Michael J. Robillard
robillmi@bc.edu
Boston College, Army ROTC
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
 

Curriculum Vitae

AREAS OF SPECIALIZATION
Moral and Social Philosophy, Military Ethics

AREAS OF COMPETENCE
Bioethics, Philosophy of Mind, Logic, Ethics of A.I.

EDUCATION
Research Fellow Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Studies 2020-2021
Research Fellow Uehiro Center for Practical Ethics, Oxford, UK 2016-2020
Research Fellow Stockdale Center for Ethical Leadership 2015-2016 U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis
Ph.D. Philosophy University of Connecticut, Storrs 2016
M.A. Philosophy University of Connecticut, Storrs 2014
M.A. Philosophy University of Victoria, Victoria 2011
B.S. Philosophy U.S. Military Academy, West Point 2002

DISSERTATION
The Moral Dimensions of Vulnerability and Exploitation
Co-Main Advisors: Dr. Hallie Liberto and Dr Michael Lynch; Committee members: Dr. Paul Bloomfield and Dr. Suzy Killmister

TEACHING:
PHIL123: Introduction to Philosophy, Stonehill College, Spring 2024 (Adjunct Professor)
Introduction to Ethics, Naval Special Warfare (Coronado, CA and Norfolk, VA), 3-hour Course (2-4x per year), November 2017- January 2021 (Subject Matter Expert)
Military Ethics Graduate Course, Naval Postgraduate School, Spring 2019 (Adjunct Professor)
Military Ethics Course: St Catherine’s College, University of Oxford, Spring 2017 for visiting student Gwen Whidden
Soldier Moral Injury Course, Uehiro Center for Practical Ethics, Spring 2017 for visiting student Schoutje Schouten
One Day Guest Lecturer, Shrivenham Defense Academy, UK Spring 2016
PHIL 1101: Problems of Philosophy, University of Connecticut, Fall 2014 (Adjunct Professor)
PHIL 299: The Ethics of War and Peace, Bridgewater State University, Spring 2012 (Visiting Lecturer)
PHIL 101: Introduction to Philosophy, Bristol Community College, Spring 2012 (Adjunct Professor)
PHIL 111: Foundations of Logical Reasoning, Bridgewater State University, Fall 2011, Spring 2012 (Visiting Lecturer)

TEACHING ASSISTANTSHIPS:
PHIL 1104: Philosophy and Social Ethics, University of Connecticut, Spring 2014 (Teacher’s Assistant)
PHIL 1107: Gender and Ethics, University of Connecticut, Fall 2012, Fall 2013 (Teacher’s Assistant)
PHIL 1104: Philosophy and Social Ethics, University of Connecticut, Spring 2013 (Teacher’s Assistant)
PHIL 201: Critical Thinking, University of Victoria, Fall 2009, Spring 2010 (Teacher’s Assistant)
PHIL 203: Elements of Formal Logic, University of Victoria, Fall 2009, Spring 2010 (Teacher’s Assistant)
PHIL 235: Ethics of Violence, War, and Terrorism, University of Victoria, Spring 2010 (Teacher’s Assistant)

BOOKS
Outsourcing Duty: The Moral Exploitation of the American Soldier, co-written with Bradley Strawser. Oxford University Press 2022.
Don’t Go to College, co-written with Timothy J. Gordon, Foreword by Michael Knowles, Regnery Publishing 2022.
Who Should Die?: Liability and Killing in War, Co-edited with Dr. Ryan Jenkins and Dr. Bradley J. Strawser. Oxford University Press 2017.

BOOK CHAPTERS
“The Ethics of Killer Robots” in The Oxford Handbook of Digital Ethics ed. Carissa Veliz. Oxford University Press 2021.
“Integrity, Institutions and the Banality of Complicity,” in Military Virtues, eds. Michael Skerker, David Whetham, and Don Carrick. Howgate Publishing 2019.
“Perseverance, Leadership, and the 'We'” in Military Virtues, eds. Michael Skerker, David Whetham, and Don Carrick. Howgate Publishing 2019.
“Fighting for One’s Self,” in Who Should Die?: Liability and Killing in War, Co-edited with Dr. Ryan Jenkins and Dr. Bradley J. Strawser. Oxford University Press 2017.

ARTICLES
“Skin in the Game: Moral Exploitation and National Military Service”, Journal of Military Ethics 2024.
“No Such Thing as Killer Robots” Journal of Applied Ethics 2017.
“The Moral Exploitation of Soldiers”, Public Affairs Quarterly April 2016, co-written with Dr. Bradley Strawser.
“Risk, War, and the Dangers of Soldier Identity” Journal of Military Ethics 2016.

