1. Biography

Born and raised in the greater Montreal area, Nic McGinnis attended both grade and high school in french, and had always found it kind of weird to talk in the third person about himself. So we'll just cut that out now.

After a tumultuous high school career, I attended John Abbott College, graduating (eventually) with a degree in the Liberal Arts, the kind of vague humanities-based diploma that makes your parents nervous. I think the original plan was to work in the video game industry, but clearly I got lost on the way to a computer science degree. To bolster my employability, I applied to Concordia's philosophy program, where I completed both my B.A. and my M.A., the latter entitled "Wittgenstein's Influence on the Development of Virtue Ethics." I know what you're thinking, but no, I'm serious, there's a very definite influence, starting from G.E.M. Anscombe on and you should read it. It is linked below, under "Selected Papers."

And though I could've taken my M.A. and sought employment in Quebec's CEGEP system, in the end moving to London, Ontario seemed like a good opportunity when the University of Western Ontario offered me a spot in their PhD program. I am also a member of the department's recently-founded Rotman Institute of Science and Value.

Beginning this Fall (2009), I will be the instructor for PHIL 2020, "Introduction to Logic." Previous assignments were as Head T.A. for "Critical Thinking" and T.A. for "Deductive Logic," at Western and Concordia respectively.

Now there's only that pesky PhD thesis to research, write and defend...

2. Selected Papers

1. Wittgenstein's Influence on the Development of Virtue Ethics
M.A. Thesis, Concordia University 2006: PDF

2. Phenomenology, Interrogation and Biopower: Merleau-Ponty on 'Human Resources Exploitation'
Presented at the 16th Annual Graduate Philosophy Conference, Kent State (Akron, Ohio): PDF

3. Wittgenstein, Constructive Mathematics & his Return to Philosophy
Presented at Canadian Philosophical Association's 2009 Annual Congress, Carleton (Ottawa, Ontario): PDF

4. Simplicity, Conventionalism and the Poincare - Russell Debate
PDF

5. Maddy's Carnap and the 'Reserved Reading'
PDF

3. Contact Information

Via Mail: Nicholas McGinnis
Department of Philosophy
Talbot College
University of Western Ontario
N6A 3K7
E-Mail: n m c g i n n i (at) u w o . c a