Dr. Michael DeMoor

Biography

Dr. Michael DeMoor is Associate Professor of Social Philosophy in Politics, History, and Economics. He has been at King's since 2009 and teaches courses on (inter alia) human rights, markets and society, the history of political thought, democracy, and war and peace. His research currently focuses on how different conceptions of human rationality do and should shape how we make and justify public policy. In his spare time (such as it is) he enjoys birding, hiking, and arguing with people about hockey.

Research interests

• Social Ontology
• Democracy and Plurality
• Christian Social and Political Thought
• History of Social and Political Thought

Dissertation

Brandom and Hegel on Objectivity, Subjectivity, and Sociality: A Tune Beyond Us, Yet Ourselves. Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, July 2011.

Current research

Deliberative Democracy and Reasonable Disagreement.

Selected publications

With Randolph Haluza-Delay and Christopher Peet, “That We May Live Well Together in the Land…: Place Pluralism and Just Sustainability in Canadian and Environmental Studies” Journal of Canadian Studies 47 (2013), no. 3 (Special Issue: “Beyond the Culture of Nature: Rethinking Canadian and Environmental Studies”): 226-256.

"Embeddedness and Social Pluralism" Philosophia Reformata, 78 (2) (2013): 144-161.

"Legitimacy, Public Justice and Deliberative Democracy" The Kuyper Center Review: Volume 4. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.

“Spiritual Formation for Civil Life in the Neo-Calvinist Tradition" Forthcoming in Religious Perspectives on the Civil Life: A Symposium. Edmonton: The Chester Ronning Center for Religion and Public Life.

“Kuyper, Sphere Sovereignty, and the Possibility of Political Friendship” The Kuyper Center Review: Volume One: Politics, Religion, and Sphere Sovereignty, ed. Gordon Graham. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2010; pp. 61-82 

“Christian Philosophy, Critical Realism and the Apprehension of Existence: Etienne Gilson’s ‘Knowledge and Existence’” Études Maritainiennes/Maritain Studies, vol XXIII, 2007, pp. 76-92. 

“The Philosophy of Art in Reid’s Inquiry and its Place in 18th Century Scottish Aesthetics.” Journal of Scottish Philosophy 4 (2006), no. 1: 37-49.

“Autonomous Rationality and Rational Autonomy: Kant, Fichte and Dooyeweerd on Subjectivity, Objectivity and Normativity.” Philosophia Reformata 72 (2007), no. 2: 105-129.

Selected Presentations

“Evolution, Politics, and Social Hope.” Biologos Conference, Grand Rapids MI, July 2015.

With Denis Edney and David Goa, “Omar Khadr: What does his case teach us about human rights in Canada today?” Round table discussion, Winnipeg, Sept 19, 2014.

“Moral Psychology and Deliberative Politics” Prairie Political Science Association meeting, Banff, Sept 2014.

“Property Rights and the Common Good: How Aristotle and Hegel can make Alberta a more just place.” Are We There Yet?: Economic Justice and the Common Good Conference. The King’s University College, Edmonton, May 2014.

"Deep but Reasonable Disagreement: An Agenda for Interdisciplinary Research" Prairie Political Science Association meeting, Banff, Sept 2013.

"Embeddedness and Social Pluralism" Kuyper Seminar: Economics, Christianity & The Crisis: Towards a New Architectonic Critique. Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, January 2013.

"Poverty and Rights" Social Justice and Human Rights Conference. Toronto, April 2012

"Legitimacy, Public Justice, and Deliberative Democracy" Kuyper Center, Annual Conference, Princeton Theological Seminary, April 2012.

“Spiritual Formation for Civil Life in the Neo-Calvinist Tradition" The Ronning Centre for Religion and Public Life: Religious Perspectives on the Civil Life: A Symposium. The King's University College, Edmonton, March 2011.

“Aristotle and Hegel on Private Property and the Common Good” Canadian Political Science Association Conference, June 2010.

“Kuyper, Sphere Sovereignty and the Possibility of Civic Friendship” Civil Society and Sphere Sovereignty Conference, April 17-19, 2008, Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton NJ.

“Holism and the Constitutive A Priori: Hegel, Quine and Friedman” Canadian Society for the History and Philosophy of Science annual conference, May 28-31, 2007, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon SK.

“(Over) Reading the Analogy to Light: A Structural Argument about the Active Intellect” Reading Aristotle’s De Anima conference, September 28-30, 2006, Bishop’s University, Lennoxville, Quebec.

“Friedman’s Neo-Kantianism and Quinean Holism: Possibilities for Rapprochement” Canadian Society for the History and Philosophy of Science annual conference, May 29-31, 2006, York University, Toronto.

“Understanding Reasonable Disagreements in Liberal Societies: Rawls and Stout.” Discourse, Democracy, Justice Conference, Loyola University, Chicago IL, March 10-12, 2006.

“The Philosophy of Art in Reid’s Inquiry and its Place in the Tradition of 18th Century Scottish Aesthetics.” Hume and His Critics Conference.  April 14-16, 2005, Baylor University, Waco TX.

“Reid’s Aristotle and the Aristotelian Reid.” 3rd International Reid Symposium on Scottish Philosophy.  July 14, 2004, University of Aberdeen, U.K.