Sharon Kaye

Background

Born July 7, 1971 (Madison, Wisconsin)

Areas of Expertise

• History of Philosophy and Applied Ethics.

Research Interests

My current research focusses on consciousness and AI.

Education

B.A. Philosophy: University of Wisconsin, Madison, 1989-1992

Graduated with Distinction
Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, 1990-present
Phi Beta Kappa Key, 1992-present

M.A. Philosophy: University of Toronto, 1992-1993

Ph.D. Philosophy: University of Toronto, 1993-1997

Dissertation: William of Ockham’s Theory of Conscience
Supervisors: Calvin Normore and Bernard Katz

Killam Postdoctoral Fellowship: Dalhousie University 1997-1998

Diploma in Massage Therapy: Ohio College of Massotherapy, 2007

Graduated with Honors
Licensed by the Ohio State Medical Board to practice Massage Therapy, 2008

Courses Taught

Publications

Books

The Missing Link: A Novel with Readings about Evolution (Royal Fireworks Press, 2026)

Little Stories for Big Thinkers: Ethics and Philosophy for Curious Kids (Royal Fireworks Press, 2025)

Geode: A Novel about Environmental Ethics with Companion Reader (Royal Fireworks Press, 2024)

The Logic of Happiness, A Philosophical Novel with Companion Reader (Royal Fireworks Press, 2023)

Plato versus Aristotle: Philosophical Debates. Editor (Royal Fireworks Press, 2023)

The Original Position, A Philosophical Novel with Companion Reader (Royal Fireworks Press, 2022)

The Paradox Box, A Philosophical Novel with Companion Reader (Royal Fireworks Press, 2022)

Philosophy Debates for Kids: Thought Experiments that Raise Issues for Taking Sides. Editor (Royal Fireworks Press, 2022)

Big Thinkers and Big Ideas: Eastern and Western Philosophers for Kids (Rockridge Press, 2022)

The Philosophy Book for Beginners: A Brief Introduction to Great Thinkers and Big Ideas (Rockridge Press, 2021)

The Squirrel Behind the Tree, A Philosophical Novel with Companion Reader (Royal Fireworks Press, 2021)

Take a Stand!: Classroom Activities That Explore Philosophical Arguments That Matter to Teens. Editor (Prufrock Press, 2020)

Big Thinkers and Big Ideas: An Introduction to Eastern and Western Philosophy for Kids (Rockridge Press, 2020) Also available in Persian.

The Transparent Eyeball, A Philosophical Novel with Companion Reader (Royal Fireworks Press, 2019)

Emile, or On Education, A Philosophical Novel and Companion Reader, published under the pseudonym “Stuart Fuller” (Silk Label Books, 2019)

The Philosophy Trilogy, Three Teen Novels, with Companion Readers, published under the pseudonym “Hyacinth Russell” (Silk Label Books, 2018)

Proof
Nihilist Games
The Escape Room

The Numenal Realm Trilogy, Three Tween Novels, each with its own Guidebook (Royal Fireworks Press, 2017)

The Divided Line
The Inverted Spectrum
The Categorical Imperative

Finding Faith, A Philosophical Chapter Book with Guidebook (Royal Fireworks Press, 2017)

Will Power, A Philosophical Chapter Book with Guidebook (Royal Fireworks Press, 2016)

Xperiment, A Philosophical Chapter Book with Guidebook (Royal Fireworks Press, 2016)

Question Mark, A Philosophical Picture Book with Illustrations by Jordan Novak, and Teacher Guide (Royal Fireworks Press, 2016)

Theo Rising, A Philosophical Picture Book with Illustrations by Jordan Novak, and Teacher Guide, (Royal Fireworks Press, 2016)

Mark and Theo Make Their Case, A Philosophical Picture Book with Illustrations by Jordan Novak, and Teacher Guide (Royal Fireworks Press, 2016)

Philosophy: A Complete Introduction (Hodder, 2014)

What Philosophy Can Tell You about Your Lover. Editor (Open Court, 2012)

The Onion and Philosophy. Editor (Open Court, 2011)

The Ultimate Lost and Philosophy. Editor (Wiley, 2010)

Critical Thinking: A Beginners Guide (Oneworld, 2009) Also available in Polish from Alma Press, 2025.

Black Market Truth, Book One of The Aristotle Quest: A Dana McCarter Trilogy (Parmenides, 2008)

Also available in Greek

Medieval Philosophy (Oneworld, 2008)

Lost and Philosophy. Editor (Blackwell, 2007)

Also available in Turkish and Portuguese

Philosophy for Teens, with co-author Paul Thomson (Prufrock Press, 2006)

Also available in Japanese

More Philosophy for Teens, with co-author Paul Thomson (Prufrock Press, 2007)

On Ockham, with co-author Robert Martin (Wadsworth, 2001)

On Augustine, with co-author Paul Thomson (Wadsworth, 2001)

Also available in Slovak

Popular Articles

“Feminist Sex? It’s in His Kiss,” in Bridgerton and Philosophy: Dukes, Debutants and Deep Questions, edited by Jessica Miller, Wiley, 2025.

