Robert Gruber | Springfield College

Robert Gruber

Robert Gruber

Associate Professor of Philosophy
Robert Gruber head shot
  • Doctor of Philosophy, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Mass., 2018 
  • Bachelor of Science, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisc., 2011

Robert Gruber joined Springfield College in 2018.  His research focuses on normative ethics, particularly the ethics of collective action problems and environmental ethics.  He also has a budding interest in the philosophy of sport, especially regarding questions about the value of sport.

Research Interests
  • Normative Ethics
  • Environmental Ethics
Courses Taught
  • Conflict of Ideals
  • Introduction to Philosophy
  • Environmental Ethics
  • Philosophy of Sport
  • The Good Life
  • Philosophy of Religion
  • The Meaning of Life
Presentations
  • “Should We Prioritize the Welfare of Animals over the Welfare of People?” at the Eastern American Philosophical Association Conference, January 2023
  • “The Ethics of Collective Action," OLLI Speaker Series, Berkshire Community College, April 2023
  • “Control, Collective Action, and a Solution to the Mismatch Problem” at the Eastern American Philosophical Association, January 2021
  • “Physics, Philosophy, and Psychology: Play is more than everyone thinks." (Co-presented with Rick Paar, PhD and James O’Brien, PhD) at the Association for the Study of Play Conference, Harrisonburg Vir., March 2019
  • “Harmless Torturers, Accumulation, and a Solution to the Mismatch Problem” at the Eastern American Philosophical Association Conference, January 2019
  • “Evaluating the Uncooperativeness Solution to the Mismatch Problem” at the Central American Philosophical Association Conference, February 2018
  • "The Mismatch Problem for Expected Utility Act Consequentialism” at the Central American Philosophical Association Conference, March 2017

 

Publications

"Actual Utility, the Mismatch Problem, and the Move to Expected Utility," Philosophical Studies, 174 (12):3097-3108 (2017)