Eric Gander

Eric Gander

Assc Professor

Weissman School of Arts and Sciences

Department: Communication Studies

Areas of expertise:

Email Address: eric.gander@baruch.cuny.edu

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SemesterCourse PrefixCourse NumberCourse Name
Spring 2021PHI3045Comm Law and Free Speech
Spring 2020PHI3045Comm Law and Free Speech
Spring 2018PHI3045Comm Law and Free Speech
Spring 2017PHI3045Comm Law and Free Speech
Spring 2015PHI3045Comm Law and Free Speech
Spring 2014PHI3045Comm Law and Free Speech
Spring 2013PHI3045Comm Law and Free Speech
Spring 2012PHI3045Comm Law and Free Speech
Spring 2010PHI1500Major Issues in Philosophy
Spring 2010PHI3045Comm Law and Free Speech

Books

Gander, E. (2003). On Our Minds: How Evolutionary Psychology is Reshaping the Nature versus Nurture Debate. (p. 293, 120,000 words). Baltimore, MD, United States, John Hopkins University Press.

Gander, E. (1999). The Last Conceptual Revolution: A Critique of Richard Rorty's Political Philosophy . (p. 235, 80,000 words). Albany, NY, United States, State University of New York Press.

Journal Articles

(1993). Bill Clinton and the "R" Words: The Presidential Nominee's Acceptance Address. Journal of Communication Studies, Arkansas State Communication Association , 1-10.

(1991). Torturers and Aesthetes: On Richard Rorty's Concept of the Self. ellipsis: a journal of postmodern studies, Editorial Collective of SUNY at Binghamton., 167-191.

Book Chapters

Waisanen, D., Hahn, A., & Gander, E. (2017). Text, Talk, Argue: How to Improve Text-Driven Political Conversations. In Winkler, C. (Ed.), Networking Argument New York, NY,United States. Routledge.

(2017). Text, Talk, Argue: How to Improve Text-Driven Political Conversations from an Argumentation Perspective. Networking Argument (p. 12). New York City, NY,USA. Routledge.

(2008). Justice Scalia and the R.A.V. Mystery: A Discussion of Hate Speech, Critical Race Theory, and the First Amendment. Freedom of Expression Yearbook (pp. 134-153, 10,500 words). Annandale, VA. The National Communication Association.

Gander, E. (1987). United States' Policies and Latin American Political Stability: An Overview of the 1987-88 National High School Debate Resolution. In Goodnight, L., Gander, E., & Deatherage, S. (Eds.), The complete resource handbook of issues on establishing a U.S. foreign policy toward Latin America: "What changes are needed in United States foreign policy toward Latin America?" (pp. 1-20). Lincolnwood, Ill.,USA. National Textbook Company.

Conference Proceedings

Gander, E. (2011). Our Greatest Confusion: Evolution, Cooperation, and 'Survival of the Fittest'. The Functions of Argument and Social Context: Selected Papers from the Sixteenth NCA/AFA Conference on Argumentation, August, 2009.

Gander, E. (2009). A Future for Citizenship. Concerning Argument: Selected Papers from the Fifteenth NCA/AFA Conference on Argumentation, August, 2007.

Gander, E. (2007). The Legal Theory of Incitement: A Brief History. Enhancing Argument in Society: Selected Paper from the Fourteenth NCA/AFA Conference on Argumentation, August, 2005.

Gander, E. (2005). Writing on The Blank Slate: Steven Pinker and the Rhetoric and Politics of Human Nature. Critical Problems in Argumentation: Selected Paper from the Thirteenth NCA/AFA Conference on Argumentation, August, 2003.

Gander, E. (2003). Adapted Arguments: Logic and Rhetoric in the Age of Genes and Hardwired Brains. Proceedings of the Fifth Conference of the International Society for the Study of Argumentation, June, 2002.

Gander, E. (2001). Prophecy as Argument: A Haunting Vision of America's Future. Argument at Century's End, Reflecting on the Past and Envisioning the Future: Selected Papers from the Eleventh SCA/AFA Conference on Argumentation, August, 1999.

Gander, E. (1997). Answering Hitler: A Discussion of What Liberals Must Believe About Persuasion. Argumentation and Values: Selected Papers from the Ninth SCA/AFA Argumentation, August, 1995.

Gander, E. (1995). Rendezvous at the End of History: Francis Fukuyama and Richard Rorty on Liberal-Democratic Politics. Argument and the Postmodern Challenge: Selected Papers from the Eighth SCA/AFA Conference on Argumentation, August, 1993.

Gander, E. (1991). Perry Mason, Esquire and Postmodern: The Case of Critical Legal Theory and Arguments Against Argument. Proceedings of the Second Conference of the International Society for the Study of Argumentation, June, 1990.

Law Reviews

Gander, E. (2002). "Civil liberty versus civil liability: Robert O'Neil defends the First Amendment" (No.5). University of Illinois School of Law.

Presentations

Waisanen, D., Hahn, A., & Gander, E. (2017, July 21). Text, Talk, Argue: How to Improve Political Conversations from an Argumentation Perspective. Alta Conference on Argumentation. Alta, UT: National Communication Association.

Gander, E. (2012, May 31). Affirmative Action, Then and Now: A Legal History. Rhetoric Society of America. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Rhetoric Society of America.

Gander, E. (2011, August 31). The Joy of Textualism: Antonin Scalia on Constitutional Interpretation. Alta Conference on Argumentation. Alta, Utah: Seventeenth NCA/AFA Conference on Argumentation.

