https://orcid.org/ 0000-0002-7853-7452

About Professor Gray

Professor Gray joined the department in 2017. He received his PhD and MA from Harvard University and his BA from Columbia University. Gray’s areas of specialization include philosophy of race and racism, philosophy of cognitive science, philosophy of language, philosophy of mind, and African American philosophy. His current research focuses on the social ontology of race, racial epithets, philosophy of psychopathology, philosophy of artificial intelligence, and cognitive phenomenology. In addition to the above areas, Gray also has teachings interests in logic, philosophy of film, AI ethics, and philosophy of science (general, evolutionary biology, and cognitive psychology).

Journal Articles

“Aspiration and Self-Realization: The Ameliorative Projects of Steve Biko.” Philosophy of the Social Sciences. 53:2: March 2023. 142-162. DOI: 10.1177/00483931221150488.

“Social Ontologies of Race and Their Development”. The Southern Journal of Philosophy. Vol. 60:S1. September 2022. 4-20. DOI: 10.1111/sjp.12481.

“Introduction to Charles Mills’s “The Wretched of Middle-Earth: An Orkish Manifesto” (with Chike Jeffers). The Southern Journal of Philosophy. Vol. 60: S1. September 2022. 102-104. DOI: 10.1111/sjp.12476.

“Naturalism, Disease, and Levels of Functional Description” (with Somogy Varga). Journal of Philosophy and Medicine. Vol. 47:3. June 2022. 482-493. DOI: 10.1093/jmp/jhac005.

“Linguistic Disobedience” (with Ben Lennertz).  Philosophers’ Imprint. Vol. 20: 21. August 2020. 1-16. Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/2027/spo.3521354.0020.021.

“Counting-ish Creatures and Conceptual Content” Mind.  Vol. 123: 492.  October 2014. 1141-1146. DOI: 10.1093/mind/fzu152.

“Failing to Self-Ascribe Thought and Motion:  Towards a Three-Factor Account of Passivity Symptoms in Schizophrenia” Schizophrenia Research.  152: 1.  January 2014. 28-32. DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2013.06.031.

“Racial Norms:  A Reinterpretation of Du Bois’ ‘The Conservation of Races’” The Southern Journal of Philosophy.  51: 4.  December 2013. 465-487. DOI: 10.1111/sjp.12043. (Winner of the 2012 APA William James Prize).

“How Specific Can You Get?  Troubles for Cognitive Phenomenology” Southwest Philosophy Review, 29: 1.  January 2013. 163-172. DOI: 10.5840/swphilreview201329118.

“HOT:  Keeping up Appearances?” Southwest Philosophy Review, 28: 1.  January 2012. 155-163. DOI: 10.5840/swphilreview201228116.

 

Edited Journal Issue

“New Ontologies of Race” 39^th Annual Spindel Supplement, The Southern Journal of Philosophy, September 2022. Volume 60: 1. 1-136. DOI: 10.1111/sjp.12419

 

Select Presentations

“Conceptual Amelioration in Biko’s Emancipatory Theory of Race”
    -The University of Memphis, Department of Philosophy, September 8, 2023

“Conceptual Amelioration, Linguistic Disobedience, and the Emancipatory Goals of Normative Theories of Race”
    13^th Annual Auburn Philosophy Conference: Language & Value, March 16-17, 2023.

“Digital Citizenship in the Age of AI”
    STEM Professional Development series, West TN STEM Hub (https://westtnstemhub.org), Spring 2023

"Racial Objects"
    -Social Ontology and Collective Intentionality, University of Vienna, August 24, 2022
    -Social Ontology Conference, Tufts University, August 25, 2018

“Amelioration, Descriptivism, and Black Consciousness: Goal-oriented theories of race in Haslanger, Biko, and Du Bois”
    -Philosophy of Social Science Round Table, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, April 1, 2022

"Linguistic Disobedience"
    -Language: Uses and Misuses. Cave Hill Philosophy Symposium, June 18, 2021

“An Agentive Phenomenology that is a Cognitive Phenomenology”
    -Recent Work on Phenomenal Intentionality, Eastern APA, January 8, 2020

“Attempts to Appropriate Slurs and Grice’s First Maxim of Quality” (with Ben Lennertz)
    -Post-Truth Workshop, German Linguistic Society (DGfS), March 6, 2019

“Cognitive Architecture and Related Issues”
    Fed Ex Institute of Intelligent Systems, The University of Memphis, November 14^th, 2017.

Public Facing Philosophy

“Critical Race Theory: What it is and What it isn’t”, The Conversation. June 30th, 2021.  https://theconversation.com/critical-race-theory-what-it-is-and-what-it-isnt-162752

“Racial Ontology: A guide for the Perplexed.  Part I:  General Problems”.  Video for WiPhi Open Access Philosophy.  http://www.wi-phi.com/video/racial-ontology

“Racial Ontology: A guide for the Perplexed.  Part II:  Naturalist Accounts of Race”.  Video for WiPhi Open Access Philosophy.  http://www.wi-phi.com/video/naturalist-theories-race

“Racial Ontology: A guide for the Perplexed.  Part IIIA:  Socio-historical Accounts of Race:  Artifacts and Naturally-based Kinds”.  Video for WiPhi Open Access Philosophy.  http://www.wi-phi.com/video/sociohistorical-theories-race

“Racial Ontology: A guide for the Perplexed.  Part IIIB:  Socio-historical Accounts of Race:  Socio-historical theories”.  http://www.wi-phi.com/

“Failing to Ascribe Thought and Motion: Part I” at Imperfect Cognitions  https://imperfectcognitions.blogspot.com.au/2016/06/failing-to-self-ascribe-thought-and.html

“Failing to Ascribe Thought and Motion: Part II” at Imperfect Cognitions https://imperfectcognitions.blogspot.com.au/2016/06/failing-to-self-ascribe-thought-and_88.html