W. Heath White

Dr. White was born in Virginia Beach, VA and spent his high school years in Manila, Philippines. After attending college in Massachusetts, he spent three years as a software engineer before decamping for Georgetown University to study philosophy. After stints at the University of Virgina and Valparaiso University, he was hired in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at UNC Wilmington in 2005, where he has worked ever since. He has a wife and two grown children, a 99th percentile rating on chess.com, and a second-degree black belt in karate.

Education

Ph.D. in Philosophy, Georgetown University
B.S. in Computer Science, Gordon College

Specialization in Teaching

At UNCW, Dr. White has taught courses in Free Will and Moral Responsibility, the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence, Epistemology, Ancient and Medieval Philosophy, the Philosophy of Religion, the Philosophy of Language, and Virtue Ethics.

Research Interests

Dr. White's research interests center around practical reason, and the ways it touches on ethics, philosophy of mind, and free will. In addition to these central interests, he has published on the moral proclivities of AI engines, the ethics of Wilfrid Sellars, and theological determinism.

Professional Service

Dr. White is currently Chair of the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at UNC Wilmington. From 2013-2017 he was Secretary-Treasurer or President of the North Carolina Philosophical Society.

Honors & Awards

Recently, Dr. White received grants to fund research into the moral stances of large language models, both from the College of Humanities, Social Sciences, and the Arts, and from the outside organization Cosmos Ventures.