Phillip Honenberger
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 Phillip Honenberger - Curriculum Vitae (updated Jan. 11, 2024)
                                                                                                                                                                                       
Current Positions:
AI Ethicist & Researcher (Full-Time), Center for Equitable AI & Machine Learning Systems (CEAMLS),
Morgan State University, 2023-2025


Instructor of Philosophy (Part-Time), Morgan State University, 2023-2025

Instructor of History of Science and Technology (Part-Time), Johns Hopkins University, Summer 2022, 2023, 2024

Previous Positions (select):

Instructor of Philosophy (Full-Time), Morgan State University, 2022-2023

Research Associate, Colby College, Program in Science, Technology, and Society, 2020-2021

Instructor of Science, Technology, and Society (Part-Time), Colby College, 2020-2021

Instructor of Philosophy (Full-Time), University of Nevada – Las Vegas, 2018-2022

Postdoctoral Associate (externally funded: NSF-STS Postdoc), University of Pittsburgh, Dept. of History and Philosophy of Science, 2017-2018

Postdoctoral Fellow (externally funded: NSF-STS Postdoc), Dartmouth College, Dept. of Biological Sciences, 2016-2017 

Program Coordinator and Fellow-In-Residence, Consortium for History of Science, Technology and Medicine (Philadelphia office), 2014-2016

Education:

Ph.D., Philosophy, Temple University, 2013
M.A., Philosophy, Temple University, 2007
B.A., Philosophy, College of William and Mary, 2003

Areas of Specialization:

philosophy of AI, AI ethics, philosophy of technology, ethics of technology, philosophy of biology, philosophy of science, philosophy of human nature, philosophy of human evolution
 
Publications (select)

Articles in Journals
2024     with G. Waters and W. Mapp, “Decisional Value Scores: A New Family of Metrics for Ethical
            AI-ML,” AI & Ethics.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s43681-024-00504-8

2024     with O. Ola, W. Mapp, and P. Lee, “Effects of Matching on Evaluations of Fairness, Accuracy,
            and Fairness Impossibility,” The International FLAIRS Conference Proceedings, 37(1).
           
https://doi.org/10.32473/flairs.37.1.135585

2021     “Natural Artificiality, Niche Construction, and the Content-Open Mediation of Human
            Behavior,” Biology & Philosophy 36: 55.


2018     “Darwin Among the Philosophers: Hull and Ruse on Darwin, Herschel, and Whewell,” HOPOS:
            The Journal of the International Society for the History of Philosophy of Science
8 (2): 278-309.


2018     with Michael Dietrich, “Duhem’s Problem Revisited: Logical versus Epistemic Formulations and
            Solutions,” Synthese, first online 04 July 2018: 1-18.


2015     “Grene and Hull on Types and Typological Thinking in Biology,” Studies in History and
            Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences
50: 13-25.


2015     “Animality, Sociality, and Historicity in Helmuth Plessner’s Philosophical Anthropology,”
            International Journal of Philosophical Studies 23 (5): 707-729.


2015     “The Poverty of Neo-Pragmatism: Rorty, Putnam, and Margolis on Realism and Relativism,”
            Nordic Studies in Pragmatism 2: Pragmatism, Metaphysics, and Culture – Reflections on the
            Philosophy of Joseph Margolis
, ed. Dirk-Martin Grube and Robert Sinclair, 76-99.   


2011     “History, Before and Beyond the Limit,” Journal of the Philosophy of History 4 (3-4): 274-295.

2010     “Ethics, Hermeneutics, and Eudaimonics,” International Philosophical Quarterly 50 (2):
            243-256.


2007     “Le Nègre et Hegel: Fanon on Hegel, Colonialism, and the Dialectics of Recognition,” Human
            Architecture: Journal of the Archeology of Self-Knowledge
5: 153-162.

Book Chapters

2025     “Fairness Impossibility in AI-ML: An Integrative Ethics Approach,” in V.C. Müller, G. Löhr,  
           
(eds.), Philosophy of AI: the State of the Art. Synthese Library. Springer. Forthcoming.
 

