Faculty Profile for Dr. Isaac Wiegman
Dr. Isaac Wiegman
Assoc Professor of Instruction — Philosophy
CMAL 107G
phone: (512) 245-3141
Biography Section
Biography and Education
I grew up in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. In 2007, I received an MA in philosophy from the University of Houston, with a graduate certificate in cognitive science. I then went on to earn a Ph.D. in Philosophy-Neuroscience-Psychology from Washington University in St. Louis under John Doris and Ron Mallon.Teaching Interests
I most enjoy teaching philosophy courses that draw on empirical and scientific findings to challenge or improve philosophical theories. This includes courses like Philosophy of Cognitive Science, Philosophy of Mind, Moral Psychology, Philosophy of Science, and Philosophy of the Human Sciences.Research Interests
My research explores several ways in which biological and cultural evolution (as well as the feedback between the two) have shaped human psychology, particularly our moral psychology. It deepens our understanding of emotions like anger and disgust, motivations like revenge and retribution, as well as concepts of contamination, virtue, and vice.Research Topics: Emotion theory, Evolutionary psychology, Moral psychology, Evolution of punishment, Revenge, Retribution, Disgust, Evolution of Virtue and Vice
Selected Scholarly/Creative Work
- Wiegman, I. T. (2018). Disgust as a Mechanism for Externalization: Coordination and Disassociation. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 41, e117.
- Wiegman, I. T. (2018). Ethics in Conversation. Top Hat Monocle.
- Wiegman, I. T., & Dale, M. (2024). The Co-Evolution of Virtue and Desert: Debunking Intuitions about Intrinsic Value. Synthese, 204(4), 135. Retrieved from https://rdcu.be/dWvc9
- Wiegman, I. T. (2023). Doubts about Retribution: Is Punishment Non-instrumentally Good or Right? In M. Altman (Ed.), Palgrave Handbook on the Philosophy of Punishment (pp. 125–147). Springer Nature.
- Wiegman, I. T., & Fischer, B. (2022). Disgust and the Logic of Contamination: Biology, Culture, and the Evolution of Norm (Over)Compliance. Mind & Language, 37(5), 993–1010. Retrieved from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/mila.12368
Selected Awards
- Award / Honor Nominee: Finalist for Top Author Award, Top Hat. 2020
- Award / Honor Recipient: Teaching Award of Honor, Texas State Alumni Association. 2020
Selected Grants
- Wiegman, Isaac. NSF Travel Grant for the Philosophy of Science Association Meeting, Texas State University, Federal, $180. (Funded: November 30, 2016). Grant.
- Wiegman, Isaac Thane. Prime Movers: A Theory of the Primitive Passions, ACLS, Private / Foundation / Corporate, $5000. (Funded: July 2023 - August 2023). Grant.