Matt Leonard, Ph.D.

PHI 422 - Twentieth-Century Philosophy
PHI 363 - Metaphysics
PHI 343 - Philosophy of Religion
PHI 324 - Applied Ethics
PHI 300 - Logic
PHI 213 - Intro to Philosophy
WLD 181 - Goodness, Truth, and Beauty
KIN 510 - Graduate Seminar: Sports Ethics

Areas of Specialization:

Metaphysics
Epistemology

Areas of Competence/Interest:

Logic
Philosophy of Physics
Philosophy of Language
Philosophy of Religion
Ethics

PRIMARY INSTRUCTOR

1. Johns Hopkins University, Center for Talented Youth (2012 − 2019)

Logic: Principles of Reasoning (Summer 2019)
Logic: Principles of Reasoning (Summer 2018)
Logic: Principles of Reasoning (Summer 2017)
Big Questions (Summer 2016)
Big Questions (Summer 2015)
Logic: Principles of Reasoning (Summer 2014)
Logic: Principles of Reasoning (Summer 2013)
Logic: Principles of Reasoning (Summer 2012)

2. University of California, Davis (2011 − 2012)

Introduction to Philosophy (Summer 2012)
Critical Reasoning (Summer 2011)

TEACHING ASSISTANT

1. University of Southern California (2014 − 2018)

Issues in Space and Time (Spring 2017)
The Meaning of Life (Spring 2016)
Science, Religion, and the Making of the Modern Mind (Fall 2015)
Existentialism, Death, and Meaninglessness (Summer 2015)
Contemporary Moral and Social Issues (Spring 2015)
Mind and Self: Modern Conceptions (Fall 2014)

2. University of California, Davis (2011 − 2013)

Introduction to Philosophy (Spring 2013)
Introduction to Philosophy (Spring 2012)
Introduction to Symbolic Logic (Spring 2012)
Introduction to Philosophy (Spring 2011)
Introduction to Philosophy (Spring 2011)

3. California State University, Los Angeles (2009 − 2010)

Moral Social Issues in a Multicultural Society (Summer 2010)
Introduction to Philosophy (Spring 2010)
Critical Thinking (Fall 2009)
Comparative Religions (Summer 2009)
Human Diversity and Justice (Spring 2009)

PUBLICATIONS

8. "Supersubstantivalism and Vague Location" Philosophical Studies (2022), 179: 3473-3488.

7. "Knowledge, False Belief, and Reductio" Inquiry: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Philosophy (2021).

6. "What is it to be Located?" Philosophical Studies (2021), 178: 2991-3009.

5. "Supersubstantivalism and the Argument from Harmony" Thought: A Journal of Philosophy (2021), 10(1): 53-57.

4. “Composition and the Logic of Location: An Argument for Regionalism” Mind (2020), 129(513): 159-178, with Cody Gilmore.

3. “Enduring through Gunk” Erkenntnis (2018), 83(4): 753-771.

2. “What is Mereological Harmony?” Synthese (2016), 193(6): 1949-1965.

1. “Locating Gunky Water and Wine” Ratio (2014), 27(3): 306-315.



INVITED TALKS

"Analyzing Parthood and Location”
38. University of California, Davis; Space, Time, and Location Conference (May 2024)

"Supersubstantivalism and the Argument from Harmony"
37. University of Lugano, Switzerland (Oct 2022)

"Supersubstantivalism and the Argument from Harmony"
36. University of Geneva, Switzerland (Oct 2022)

“What is it to be Located?”
35. University of Lugano, Switzerland (Nov 2017).
34. California State University, Los Angeles; Colloquium (Nov 2017).

“Three Questions about Stoic Blends”
33. University of Oxford; Stoic Mereology: Ancient and Contemporary Perspectives (Mar 2017).

“Mereological Harmony and the Nature of Spacetime”
32. University of Belgrade, Serbia (Nov 2012).



REFEREED TALKS

“Explaining Harmony”
31. Central APA; Chicago, IL (Feb 2020).