2023     “All Knowing is Orientation: Marjorie Grene’s Ecological Epistemology,” in G. Bianco, G. Van
            de Vijver, and
C. Wolfe (eds.), Canguilhem and Continental Philosophy of Biology. Springer.


2016     “Introduction,” Naturalism and Philosophical Anthropology, ed. P. Honenberger. London:
            Palgrave MacMillan, pp. 1-26.
 

2016     “Naturalism, Pluralism, and the Human Place in the Worlds,” Naturalism and Philosophical  
            Anthropology
, ed. P. Honenberger. London: Palgrave MacMillan, pp. 94-120.
 

2014     “Conversazione per storici e filosofi sulla natura della spiegazione storica” [Abductive Inference  
            and Historiography: A Conversation for Historians and Philosophers], with Allan Megill, and
            contributions from J. Dukes, J. Reich, J. Norman, S. Shepard, and H. Bracken, Theorie del
            Pensiero Storico
, ed. D. Bondi and G. Belloni. Edizioni Unicopli, pp. 69-99. 


2007      “What Did the Neighbors Know about Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings? A Case Study in
            Historical Epistemology,” with Allan Megill and Stephen Shepard, in A. Megill, Historical
            Knowledge, Historical Error: An Historian’s Guide to Practice.
Chicago: University of Chicago
            Press, pp. 125-150.



Entries in Reference Works

2025      “Marjorie Grene,” Plessner-Handbook: Leben, Werk, Wirkung, ed. Joachim Fischer. J.B.
            Metzler. (forthcoming)


2016     “Hull, David Lee (1935-2010),” Dictionary of Modern American Philosophers, ed. John Shook.
            London: Bloomsbury Academic, pp. 489-492.


2016     “Keller, Evelyn Fox (1936- ),” Dictionary of Modern American Philosophers, ed. John Shook.
            London: Bloomsbury Academic, pp. 525-528.

Book Reviews

2019     Review of Maria Kronfeldner, What’s Left of Human Nature?: A Post-Essentialist,
            Pluralist, and Interactive Account of a Contested Concept
(MIT Press, 2018), Notre Dame
            Philosophical Reviews
(
https://ndpr.nd.edu/news/whats-left-of-human-nature-a-post-essentialist-
            pluralist-and-interactive-account-of-a-contested-concept/
).

2017     “From Species to Classification and Back Again.” Review Essay of Richard A. Richards’
            Biological Classification: A Philosophical Introduction. Cambridge University Press, 2016.
            Metascience 26 (3): 493-497.


2016     “Eccentric Investigations of (Post-)Humanity.” Review Essay of Jos de Mul (ed.), Plessner’s
            Philosophical Anthropology
. Amsterdam University Press, 2014. Philosophy of the Social
            Sciences
46 (1): 56-76, 2016.


2014     Review of Julie Zahle and Finn Collin (eds.), Rethinking the Individualism-Holism Debate:
            Essays in the Philosophy of Social Science
(Springer, 2014). Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews
            (
http://ndpr.nd.edu/), October 2014.

2010     Review of Edward Skidelsky, Ernst Cassirer: The Last Philosopher of Culture (Yale University
            Press, 2010). Metaphilosophy 41 (1): 239-243, 2010.


Books – edited
2016     Phillip Honenberger (ed.), Naturalism and Philosophical Anthropology: Nature, Life, and the
            Human between Transcendental and Empirical Perspectives
. London: Palgrave MacMillan.

Books – editorial assistance

2019     Helmuth Plessner, Levels of Organic Life and the Human: An Introduction to Philosophical
            Anthropology
. Trans. Millay Hyatt with editorial assistance from Phillip Honenberger. Bronx,
            NY: Fordham University Press.

Presentations (select)


Invited Presentations
2024     “Behavioral Plasticity and Human Nature,” Philosophical Anthropology & Biology, Hradlec
             Králové, Czech Republic.


