Michael Latzer

• Philosophy & Human Nature/Introduction to Philosophy/Philosophy & the Good Life
• 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.
• "C.S. Lewis and Bishop Berkeley on Providence and the Laws of Nature," delivered at the Undiscovered C.S. Lewis Conference, George Fox University, Newburg, OR, Sept. 6, 2024.

Scholar-in-Residence

• On behalf of the International Berkeley Society, I served during three summers (2017-2019) as a scholar-in-residence at Whitehall Museum House near Newport, RI, the home of philosopher George Berkeley from 1729-31.

I am most interested in Christian Philosophy, especially apologetics, natural theology, theodicy, religious language, and C.S. Lewis.  My current research involves Bishop Berkeley—his theory of religious language, and his arguments with freethinkers and deists.  I'm also actively researching Bishop Berkeley's influence on C.S. Lewis's natural theology.