Department of History and Philosophy

Contact Information

603-535-2423
Hyde Hall 408
MSC #30

About Professor Perkins

Ray Perkins Jr. earned his BA degree from Colby College (1964) and his PhD in Philosophy from Duke (1973). He has taught philosophy at several institutions of higher learning over the years, including Duke, UNH, New England College and, since 1992, Plymouth State Unversity where he currently serves as professor of philosophy in the department of history and philosophy. 

He was born in Concord, NH and attended public schools there. He became interested in philosophy early on, and decided to major in philosophy when he went off to do his undergrad work at Colby College and his graduate work at Duke University in the mid 60s just about the time the Vietnam War was getting hot. It was a very divisive and difficult time but it left him with a firm conviction in the importance critical thinking and ethics in the areas of national politics and international relations, especially in matters of war and peace.

He has been teaching philosophy courses at PSU for more than 20 years, including courses in logic, the history of philosophy, ethics and philosophical issues in peace education.

He has for years been closely connected with the Northern New England Philosophical Association and the Bertrand Russell Society for which he is currently serving as Vice President.

Selected publications
    
Books:

• Yours Faithfully, Bertrand Russell: A Lifelong Fight for Peace, Justice and Truth in Letters to the Editor  (Open Court, 2002)
• Logic and Mr. Limbaugh: A Dittoheads Guide to Fallacious Reasoning (Open Court, 1995)
• The ABCs of the Soviet-American Nuclear Arms Race (Wadsworth, 1991)
• The Moral Philosophy of G.E. Moore  by R.P. Sylvester (co-edited with Ralph Sleeper; Temple, 1990)

 Articles/Presentations:

• “Was Russell’s 1922 Error Theory A Mistake?” in Russell: the Journal of Bertrand Russell Studies (Summer 2012)
• “Was Russell Really An Atheist?,” presented at the 39th annual meeting of The Bertrand Russell Society, Plymouth State University, June 2012
•  “The Wickedest People Who Ever Lived,” presented at Philosophy Circle, PSU, 2011
• “Incomplete Symbols in Principia Mathematica and Russell’s ‘Definite Proof’”, in Russell (Summer, 2011)
• “Bertrand Russell and Preventive War” in Russell (Winter1994-95)
• “Deterrence is Immoral,” in The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (Feb. 1985)

Awards

• 2012 Bertrand Russell Society Service Award
• 2003 Bertrand Russell Society Book Award for Yours Faithfully Bertrand Russell (Open Court, 2002)
• American Service Committee Award  for community peace work, 1992
• Beyond War Award for community peace work, 1990
• Stephen C. Pepper Prize in Philosophy for outstanding work in philosophy, Colby College, 1964

Courses Taught

• Ultimate Questions (PY 1010)
• Elements of Logic (PY 2310)
• Doing Right and Being Good (PY 1120)
• Building a Civil Society (PYDI 1050)
• Ancient Philosophy (PY 3110)
• Modern Philosophy (PY 3120)
• Contemporary Philosophy (PY 3160)
• Society, Ethics and the Law (PY 3150)
• Philosophy, Science and Superstition (PY 3710)
• Philosophical Perspectives on War and Peace (PY 3560)
• Great Philosophers Seminar (PY 4770)