Alejandro Bárcenas teaches history of philosophy at Texas State University. He is the author of Machiavelli’s Art of Politics (2015) and a contributor to The Daily Show and Philosophy (Wiley Blackwell, 2007) and The Ultimate Star Trek and Philosophy (Wiley Blackwell, 2016). His research focuses on political theory and classical Chinese philosophy. He hopes one day to get a chance to discuss Lawrence of Arabia with David from Prometheus.
Adam Barkman (PhD Free University of Amsterdam) is an associate professor of philosophy and the chair of the philosophy department at Redeemer University College. He is the author of five books, including Making Sense of Islamic Art and Architecture (2015), and the co‐editor of four books on philosophy, film, and pop culture, most recently The Philosophy of Ang Lee (2013). Adam has traveled to over fifty countries in his time, but still wants to see a pyramid in Antarctica (sans alien queens, of course).
Alexander Christian is a research fellow at the Duesseldorf Center for Logic and Philosophy of Science at the Heinrich Heine University in Duesseldorf, working in philosophy of science (demarcation problem) and research ethics (scientific misconduct, questionable research practices, responsible conduct of research in health sciences). Alex gave up his dreams of being an astronaut when he was ten years old and watched Alien for the first time alone on a tiny black and white TV. Although he thinks that his second career path is way more secure, he hides an M41A Pulse Rifle under his desk. Because they mostly come during office hours, mostly.
Daniel Conway teaches philosophy at Texas A&M University. He too has been deemed “expendable” by various employers, though not yet—as far as he knows—in the context of their pursuit of weaponized alien biotechnology. Needless to say, that decision would be understandable…
Kevin S. Decker teaches philosophy at Eastern Washington University, where he often lectures about the phenomenology of peaches and the rights of vampire citizens. He is the editor or co‐editor of several anthologies of philosophy and popular culture, including The Ultimate Star Wars and Philosophy and The Ultimate Star Trek and Philosophy (with Jason T. Eberl) and Philosophy and Breaking Bad (with David Koepsell and Robert Arp). His book Who is Who? The Philosophy of Doctor Who saved his life recently when, the lights having gone out, he used it to wedge a door piston shut on the USCSS Costaguana to protect him from the predatory ship’s cat, Smithey.
David Denneny’s career as a graduate student in philosophy has just started at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, and he’s excited to dive right into some heavy‐duty philosophy. His hobbies include playing funky music on bass guitar, being something of a political dissident, singing R&B on karaoke night, and referring to quotes from smarter people than himself when he wants to get a point across. Stay groovy comrades, and keep an eye out for Xenomorphs!
Jeffrey Ewing is a doctoral candidate at the University of Oregon, and has written chapters for various popular culture and philosophy books, including those on Frankenstein, Jurassic Park, and Ender’s Game. He loves to write poems on natural subjects, such as Xenomorphs. “Roses are Red, Grass is Green. Where is the Facehugger? It’s lunging at m – ” *muffled scream*
Martin Glick is a doctoral candidate at the University at Göttingen studying legal philosophy. His research interests also include political philosophy, aesthetics, and trying to convince the general population that Predator 2 should be considered one of the essential 90s action films.
Tim Jones, PhD, is an Englishman who wrote the final draft of his chapter while staying with his partner’s family in America. He therefore knows what it’s like to be an alien and manages to conduct himself without tearing to pieces everyone he comes across and desiccating their corpses, so can’t see why the Xenomorphs are unable to behave themselves by following his example.
Chris Lay is a doctoral candidate and graduate teaching assistant at the University of Georgia and is deeply interested in issues of personal identity. He devours science fiction in all its forms: books, movies, video games—you name it. Chris un‐ironically and shamelessly enjoys SyFy Channel original movies far more than he should. He has a serious problem; please help him.
William A. Lindenmuth is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Shoreline College. He received his MA in philosophy in New York City from the New School for Social Research, and his BA in English from Saint Mary’s College in California. He’s taught in New York, Las Vegas, Seattle, and Rome, Italy. He specializes in normative ethics and moral psychology, particularly through the mediums of literature and film, arguing that our stories show us both who we are and who we’d like to be. William has contributed to The Ultimate Star Trek and Philosophy, The Ultimate Star Wars and Philosophy (Wiley Blackwell), and the forthcoming The Philosophy of Christopher Nolan, Jane Austen and Philosophy, and Romancing the Zombie. He mostly philosophizes at night. Mostly.