Gander, E. (2010, March 31). The Olive-Pitter and the Mind: What Sherlock Holmes, Charles Darwin and C.S. Peirce Can Tell Us About How We Should Understand Human Nature. Brown Bag Colloquium. : Baruch College, Department of Communication Studies.

Gander, E. (2009, August 31). "Our Greatest Confusion: Evolution, Cooperation, and 'Survival of the Fittest'”. Alta Conference on Argumentation. Alta, Utah: Sixteenth NCA/AFA Conference on Argumentation.

Gander, E. (2008, May 31). The Language of Intimacy: Steven Pinker on Sex, Verbs, and Human Nature. Rhetoric Society of America. Seattle, Washington: Rhetoric Society of America.

Gander, E. (2007, August 31). A Future for Citizenship. Alta Conference on Argumentation. Alta, Utah: Fifthteenth NCA/AFA Conference on Argumentation.

Gander, E. (2005, August 31). The Legal Theory of Incitement: A Brief History. Alta Conference on Argumentation. Alta, Utah: Fourteenth NCA/AFA Conference on Argumentation.

Gander, E. (2003, August 31). Writing on The Blank Slate: Steven Pinker and the Rhetoric and Politics of Human Nature. Alta Conference on Argumentation. Alta, Utah: Thirteenth NCA/AFA Conference on Argumentation.

Gander, E. (2000, October 19). Speaking the Public Mind: Re-examining the Connection Between Political Rhetoric and Political Philosophy. Interdisciplinary forum on contemporary politics. : Political Science department, Baruch College.

Gander, E. (1999, August 31). Prophecy as Argument: A Haunting Vision of America's Future. Alta Conference on Argumentation. Alta, Utah

Gander, E. (1995, October 28). The Sounds of Violence: Media Ethics in An Electronic Age. Forum on Violence and the Media. Fairleigh Dickinson University: University Core Curriculum and the Office of Multi-cultural Affairs.

Gander, E. (1995, August 31). Answering Hitler: A Discussion of What Liberals Must Believe About Persuasion. Alta Conference on Argumentation. Alta, Utah

Gander, E. (1993, August 31). Rendezvous at the End of History: Francis Fukuyama and Richard Rorty on Liberal-Democratic Politics. Alta Conference on Argumentation. Alta, Utah

Gander, E. (1993, April 30). Exploring the Beauty Myth Myth. Popular Culture Association Convention.

Gander, E. (1992, March 31). The Naked Power Organ, or The Case of 'Original Understanding' vs. 'Doing What's Best for the Republic. Popular Culture Association Convention.

Gander, E. (1991, March 31). From Mean Streets to Main Street: Surreal Seediness Invades the Small Town of 'Twin Peaks'. Popular Culture Association Convention.

Gander, E. (1990, June 30). Another Round in the Cultural Literacy Debate: What Every American Needs to Know About What Every American Needs to Know. International Communication Association Convention.

Gander, E. (1990, June 30). Perry Mason, Esquire and Postmodern: The Case of Critical Legal Theory and Arguments Against Argument. Second International Conference on Argumentation. Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Gander, E. (1990, March 31). Guerrilla Filmmaking: Spike Lee's Hollywood Insurgency. Popular Culture Association Convention.

Gander, E. (1988, November 30). Pedagogy in the Postmodern Age. Speech Communication Association Convention.

Gander, E. (1988, November 30). Sophisticated Innocence: An Approach to Criticism in the Postmodern Age. Speech Communication Association Convention.

Gander, E. (1988, June 30). Postmodernity and the Fate of Rhetoric. International Communication Association Convention, Philosophy of Communication Division.

Gander, E., & Aune, J. (1984, April 30). Rhetoric and Ideology in Political Theory: A Burkeian Reading of Marx and Rawls. Burke Conference. Temple University

Other Scholarly Works

Gander, E. (1994). "Time to Vote, But Not With a Fist". New York Times. C17.

Gander, E. (1989). "Habermas on Habermas: The Perils of Communicative Action in Our Postmodern Age".

Research Currently in Progess

Gander, E.(n.d.). The Olive-Pitter and the Mind: Sherlock Holmes, Charles Darwin and C.S. Peirce Team Up to Investigate Human Nature. In Progress.

This is a sequel, of sorts, to my second book “On Our Minds: How Evolutionary Psychology is Reshaping the Nature-versus-Nurture Debate.” This new book examines the method of “reverse engineering” that evolutionary psychologists and others claim they use in investigating the workings of the human mind. Reverse engineering has come under fire from critics of evolutionary psychology as being impossibly circular. The criticism is simply this: the mind is said to be adapted to the environment of our hunter-gatherer ancestors, but that environment is largely inferred from the adaptations our minds possess today. Hence, the circularity. This is the most powerful criticism of evolutionary psychology advanced today, and it needs to be answered. I do so by embracing the criticism and then arguing that what evolutionary psychologists call reverse engineering is best understood as what Charles Sanders Peirce described as the process of “abduction”—the same process used by the most famous fictional detective ever created. By explaining the connection between reverse engineering and abduction I hope to advance—at a philosophical, or meta-scientific, level—our understanding of evolutionary psychology and of the workings of the natural sciences in general. I am currently editing for publication the approximately 350 page manuscript I have written.

TitleFunding Agency SponsorStart DateEnd DateAwarded DateTotal FundingStatus
Department Chair Research Account Year 2 - Eric GanderPSC CUNY09/01/202108/31/202309/01/20213000Completed
Department Chair Research Account Year 4 Eric GanderPSC CUNY09/01/202308/31/202508/31/20233000Funded - In Progress
Department Chair Research Account Year 3 - Eric GanderPSC CUNY09/01/202208/31/202409/01/20223000Funded - In Progress