2022     “Towards a General Theory of Technological Mediation,” Philosophy & Religious Studies
            Colloquium, Morgan State University.


2021     “Excentric Naturalism: Behavioral Plasticity and the Human Place in the World,” Workshop
            on Heterodox Naturalisms, hosted by U.Ghent, organized by Guiseppe Bianco, Gertrudis van de
            Vijver, and Charles Wolfe.


2021     “The Multiple Lives of Marjorie Grene,” Workshop on Canguilhem and Continental Philosophy,
            hosted by U.Ghent, organized by Guiseppe Bianco, Gertrudis van de Vijver, and Charles Wolfe.


2019     “The Archeology of Biology and Its Philosophy,” panel discussion of Wolfe and Bognon-Küss
            (eds.), Philosophy of Biology before Biology (2018), ISHPSSB (International Society for History,
            Philosophy, and Social Studies of Biology) biennial conference, Oslo, Norway.


2019     “Natural Artificiality: A Contested Pattern in Human Evolution,” University of Nevada – Las
            Vegas, Philosophy Colloquium, Las Vegas, Nevada.


2018     “Natural Artificiality: An Essay on Culture’s Place in Nature,” University of Nevada – Las
            Vegas, Phi Sigma Tau Philosophy Honor Society & UNLV Philosophy Club, Las Vegas, Nevada.


2018     “Excentric Naturalism,” Workshop on Philosophical Anthropology and History of Science,
            Univerity of Bochum, Bochum, Germany.


2018     “What is Philosophy of Biology?: A Data-Driven Account,” Zentrum fuer Literatur- und
            Kulturforschung
, Berlin.


2018     “What is Philosophy of Biology?: A Data-Driven Account,” University of Pittsburgh, Center for
            Philosophy of Science, Lunch Talk Series.


2016     “Darwin’s Debts and Credits to Philosophy of Science: A Historiographic Re-evaluation,”
            Dartmouth College EEES (Ecology, Evolution, Ecosystems and Society), Lunch Talk Series.


2014     “Naturalism, Pluralism, and Anthropology: Field Notes on the Human ‘Place’ in Nature,”
            Colloquium on Pragmatism and Philosophical Anthropology, University of Potsdam, Germany.


2014     “Grene and Hull on Typological Thinking in Biology.” Rowan University, “Theorizing at
            Rowan” series.

Conference Presentations on Research

2024     with O. Ola, W. Mapp, and P. Lee, “Effects of Matching on Evaluations of Fairness, Accuracy,
            and Fairness Impossibility,” Florida AI Research Society (FLAIRS) 37, Destin, Florida.


2023     “Fairness Impossibility in AI-ML: An Integrative Ethics Approach,” Philosophy and Theory of
            AI (PhAI) 2023, Erlangen, Germany.


2021     “Content-open Natural Artificiality as a Selection Target in Human Evolution.” Philosophy of
            Science Association Biennial Conference, Baltimore, MD.


2021     “Digital Mediation of the Public Sphere: from Ethics to Politics.” The Public Use of Reason –
            Philosophical Anthropology in the 21st Century. Conference hosted by the Helmuth Plessner
            Society, by Zoom.  


2018     “Phylogenetic Taxonomy and HGT: Reconcilable Tension or Grounds for Taxonomic
            Revolution?” SPSP (Society for Philosophy of Science in Practice), Gent, Belgium.


2018     “Text Analysis of Contributor Sections and Scientific Collaboration,” with Evelyn Brister,
            University of Pittsburgh, LEAHPS conference (Learning from Empirical Approaches to History
            and Philosophy of Science), Pittsburgh.


2017     “A Study of Scientific Collaborations, with Lessons Drawn from Nature.” ISHPSSB
            (International Society for History, Philosophy, and Social Studies of Biology), Sau Paulo, Brazil.


2016     “Debating Darwin’s Debt to Philosophy.” SPSP (Society for Philosophy of Science in Practice),
            Glassboro, New Jersey.