“On the Contingency and Vagueness of Where I Am”
30. New York University; Columbia/NYU Graduate Philosophy Conference (April 2019).
29. Eastern APA (symposium); New York City, NY (Jan 2019), 2019 Sanders Graduate Student Award.
28. Stanford University; Berkeley Stanford Davis Graduate Philosophy Conference (May 2018).
27. University of Milan, Italy; Society for the Metaphysics of Science Conference (Aug 2018).

“What is it to be Located?”
26. University of Oxford; 21st Oxford Philosophy Graduate Conference (Nov 2017).
25. University of St. Andrews, Scotland; 10th Arché Graduate Conference (Oct 2017).
24. Central APA (symposium); Chicago, IL (Feb 2018).

“Enduring through Gunk”
23. University of Oxford; 19th Oxford Philosophy Graduate Conference (Nov 2015).
22. University of California, Berkeley; BSD Graduate Conference (Apr 2016).
21. Alghero, Italy; Metaphysics of Space, Time, and Spacetime Conference (Jun 2016).
20. Virginia Tech; Graduate Conference in Contemporary Analytic Metaphysics (Nov 2015).
19. Pacific APA; San Francisco, CA (Mar 2016).

“Locating Gunky Water and Wine”
18. University of Oxford; 17th Oxford Philosophy Graduate Conference (Nov 2013).
17. Central APA; Chicago, IL (Feb 2014).

“Mereological Harmony and the Nature of Spacetime”
16. University of Oxford; 16th Oxford Philosophy Graduate Conference (Nov 2012).
15. University of Cologne, Germany; LEMMing Graduate Conference (Nov 2012).

“Mirror Realism”
14. Pacific APA; San Francisco, CA (Mar 2013).
13. Western Washington University; Northwest Student Philosophy Conference (May 2012).
12. Yale University; Yale/UConn Graduate Conference (Apr 2012).
11. Stanford University; Berkeley/Stanford/Davis Graduate Conference (Apr 2012).
10. University of Colorado, Boulder; Rocky Mountain Philosophy Conference (Apr 2012).

“Burge’s Contextual Theory of Truth and the Super-Liar Paradox”
9. Hejnice, Czech Republic; 2011 Logica Symposium (Jun 2011).
8. Georgia State University; Phi Sigma Tau Philosophy Conference (Mar 2011).
7. Arizona State University; Southwest Graduate Conference (Mar 2011).
6. University of California, Berkeley; Berkeley/Stanford/Davis Graduate Conference (Apr 2010).

“Demonstratives, Direct Reference, and Cognitive Significance”
5. Honolulu, HI; Hawaii International Conference on Arts and Humanities (Jun 2010).

“Contextual Truth Theories and the Liar Paradox”
4. Honolulu, HI; Hawaii International Conference on Arts and Humanities (Jun 2010).



COMMENTS

3. A. Fisher’s "Against Primitivism about Truth", Pacific APA (Apr 2012).
2. J. Hollowell’s "Incompatibilism and the Exclusion Thesis", BSD Grad Conference (Apr 2012).
1. J. Caton’s "Common Knowledge, Coordination, and Context", Southwest Grad Conf. (Apr 2012)

The Grove

FAMILY

My wife Hillary and I have four kiddos: Cosette, Chaucer, Tennyson, and Fitzgerald (ages 15, 13, 10, and 1). We also have a german shepherd, a siberian cat, and an ivory ball python.

INTERESTS

Cooking (Specifically: Neapolitan Pizza, Tomahawk Ribeyes, Ribs, Santa Maria Tri-Tip, Italian Beefs, Chicago Dogs, and Smashburgers)
Music (Specifically: Taylor Swift, Emo, Metal, 90's Country, Merle Haggard/Buck Owens/The Bakersfield Sound)
Football (Go Steelers!)
Hockey (Go Ducks!)
Baseball (Go Dodgers!)
Basketball (Go Lakers!)
Disneyland
Traveling