H. Eugene Cline
Professor of Philosophy
Director of the Prentiss M. Brown Honors Institute

Email: gcline@albion.edu
Office: Vulgamore Hall, Room 210
Phone: 517/629-0351

I'm presently most interested in social and political philosophy, particularly recent work on people's preferences and the nature of status quo thinking.

My recent professional work  focuses on whether Americans should continue to subsidize discriminatory religious institutions. I argue that we should not, since we thus legitimize discrimination against citizens who have a fully normal range of abilities. To paraphrase Mill, it is foolish for our society to deny itself the full benefit of their contributions. 

I am interested in various reasons why preferences, particularly discriminatory ones, ought to be discounted, once certain inadequacies are made manifest. My list of (related) reasons, so far, includes:

1. Some preferences are based on habituation to traditional discriminatory practices.
2. Some are based on predictably bad estimations of risks.
3. Some are based on "objective illusions"-- culturally generated misperceptions.
4. Some are naked external preferences, that others simply not have things.
5. Some are formed in the absence of due consideration concerning opportunity costs.
6. Some rank trivial choices too highly.
7. Some are connected with extinguishable wants to the exclusion of basic needs.
8. Some unnecessarily exacerbate problems with scarce resources.
9. Some run perversely counter to facts about conversion efficiency and equality of opportunity.
10. Some are narrowly focused on short-term first-person satisfaction, to the detriment of the actor and others.
11. Some are based on a distorted view of the character and importance of selfhood.
12. Some mistake law for morality.

I'd appreciate e-mail concerning our department, the above topics, or undergraduate philosophy in general.

Cheers,

Gene Cline

Courses Taught

PHIL 107 Logic and Critical Reasoning
G. Cline
(1 Unit)

Humanities Core Credit
Modeling & Analysis Mode

Logic and Critical Reasoning is an introduction to logical analysis. This course is designed to help you express arguments clearly, develop skill in evaluating arguments, and achieve an understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the propositional calculus-an artificial language which serves as a model of arguments in ordinary language, and clarifies their logical properties. Along the way you will be introduced to the important differences between the logical and rhetorical conceptions of argument and sensitized to some of the persuasive but spurious fallacies, sophistries, and rhetorical tricks for controlling discussions that undermine reasonable inquiry. Most importantly, you will gain access to a very powerful analytical framework that will help you distinguish good reasoning from bad in any subject.

PHIL 202 Social Philosophy
G. Cline
(1 unit)

Humanities Core Credit
Ethnicity Studies

Description:  This course uses concepts of social justice to frame the social history of African Americans from 1619 until today. I employ analyses adapted from A Leon Higgenbotham, Amartya Sen, Derrick Bell and others. The course includes an issues and historically oriented introduction to a broad range of philosophical subject matter and methodologies through a clarification and analysis of argumentation used to justify selected social and political institutions and practices-- including reparation and affirmative action.

PHIL 335 Philosophical Issues in Law
G. Cline
(1 unit)

Humanities Core Credit
Gender Studies

This course is designed both for students interested in philosophy and for those interested in political science, history, economics, or sociology. It provides an explanation of legal concepts and institutions from the philosophical perspective. It develops in the student: (1) an understanding of some of the major philosophical issues in the law and (2) the ability to reflect critically upon them. The major theme which runs through the course is gender justice and American law, specifically the ways in which law has traditionally bolstered traditional views concerning women’s status. Particular attention is focused on whether the law could effectively support gender justice.