2015     “Hull and Ruse on Positivism, Historicism, and Darwin’s Debt to Philosophy.” ISHPSSB
            (International Society for History, Philosophy, and Social Studies of Biology), Montreal, Canada.


2015     “Marjorie Grene, David Hull, and the Origins of the ‘New’ Philosophy of Biology,” Introductory
            Symposium, Philadelphia Area Center for History of Science (now CHSTM), Philadelphia,
            Pennsylvania.


2014     “Grene and Hull on Type-Concepts in Biology.” HOPOS (History of Philosophy of Science),
            Ghent, Belgium.


2013     “Methodological Naturalism and ‘the Human Place in Nature’.” APA (American Philosophical
            Association), Eastern Division, group program, Baltimore, Maryland.


2013     “The Substantive and Methodological Integration of Biology, Anthropology, and Philosophy in
            Helmuth Plessner’s Die Stufen des Organischen und der Mensch.” ISHPSSB (International
            Society for History, Philosophy, and Social Studies of Biology), Montpellier, France.


Poster Presentations
2018     Contributor Sections as Indicators of Interdisciplinary Dynamics, with Evelyn Brister,
            Philosophy of Science Association, Seattle, Washington, November 2018.


2016     Modeling Interdisciplinary Collaborations between Biologists and Philosophers, 1950-2000.
            Philosophy of Science Association. Atlanta, Georgia, November 2016.


2016     Identifying and Modeling Interdisciplinary Collaborations between Biologists and Philosophers,
            1950-2000.
SPSP (Society for Philosophy of Science in Practice), Rowan University, Glassboro, 
            New Jersey.

Grants and Awards:
2018                 Zentrum für Literatur- und Kulturforschung, Berlin, Germany.
                        Visiting Research Fellowship, May-June.
                        Award Amount: Airfare, lodging, and per diem (~$4000)


2016-2018        National Science Foundation “Science, Technology and Society” Fellowship,
                        Michael Dietrich (PI), Phillip Honenberger (Postdoctoral Fellow)
                        Project Title: “A Social and Historical Study of Interdisciplinary Collaborations Between
                        Biologists and Philosophers.”
                        Award Amount: $175,000.


2014                 NSF (Nat.Sci.Foundation) Travel Grant to HOPOS 2014.
                        Award Amount: $400 travel expenses


2012                 NSF (Nat.Sci.Foundation) Travel Grant to HOPOS 2012.
                        Award Amount: $400 travel expenses


2009                 Research Associateship, Temple University,
                        CHAT (Center for the Humanities at Temple).
                        Award Amount: $500 research funds


2006-2009        Travel Grant, College of Liberal Arts Fund for Graduate Excellence, Temple University
                        Award Amount: $500 each trip (x6)

Courses Taught (partial list)

Years                     Course Title                                         Level       Institution                              Format                Times Taught
2022, 2023, 2024   Minds & Machines                               100         Johns Hopkins University      in-person                 x3
2023, 2024             Minds & Machines                               100         Johns Hopkins University      online                      x2
2023, 2024             Introduction to Formal & Informal Logic  300     Morgan State University        in-person                x2
2022-2023             Honors Introduction to Critical Thinking  100      Morgan State University        in-person                x2
2022-2023             Introduction to Critical Thinking           100         Morgan State University        in-person                x6
2021                      Honors Ethics in Medicine                   300         Temple University                in-person               
2021                      Environmental Ethics                           200         Temple University                online    
2021                      Introduction to Ethical Theory              200         Temple University                in-person
2021                      Philosophy of Biology                          200         Colby College (ME)              in-person               
2021                      Philosophy of Technology                    200         Colby College (ME)              in-person
2020-2021             Ethics for Engineers & Scientists          200         University of Nevada, LV      online                      x6
2017-2020             Ethics for Engineers & Scientists          100         University of Nevada, LV      in-person                x14
2020-2021             Critical Thinking & Reasoning             100         University of Nevada, LV      online                    x2
2019-2020             Critical Thinking & Reasoning             100         University of Nevada, LV      large lecture                x2
                                                                                                                                                        (100+ students)

