originally from Rome, Italy and a senior at Brown University studying Political Science and Philosophy. His primary interests are in social and political philosophy, though he dabbles in moral theory and epistemology. He is a big fan of European soccer, particularly FC Juventus. 122
Brendan (Bo) Fox Pons is a senior philosophy major/chemistry minor at the University of South Dakota. He hopes to continue his philosophical studies in graduate school. His philosophical interests include ethics and value theory, the philosophy of video games, and social/political philosophy. Outside of philosophy, Bo coaches high school Lincoln- Douglas debate. Phillip Shannon is a senior philosophy major at Lycoming College in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Currently, he is most interested in Ancient Greek philosophy and contemporary moral philosophy. After graduating college, Phil hopes to earn a Ph.D. in philosophy. When not practicing philosophy, he enjoys reading and playing tennis. Brittney Sovik is a senior at Georgia State University double majoring in Philosophy and English (concentration in Creative Writing). Her philosophical interests include ethics, political philosophy, and feminist theory. Currently, Brittney is working on completing her undergraduate thesis on appearance discrimination, and in her spare time, she is a novice baker. 123
Kenneth Stalkfleet is a senior at University of Illinois double majoring in mathematics and philosophy. His philosophical interests include philosophy of mathematics, metaphysics, philosophy of language, and logic. He plans to begin law school in the fall. Among his long term goals are obtaining a PhD in Mathematics and helping to improve the quality of mathematics education in the United States. Zachary Stinson is a philosophy and psychology major at Flagler College in Saint Augustine, Florida. He delights in the complexity of human thought, and is deciding where to continue his education. In his free time, he practices the Maori art of poi. 124
A Letter From the Managing Editor In December of 2010, I had the pleasure of attending the American Philosophical Association meeting on behalf of Stance. During a wine and cheese reception honoring philosophical lions such as Hilary Putnam, Stance was given the American Philosophical Association/Philosophy Documentation Prize for Excellence and Innovation. This national award recognizes philosophy departments, publishers, or other organizations for creating programs that risk undertaking new initiatives in philosophy and do so with excellence and success Excellence is to be assessed by a record of achievement, the accomplishment of clearly defined goals, and the appropriateness of the program for emulation by others in the field. Innovation is to be assessed by the development of new research areas, new interdisciplinary connections, new international connections, new modes of teaching or dissemination, new audiences for philosophical work, or extensions of existing boundaries of the discipline. I believe the selection committee was especially impressed with a number of features of Stance, especially the international reach of our authors, external review board, and assistant editorial board. Thus far we ve worked with undergraduates from Hungary, Korea, England, Scotland, Canada, Slovenia, Slovakia, Australia, Ireland, Iran, and more. Also significant are our registration with the U.S. Library of Congress and The Philosopher s Index, our distribution contract with EBSCO Publishing, the professional quality of our print version, our 87% rejection rate, the quality (e.g. rigor, significance, intellectual struggle) of the papers we publish, and the professionalism of our multiple blind review process. Here you will not find mere exegetical excellence. Rather, you will find new arguments that advance the field of Philosophy. And, most importantly, all of this work is done entirely by undergraduates. Stance is entirely edited and produced by undergraduates, and it publishes only the work of current undergraduates. It is by and for undergraduates, and it is darn good! Congratulations to all of our present and past staff members and authors! You have shown the world what undergraduates can do and the American Philosophical Association has noticed. I look forward to a future of continued excellence, where I sit on the side and watch in amazement. David W. Concepción, PhD Managing Editor, Stance