Brian C. Barnett joined the Geneseo faculty in 2018. He received his B.S. in Mathematics and B.A. in Philosophy (summa cum laude) from the University of Oklahoma, and his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Rochester. His primary teaching and research interests include epistemology, logic, the philosophy of nonviolence, ethics, and Eastern philosophy. In 2023 he was awarded the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Adjunct Teaching. He currently serves on the McNair Advisory Board and as editor of the Peace & Nonviolence category on PhilPapers.org. Outside of academia, he enjoys waterfall hiking, nature photography, pilgrimages to historic sites, and live music.
Office Hours, Fall 2025
Monday/Wednesday 1:00-1:45
Curriculum Vitae
Education
B.S., Mathematics, University of Oklahoma (2007)
B.A., Philosophy, University of Oklahoma (2007)
M.A., Philosophy, University of Rochester (2011)
Ph.D., Philosophy, University of Rochester (2016)
Affiliations
American Philosophical Association
Concerned Philosophers for Peace
McNair Scholars Program
Publications
“The Power of Ahimsic Communication," Blog of the APA, Current Events in Public Philosophy series (30 December 2024). https://blog.apaonline.org/2024/12/30/the-power-of-ahimsic-communicatio….
“Ahimsic Communication: An Alternative to Civility,” Blog of the APA, Current Events in Public Philosophy series (23 December 2024). https://blog.apaonline.org/2024/12/23/ahimsic-communication-an-alternat….
“Beyond Civility & Incivility," Blog of the APA. Current Events in Public Philosophy series (9 December 2024). https://blog.apaonline.org/2024/12/09/beyond-civility-incivility/.
Introduction to Philosophy: Epistemology, ed., Rebus Press (2021). https://press.rebus.community/intro-to-phil-epistemology/.
“The Analysis of Knowledge," in Introduction to Philosophy: Epistemology, ed. Brian C. Barnett, Rebus Press (2021), 2-19. https://press.rebus.community/intro-to-phil-epistemology/chapter/the-an….
“What Is Epistemology?" in Introduction to Philosophy: Epistemology, ed. Brian C. Barnett, Rebus Press (2021), xix-xxiii. https://press.rebus.community/intro-to-phil-epistemology/chapter/the-an….
Review of Monotheism and the Meaning of Life by T. J. Mawson, Religious Studies Review 46, 2 (June 2020), 215.
“Higher-Order Defeat in Realist Moral Epistemology,” in Higher-Order Evidence and Moral Epistemology, ed. Michael Klenk, Routledge (2020), 117–35.
Select Honors & Awards
SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Adjunct Teaching, 2022-23
Dr. David Kuebel Part-Time Faculty Teaching Award, St. John Fisher University, 2021-22
Outstanding Graduate Student Teacher of the Year Award, University of Rochester, 2009–10
Certifications
Mental Health First Aid Certified
Safe Zone Certified
Advancing Cultural Competency Certificate
Teaching & Research Interests
Epistemology, Logic & Probability, Eastern Philosophy, Philosophy of Nonviolence, Ethics
Classes
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PHIL 111: Introduction to Logic
An introduction to deductive logic, including propositional and predicate logic, Aristotelian logic, problems of definition, informal fallacies, and the elements of linguistic analysis.
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PHIL 315: Chinese Philosophy
This course will provide a chronological survey of Chinese philosophy. Chinese philosophy has often been characterized as 'humanism'. But this humanism has its cosmological roots. This course will begin with the basic cosmological view of the ancient Chinese, and then investigate how different humanistic approaches under the same cosmological view could emerge. Three main schools of thought to be covered are: Confucianism, Taoism and Chinese Buddhism. The course will conclude with some contemporary articles on Chinese philosophy, and investigate how Chinese philosophy can develop from this stage on. This course has no prerequisites and assumes no background in philosophy or in Chinese language and culture.