“Want to Learn Philosophy? Then Teach it!” The Philosophers' Magazine 94 49-54. 2021.

“My Long-Lost Lover, the Antichrist,” The Devil and Philosophy (Open Court 2014).

“Why Publish?” Academe 94:3 (May-June 2008): pp. 33-4.

“Quantum Physics and Ockham’s Eraser,” Science and Spirit 18:5 (November/December, 2007): 46-47.

“L.O.S.T. in Lost,” Lost and Philosophy, edited by Sharon M. Kaye (Blackwell, 2007): 1-5.

“It’s So Bad It’s Sick: Why Philosophy is for Teens,” Insights 17:1 (Fall 2007): 1-2.

“Mmmyez: Stewie and the Seven Deadly Sins,” Family Guy and Philosophy, edited by J. Jeremy Wisnewski (Blackwell, 2007): 74-86.

“The Running Life: Getting In Touch With Your Inner Hunter Gatherer,” Running and Philosophy, edited by Michael Austin (Blackwell, 2007): 161-170. Also available in Korean and Chinese.

“Cosmic Sledding,” with co-author Robert Prisco, under the pseudonym D.W. Ireland, The Dalhousie Review 86:3 (Autumn 2006): 389-396.

“Dress Rehearsal For Life: Teaching Philosophy to High School Students,” Analytic Teaching 26:1 (Spring 2006): 1-9.

“In the End it’s the Tail: Thomas Aquinas’s Fifth Proof of the Existence of God,” with co-author Robert Prisco, Think (Summer 2005): 67-74.

“Could the Universe be Infinitely Old? Thomas Aquinas’ First Way of Proving the Existence of God,” with co-author Taleiza Calloway, Dialogue 24 (2005): 21-25.

“Lassoing the Wind: Can the Doctrine of Analogy do the Trick?” with co-author Nelson Foster, Dialogue 22 (2004): 3-6.

“Ockham’s Razor,” Think 4 (Summer 2003): 91-95.

“Buffy in the Buff: A Slayer’s Solution to Aristotle’s Love Paradox,” with co-author Melissa Milavec in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Philosophy, edited by James B. South (Chicago: Opencourt, 2003), pp. 173-184.

“Is God the Source of Morality?” with co-author Harry Gensler in God Matters, edited by Ray Martin and Christopher Bernard (New York: Longman Press, 2002), pp. 481-487.

Scholarly Articles

“William of Ockham.” In Oxford Bibliographies in Philosophy. Ed. Duncan Pritchard. New York: Oxford University Press. 2015.

“Deep Fun: Against Instrumentalist Pedagogy,” Socrates 3.2 (June, 2015): 48-56.

“Evolution and Existentialism,” Essays in the Philosophy of Humanism 22.2 (2014) 159–172.

“Discipline and Punish: A Foucaultian Analysis of the Modern Crib,” Philosophy Pathways 182:18 (January, 2014).

Kaye, Sharon, and Earl Spurgin, “Using the Internet Platform “Second Life" to Teach Social Justice,” Teaching Philosophy 34.1 (2011): 17-32.

“William of Ockham” Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2007, http://www.iep.utm.edu/o/ockham.htm.

“The Virtue of Playing Along,” Philosophy in the Contemporary World 14:1 (Spring 2007): 1-10.

“William of Ockham and the Unlikely Connection between Transubstantiation and Free Will,” Proceedings of the American Catholic Philosophical Association 81 (2007): 123-132.

“Was There No Concept of Evolution in the Middle Ages?: The Case of William of Ockham,” British Journal for the History of Philosophy, 14:2 (Spring 2006): 225-244.

“True Friendship and the Logic of Lying,” Journal of Value Inquiry 39 (2005): 475-485.

“Where Is the Antichrist? A Review Article of Behold the Antichrist, by Delos B. McKown,” Sophia 44:2 (October 2005): 59-66.

“Personhood and Free Will,” The Philosopher 92:2 (Autumn 2004): 11-13.

“Free Will and Ockham’s Razor: A Revival of the Argument from Introspection,” Personhood, ed. Heikki Ikäheimo et al., University of Jyväskylä Publications in Philosophy 68 (2004): 99-105.

“Why the Liberty of Indifference is Worth Wanting: Buridan’s Ass, Friendship, and Peter John Olivi,” History of Philosophy Quarterly 21:1 (January, 2004): 21-42.

“Saying ‘No’ to God: The Emergence of Metaphysical Freedom,” Dalhousie Review 82:1 (Spring 2002): 153-170.

“Some Philosophical Reflections on the Coming of the Antichrist,” Sophia 39 (Oct/Nov 2000): 79-103.

“Realism, Conventionalism, and William of Ockham,” Proceedings of the World Congress in Philosophy II (August 1999): 207-216.

“Later Medieval Nominalism and the Politics of Supposition,” Eidos XIV (January 1999): 29-50.

“There’s No Such Thing as Heresy and It’s a Good Thing, Too: William of Ockham on Freedom of Speech,” Journal of Political Philosophy (March 1998): 41-52.

“Against a Straussian Interpretation of Marsilius of Padua’s Poverty Thesis,” History of Philosophy Quarterly (July 1994): 269-280.