Steven Coyne

• BA Honours, University of Calgary (Philosophy)
• BSc,University of Calgary (Mathematics)
• MA, University of British Columbia (Philosophy)
• PhD, University of Toronto (Philosophy)

Steven Coyne, who is cross-appointed with the Department of Computer Science, is a moral and political philosopher primarily working on the problem of political authority. What exactly is involved in the state’s claim to legitimate authority over its citizens, and how is that claim vindicated? His answer, in short, is that the legitimacy of the state’s authority rests on its ability to arbitrate our moral disagreements, and in doing so, confer a form of objectivity on at least some of our moral judgments.

He also has side projects in bioethics (relating to patient autonomy) and the ethics of technology (relating to privacy).

Find out more about Dr. Coyne’s research and teaching on his personal website.

Ethics, Metaethics, Philosophy of Language