REVIEWS
“A Response to Stephen Kershar’s Gratitude toward Veterans”, Reason Paper Vol 39, no 1. 2017
Review of Isaac Taylor’s “The Ethics of Counterterrorism” Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews 2018
OP-EDS (selected)
“On the Dangers of Big COVID”, Quillette, 2021
“Why Banning Killer Robots Wouldn’t Solve Anything”, co-written with Susanne Burri, Aeon, 2017
“The Killer Robots are Us”, New York Times, 2018
“In Defense of Offense”, Quillette, 2018

PRESENTATIONS
•Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Studies, Fall 2020/ Spring 2021 “Trust, Technology, and Future Generations,”
•University of Bucharest, Romania, May 2019 “Weaponized Narrative and Counter-terrorism Ethics”,
“Skin in the Game”
• McCain Conference, US Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD March 2019
“War in Intentional Space”
• Euro ISME, Toledo, Spain, Spring 2018
“Veteran Dialogue and the Future of War”
• Oxford Changing Character of War Panel Discussion, Spring 2017
• Oxford Consortium on Human Rights Panel, Spring 2017
“Moral Exploitation and Veteran Healthcare”
• University of Pennsylvania, March 2017
“What Do We Owe Our Veterans?: From Signaling to Institutional Reform”
• University of Michigan, Panel on “What Do We Owe Veterans”, Ann Arbor, Michigan, November 2016.
“Military Recruitment and the Moral Exploitation of Soldiers”
• McCain Conference, Panel on civil-military relations, US Naval Academy, March 2016.
“From Ethical Demandingness to Ethical Exhaustion: On the Moral Schizophrenia of Modern Combat”
• Manchester University, MANCEPT Conference on the Ethical Experience of War, Manchester, UK, September, 2016. “No Such Thing as Killer Robots”
• European University Institute. Florence, Italy. May 2016.
• The Stockholm Centre for the Ethics of War and Peace Graduate Reading Retreat, Bergamo, Italy, September, 2016.
“No Such Thing As Killer Robots”
• Ethics, Law, and Armed Conflict workshop, Florence, Italy, May 2016.
•The Stockholm Centre for the Ethics of War and Peace Graduate Reading Retreat, Florence, Italy, September, 2016.
•“Intervening on Behalf of Future Persons”
•The Naval Postgraduate School ‘Future of Warfare Conference’, Monterey, CA October, 2015.
•The Stockholm Centre for the Ethics of War and Peace Graduate Reading Retreat, Bergamo, Italy, September, 2015.
•The Aristotelian Society Joint Session. University of Warwick, Warwick, UK, July, 2015.
•The Society for Applied Philosophy Annual Conference. University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK, July, 2015.
•University of Warwick Graduate Conference. University of Warwick, Warwick, UK, February, 2015.
•The Stockholm Centre for the Ethics of War and Peace Graduate Course, University of Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden, January, 2015.
•“Exploitation and Moral Vulnerability” University of Leeds. Leeds, UK. August 2015.
•"Risk, War, and the Dangers of Soldier Identity” European International Society for Military Ethics, Belgrade, Serbia. May, 2015.

•Stockdale Center for Ethical Leadership, United States Naval Academy, Annapolis Maryland, December, 2014.
•“On Moral Exploitation” Australian Association of Philosophy, Australia National University, Canberra, Australia, July 2014.
•“Exploitation and Doxastic Vulnerability: Expanding the Realm of Unreasonable Options” Australian Association of Philosophy and Applied Ethics, University of Notre Dame, Sydney, Australia, June 2014.
“On the Moral Exploitation of Soldiers”
•The Stockholm Centre for the Ethics of War and Peace 21st Century Inaugural Conference, Stockholm, Sweden, May 2014.
•The Center for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics (CAPPE), University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia, May 2014.
•International Society for Military Ethics, University of Notre Dame, October 2013.
“What Do We Mean by ‘Irregular Warfare’?”,
•International Society for Military Ethics, University of San Diego, January 2010
“The Moral Dilemma of an Unjust War: A Junior Officer Perspective”
•Co-authored with CPT Abraham Osborn. Joint Service Conference on Professional Ethics, Virginia, January 2006.

COMMENTARIES
Respondent to Jonathan Parry’s “Consent and the Justification for Defensive Force,” Oxford ELAC Conference, Stockholm, Sweden, August 2015.
Respondent to Michael Skerker’s “The Moral Status of Combatants,” Stockdale Center for Ethical Leadership, United States Naval Academy, Annapolis Maryland, April, 2015.
Respondant to Zac Cogley’s “Blaming the Victim”. Workshop on the Duty to Resist Oppression, University of Connecticut, September 2013.

HONORS AND SERVICE
Junior Research Fellow, Linacre College, University of Oxford
Class of 1958 Research Fellow, Stockdale Center for Ethical Leadership, U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, 2015-2016
Graduate Stipend, Society for Applied Philosophy, UK 2015
University of Oxford, Visiting Scholar, January-March 2015
Australia National University, Visiting Scholar, July 2014
Melbourne University, Visiting Scholar, May-August 2014
University of Connecticut Research Travel Fellowship 2014
University of Connecticut Graduate Student Senate Representative 2013-2014
University of Victoria Student Union Representative 2010-2011
University of Victoria Graduate Fellowship 2010
University of Victoria Graduate Fellowship 2009
MILITARY HIGHLIGHTS
OIF 2, 82nd Airborne, Light Infantry Platoon Leader, 2-325 Infantry, June 2003-Jan 2004, Baghdad, Iraq
US Army Ranger School, 2002
US Army Airborne School, 2002
US Army Infantry Officer Basic School, 2002
Commissioned 2LT, United States Military Academy, 2002
US Army Sapper School, 2000