Greg Littmann is a human—a sort of tube of soft tissue, composed mostly of water, and held semi‐rigid by a calcium endoskeleton. Having an internal skeleton leaves his vital organs dangerously unprotected, but has two major advantages. Firstly, an endoskeleton provides great structural support, allowing him to grow almost two meters long—large enough to become Associate Professor of Philosophy at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Secondly, an endoskeleton permits sufficient joint articulation for fine manipulation like typing, enabling him to publish on the philosophy of logic, evolutionary epistemology, and the philosophy of professional philosophy, as well as writing numerous chapters for books relating philosophy to popular culture, including volumes on Doctor Who, Jurassic Park, Planet of the Apes, Star Trek, Star Wars, and The Walking Dead. Taxonomically, humans are a species of ape, most easily distinguished from other apes by their patchy hair and enormous buttocks.
Louis Melançon is a faculty member at the National Intelligence University. He’s a doctoral candidate at the George Washington University and has contributed various chapters on philosophy and popular culture topics including The Avengers and The Hunger Games. While it’s true that in space no one can hear you scream, he now realizes that people can still hear you weeping in your office.
Robert M. Mentyka received his MA in philosophy from Franciscan University of Steubenville in 2011, and has since authored chapters in both Bioshock and Philosophy and Lego and Philosophy. He currently works overnight shifts as a legal document processor, but was recently cited by mid‐level management for “excessive ethical thought while on the job.” He is currently scheduled for transport to Fiorina “Fury” 161 for reeducation in company policy, but is confident that nothing eventful could happen at such a remote corporate outpost…
James M. Okapal is Associate Professor of Philosophy, Chair of the Department of Philosophy and Religion, and Chair of the Department of History and Geography at Missouri Western State University. His research explores the intersections of ethics and popular culture, especially in science fiction and fantasy. He’s published articles on ethical issues in Harry Potter, Star Wars, and Star Trek. He often finds himself misquoting Call when he receives a phone call or email—“I can’t respond now. I burned my modem. We all did”—and returning his attention to something much more enjoyable.
Bruno de Brito Serra, who has previously contributed to Sons of Anarchy and Philosophy, holds a PhD in philosophy from Durham University and, much to his own dismay, does not hold one of those awesome body‐mounted machine guns that Vasquez and Drake carry around in Aliens—which would certainly come in handy to increase the persuasiveness of any philosophical arguments tossed around the table at the Philosophy Department…
Joe Slater is a doctoral candidate at St Andrews, Scotland. He works on moral philosophy and is particularly interested in how much morality demands of individuals. As a big sci‐fi nerd who has occasionally been suspected of being an alien, he was naturally attracted to contributing to this volume.
Sabina Tokbergenova is an independent philosopher interested in ethics and social philosophy. Her most recent publication is a chapter in Wonder Woman and Philosophy. While she may not know how to operate a flamethrower, Sabina does know a thing or two about how to scorch her enemies in philosophical debates.
Seth M. Walker is a doctoral student at the University of Denver, studying religion, media, and popular culture. He regularly writes on topics in these areas—including volumes in the PCP genre on Jurassic Park, Orange Is the New Black, and The Walking Dead—and edits an online magazine that engages the intersection between religion and popular culture: Nomos Journal. He’s been known to stand on the peaks of Colorado’s beautiful 14ers, scornfully shaking his fist at the gods…and the impending Xenomorph invasion.
Andrea Zanin feels alien most days she wakes up and blames a combination of growing up in psychotic South Africa and mothering four children under the age of six (as we speak). She is a cum laude English honors graduate (with a random law degree to boot) currently living in London, where she spends her time writing, ranting, being a journalist, and trying to be more like Ripley and less like an acid‐drooling Xenomorph. She rarely succeeds. Andrea has contributed chapters to various pop culture and philosophy books, including Sons of Anarchy, Hannibal Lecter, and X‐Files.