2017-2018             Critical Thinking & Reasoning             100         University of Nevada, LV      in-person                x2
2018                      Philosophy of Human Nature                               200         University of Nevada, LV      in-person    
2011-2014             Philosophy of Science                          200         Rowan University (NJ)          in-person                x8
2011-2014             Critical Thinking                                 100         Rowan University (NJ)          in-person                x2
2011-2014             Introduction to Philosophy                   200         Rowan University (NJ)          in-person                x4
2007-2012             Introduction to Philosophy                   100         Temple University (PA)        in-person                x8          
2011-2012             Philosophy of the Human                     100         Temple University (PA)         in-person               
2008-2009             Introduction to Philosophy of Mind      200         Temple University (PA)        in-person                x2          
2007-2008             Introduction to Symbolic Logic            200         Temple University (PA)        in-person                              



Professional Activities:

Service
Co-organizer, 1st Annual National Symposium on Equitable AI, Morgan State University, Spring 2024
Co-organizer and co-host (w/ G. Waters), AI and Machine Learning Interdisciplinary Forum for Theory (AIM-LIFT) reading group, Spring 2023-present
Moderator, UNESCO Session, Rebel Model UN, University of Nevada – Las Vegas, 2019
Member, Membership Development and Diversity Committee, ISHSSPB (International Society for
     History, Philosophy, and Social Studies of Biology), 2015-present
Member, Scientific Advisory Board, Helmuth Plessner Gesellschaft, 2017-2024
Session Chair, PSA (Philosophy of Science Association), “Natural Kinds: The Case of Species,”
     November 2016
Graduate Student Representative, Department of Philosophy, Temple University, 2010-2011

Organized Sessions

Organizer, “Algorithmic Fairness,” 1st Annual National Symposium on Equitable AI, Morgan State University, Spring 2024
Organizer, “Collaboration in Contemporary Bioscience: Sociological and Philosophical Approaches,”
      ISHPSSB 2017

Organizer of bi-weekly History of Biology Works-In-Progress Workshop, Consortium for History of
      Science, Technology and Medicine, January-July 2015

Organizer of double session, “Philosophical Anthropology I” and “Philosophical Anthropology II,”
      for ISHPSSB 2013

Organizer of session, “Naturalism and Philosophical Anthropology” for APA Eastern Division,
     December 2013 (group session w/ Society for Humanist Philosophers)

 
Referee for Journals and Presses
AI & Ethics (x1), Human Studies (x7), Theory, Culture, and Society (x3), Synthese (x3), History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences, Philosophy of the Social Sciences, Journal of the American Philosophical Association, University of Pittsburgh Press, Palgrave MacMillan, Rowman and Littlefield / Lexington Books, Bloomsbury Academic, Poznan Studies in the Philosophy of the Sciences and the Humanities

Referee for Funding Organizations

National Science Foundation – Science, Technology, and Society program
Consortium for History of Science, Technology, and Medicine (fellowship applications)


Languages:
English (native); German (intermediate); French (intermediate); Chinese (basic)

Data Analyst Skills:
Data acquisition via APIs, “scraping”;
Data wrangling and cleaning (Python, MySQL, Excel, etc.);
MySQL database design, construction, and querying
 
Data Analysis Experience (Contractor):
(1) Contractor, “Neglected and Tropical Disease Database” project, University of Pittsburgh, 2018-2019

               Role:      Following PIs’ stated needs, I designed, constructed, and populated a MySQL database of all publications on
                              12 Neglected and Tropical Diseases (Cholera, etc.) from 1970-present. The resulting database included more
                              than 1 million records, coded by disease.


(2) Contractor, “Model Organisms” project, University of Adelaide, 2019-2020
            Tasks:
Following PIs’ stated needs, I designed, constructed, and populated a MySQL database of publications
                              reporting research on selected model organisms (mice, macaque, etc.) from 1970-present. The resulting
                              database included more than 200,000 records.

            
References supplied upon request