Michael Latzer

• Introduction to Philosophy
• Philosophy of Ethical Responsibility
• Philosophy of God
• Philosophy of Knowledge
• Philosophy of Science
• Philosophy of History
• Logic

• McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario 1985 (B.A.)
• University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario 1987 (M.A.)
• University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario 1993 (Ph.D.) Dissertation: "Leibniz's Doctrine of Evil."

• International Berkeley Society

Publications:

• "The Nature of Evil: Leibniz and His Medieval Background", The Modern Schoolman 71, 1993;
• Review of G.W. Leibniz, "De l’Horizon de la Doctrine Humain" et "la Restitution Universelle", ed. by Michel Fichant, Leibniz Society Review 3, 1993;
• "Leibniz’s Conception of Metaphysical Evil", Journal of the History of Ideas 55, 1994;
• "My God is Not Cruel: The Theodicy of Harold S. Kushner", Encounter 51, 1996;
• "The Proofs for the Existence of God: Henry of Ghent and Duns Scotus as Precursors of Leibniz", The Modern Schoolman 74, 1997.
• "'Using a Picture': Wittgenstein and Byzantine Iconography," Encounter 66, 2005.
• Review of Fergus Kerr, "'Work on Oneself': Wittgenstein's Philosophical Psychology," Newsletter of the American Maritain Association, 2010.
   

Conferences:

• "Descartes and the Problem of Evil", American Philosophical Association meetings (Central Division), Pittsburgh, 1997, also presented at American Maritain Association meetings, Phoenix, 1996;
• "Leibniz’s Conception of Metaphysical Evil", American Philosophical Association meetings (Pacific Division), Los Angeles, 1994;
• Co-chaired session of the Leibniz Society of North America, at American Philosophical Association meetings (Central Division), Chicago, 1993.
• Chaired session of the International Berkeley Conference, Newport, RI, 2008.
• "Teaching Philosophy of God in a Religiously Plural College Classroom," National Technology and Social Science Conference, Las Vegas, NV, April 2014.
• "Epistemic Attitudes in Interreligious Dialogue," National Technology and Social Science Conference, Denver, CO, August 2016.

Scholar-in-Residence

• On behalf of the International Berkeley Society, I served as a scholar-in-residence at Whitehall, near Newport, RI, the home of philosopher George Berkeley from 1729-31.

I am most interested in Christian Philosophy, especially apologetics, natural theology, theodicy, and religious language.  My current research involves Bishop Berkeley—his theory of religious language, and his arguments with freethinkers and deists.