Welcome. You've landed on Dr. Eric Thomas Weber's homepage. Starting in July of 2013, I am associate professor of Public Policy Leadership at the University of Mississippi. In June of 2010 I signed a freelance contract to be a columnist for The Clarion Ledger of Jackson, MS, the state's major newspaper. I earned my Ph.D. in Philosophy in 2007 and have been teaching since 2002. I serve as Executive Director of the Society of Philosophers in America, whose Web site you can visit by clicking here. In July of 2011, I began serving as Chair of the American Philosophical Association's Committee on Public Philosophy, whose Web site you can visit here.
As a scholar, teacher, and citizen, I make the greatest use I can of philosophical inquiry and clear, persuasive communication for the advancement of freedom, opportunity, and respect for my fellow citizens in a number of areas. These include quality public education and life opportunities for poor and disabled persons. I study and write about intelligent, democratic inquiry into the practices and principles of ethical and visionary leadership. My writing, teaching, and public engagements all relate to these goals in one way or another.
I have put this site together in order to post information for students, scholars, news writers, and community leaders. Information about my research can be found under the "Writings" link at the top of this page. For my curriculum vitae, visit the "Bio" page. For information about my teaching experience, current courses, and students' success, visit the "Teaching" link. For information on my efforts to connect my research with projects and organizations beyond my university, visit my "Public Engagement" page. To follow me on Twitter, click here or on the logo on the right.
RECENT NEWS
In this section, I am excited to announce a number of projects and engagements that have gone well in the last year. These items are listed from most recent to oldest. I also catalog much of this stuff in the content of my other Web pages linked to at the top of this page. Here below is just some recent work and results.
In May of 2013, I published an op-ed with The Clarion Ledger of Jackson, MS, titled "Violence Taught when Corporal Punishment Used." The piece was published on May 14, 2013, on page 9, and is available in an online version as an Adobe PDF file here.
I am excited to report that the Mississippi Expectations Project team has been invited to submit a proposal for partnering with GEAR UP Mississippi, a federally funded program whose name stands for "Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs." GEAR UP is funded through the U.S. Department of Education and is housed with Mississippi's Institutes for Higher Learning.
Next, in April of 2013, I submitted the completed manuscript for Democracy and Leadership to my publisher. I'm also looking into possibilities for contracting with painter Ashley Cecil to use her beautiful painting "Politician at a Podium" on the cover of the book. Check out her work at AshleyCecil.com. Also, you can see the painting on her Web site here.
I was honored also in April 2013 to receive endorsements for Democracy and Leadership from Governor William Winter of Mississippi (1972-1946 & 1980-1984, photo on right) and from Dean Skip Rutherford of the Clinton School of Public Service. You can read the endorsements on my writings page.
In April of 2013, I got word about Dr. Shane Ralston's edited volume, Philosophical Pragmatism and International Relations, to be released by Lexington Books in May. My essay for the volume served as chapter one, titled "On Pragmatism and International Relations."
In March of 2013, I got the big news from the Chancellor that the University of Mississippi will be promoting me to the rank of associate professor of Public Policy Leadership, beginning July 1. The Chancellor wrote me a second letter explaining that that he is recommending me to Mississippi's Institutes for Higher Learning board for tenure.
On March 22 of 2013, I will give an invited presentation at the University of New Orleans for the Alexis de Tocqueville Project on Democratic Ideals and Institutions. My talk is titled "Adapting Plato's Cardinal Virtues for Democratic Leadership," and is a presentation about my forthcoming book, Democracy and Leadership.
Also in March of 2013, Richard Cotter posted a careful and challenging review of Morality, Leadership, and Public Policy on Academia.edu, noting that the piece is forthcoming in a 2013 issue of Political Studies Review. Click here or on the thumbnail photo on the right to visit my Writings page for more details and a link to the review.
In February of 2013, The Tehran Times published an interview in which reporter Javad Heiran-Nia asked me to comment on the subject of the Enlightenment and the West. The piece is titled "Feeling of Certainty Is Dangerous for Religion and Science: Weber," Tehran Times, February 11, 2013, 7.
In January of 2013, I received two bits of good news from the University of Mississippi. First, the College of Liberal Arts has granted me a Summer Research Award for the summer of 2013. I'm very grateful for that. Next, the university has accepted my application for a Sabbatical Leave Award, which will start in January of 2014 and end in December of 2014. Over the course of both, I will be working on my next book project, to complete A Culture of Justice: On Fairness and Pragmatism. As that project develops, I will be working with a team of scholars at the university on the Mississippi Expectations Project, seeking grant support for our plans, and, I hope, implementing and testing our ideas.
In November of 2012, the journal, William James Studies, accepted my article for publication. The piece, “James’s Critiques of the Freudian Unconscious – 25 Years Earlier,” is to be released in Volume 9, Issue 1, in December of 2012. Also, the American Philosophical Association awarded SOPHIA a grant for events we're planning for 2013. Finally, a review of my first book was published on Metapsychology Reviews Online, offering some interesting points of criticism for the project.
In October of 2012, the Mississippi Humanities Council awarded the Society of Philosophers in America (SOPHIA) a grant that I wrote, for $2,500 to support a 2013 event.
In August of 2012, Continuum posted the Web site listing for the paperback release of my second book, Morality, Leadership, and Public Policy, which will come out in February of 2013.
In June of 2012, The Journal of Speculative Philosophy published a review by Dr. Royce P. Jones, Capps Professor of Humanities Emeritus at Illinois College of my book, Morality, Leadership, and Public Policy. For a printable and searchable Adobe PDF scan of the review, click here or on the thumbnail on the right.
In May of 2012, I was honored to be chosen as the faculty recipient of the Frist Student Service Award for "going the extra mile in unwavering dedication to students." A story about this was posted on the UM News Web site. The award was delivered at the university's commencement ceremony in the Grove. For a photo of the stage that day and a bit more information on this, see my "Teaching" page.
If you have any questions for me, feel free to email me (etweber@olemiss.edu) or to call me at 662.915.1336. My full contact information is as follows:
