Office: B-3 213 Mackinac Hall, Allendale Campus

Email: [email protected]

Phone: (616) 331-2847(voicemail)

Fax: (616) 331-2601

CV: Spear CV

Professor Spear has been teaching at Grand Valley State University since the Fall of 2008. He has been Chair of the Philosophy Department since 2023. He completed his BA at the University of Wisconsin Green Bay and his MA and PhD work at the University at Buffalo with a PhD thesis on analytic epistemology. 

Professor Spear has research interests in epistemology, social epistemology, intentionality and the philosophy of mind, as well as applied ontology (especially the ontology of function), and some aspects of the work of Edmund Husserl. Recent publications focus on epistemological aspects of gaslighting, and on political and epistemological implications of the work of Hannah Arendt and current research continues exploration of these themes. He is also interested in philosophical issues relating to social media and algorithms, particularly surrounding questions of knowledge, agency, and transparency. 

Professor Spear teaches courses covering history of Analytic Philosophy, epistemology (theory of knowledge), and logic, as well as courses focused on knowledge, politics, and social media and on ethics of digital cultures. 

Prof. Spear is a member of the University Academic Senate representing the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, is an active member of the GVSU Chapter of the American Association of University Professors, and is member of the American Philosophical Association.