BGSU names philosopher Outstanding Young Scholar

BOWLING GREEN, O.—Each year, Bowling Green State University gives the Outstanding Young Scholar Award to a young faculty member who has excelled in his or her scholarly endeavors. This year’s winner, Dr. Jeffrey Moriarty, an assistant professor of philosophy, was an obvious choice.

He has already written seven articles published in top-level, refereed philosophy journals, a book chapter, two encyclopedia entries and a book review—all since receiving his Ph.D. in 2002 from Rutgers University. In addition, he has presented his work in 18 locations, including overseas.

Based upon this prolific output and contributions to his field, Moriarty was given the award, along with $2,000 and another $1,000 in his departmental account to be used to further his scholarship. Presented by BGSU’s Office of Sponsored Programs and Research (SPAR), funding for the award comes from a variety of internal and external donors.

In accepting the award, he thanked SPAR and his department but especially his students, whose curiosity “makes me even more eager to find out more.”

Moriarty, who came to BGSU in 2005, “is easily the most outstanding young scholar in the department,” wrote department chair Dr. David Shoemaker, an associate professor of philosophy, in nominating him. He specializes in both political philosophy and business ethics and has already become internationally known for the latter, having been invited to speak last year at the University of Zurich and this fall in Belgium and New York.

“He has also already won the national Young Scholar Award sponsored by the Cornell University Program on Ethics and Public Life,” where he presented several of his works in progress in spring 2007, Shoemaker added.

Moriarty has about twice the typical number of major publications for a young philosopher, Shoemaker said, explaining that “it can be very difficult to publish in philosophy journals; many of the top-tier journals have very low acceptance rates—around 5 percent—and many others are not much better (typically around 10 percent).”

Moriarty’s publications include one that was published in Nous, “one of the top three or four most prestigious journals in philosophy,” according to Shoemaker. He has also published more than once in the top business ethics journals, and his 2005 article “Do CEOs Get Paid Too Much?” has been reprinted in three journals. “He continues to work at an accelerated clip, having five new papers in the works,” Shoemaker noted.

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(Posted November 10, 2008 )