This site is an attempt to do public philosophy in the defense of democracy and decency.
“Public philosophy” is the name professional philosophers give to philosophical writing that is not aimed at other professional philosophers (kind of like how “popular science” is written by but not for working scientists).
Freedom of/from religion is a fundamental human right and is crucial to the proper functioning of societies. Religious extremism and religious nationalism are the major threats, in the US and around the world. Join me as we build awareness and construct resources to assert the power of the people in the defense of liberty and the pursuit of happiness for ALL, regardless of religious belief, including none.
About Me
Hello, my name is Bill Vanderburgh.
I am a Professor of Philosophy at California State University, San Bernardino. I earned my PhD at the University of Western Ontario, where I had a dual focus on “HPS” (the History and Philosophy of Science) and on the History of Philosophy. I am the author of an academic book and fifteen peer reviewed articles, co-author of a logic textbook, and winner of a national award for my (now closed) craft beer blog.
I was the first philosopher to write about the dark matter problem in astrophysics. My book David Hume on Miracles, Evidence, and Probability (Lexington Books, 2019) defends Hume’s argument against believing in miracles. In part it does this by arguing that the mathematical or Bayesian approach to evidential probability does not fit Hume’s theory of evidence, because (I am the first person to point out) Hume’s account of evidential probability derives from ancient Roman legal theory, which is deliberately non-mathematical.
I have been lucky to be able to teach a really broad set of courses: from philosophy science, history of philosophy, critical thinking and logic, to environmental philosophy, philosophy in science fiction, philosophy in video games, ethics, and philosophy of religion.
I live with my wife and step-daughter in San Diego, where I race sailboats, take photographs, and enjoy world class craft beer (occasionally all at the same time!). All the photographs on this site are my own—except for the book covers of other people’s books, of course.
You can find more about me on personal page, williamvanderburgh.com, including details about my research in philosophy of science, history of philosophy, and philosophy of religion. I’m on Instagram @BillVinSD X-Twitter @VanderburghBill and Bluesky @billvanderburgh.bsky.social
