Neil McArthur Assistant Professor, Philosophy Associate Director, Centre for Professional and Applied Ethics Ph.D. (University of Southern California) M.A. (University of Western Ontario) B.A. (McGill University) Office: 457 University College Telephone: (204) 474-9105 Email: mcarthun[at]cc[dot]umanitoba[dot]ca

About Me

I wrote my doctoral dissertation on the political theory of David Hume. Hume is a Scottish philosopher who lived during the eighteenth century -- he died a month after America's Declaration of Independence (which he supported), and almost fifteen years before the French Revolution (which he probably would not have). I recently wrote a book titled David Hume's Political Theory. It argues that Hume is not as conservative a political thinker as many people have often taken him to be. You can read the introductory chapter here. If you would like to obtain a PDF copy of the entire book, please get in touch with me.

My current research focuses on how philosophers of the eighteenth century conceived of the nature and role of government. “All constitutions of government,” Adam Smith wrote in 1759, “. . . are valued only in proportion as they tend to promote the happiness of those who live under them. This is their sole use and end.” I am interested to know how thinkers of this era thought governments could do this, and what we should do if they fail.

I recently completed the chapter "Reform and Revolution" for the forthcoming Oxford Handbook to Eighteenth Century British Philosophy. I am currently at work on chapters for the forthcoming Oxford Handbook to the History of Political Thought ("The Scottish Enlightenment"), The Oxford Handbook to Hume ("Political Philosophy"), and The Routledge Companion to Eighteenth Century Philosophy ("Cosmopolitanism, Civility and Civil Society"). I am a member of the board of the Canadian Philosophical Association, and previously served as its History of Philosophy Coordinator.

I am also Associate Director of the Centre for Professional and Applied Ethics. Along with my colleague Steven Lecce, I assist the Centre's Director, Arthur Schafer, in his important work teaching, researching and promoting awareness of ethical issues of vital interest to students, fellow academics, and the public. In addition to our course offerings, the Centre holds numerous lectures and discussions open to the general public, and we provide advice and support to other faculties and to outside organisations.

I am also a film-maker. My feature film Out of the Way had its world premiere at the 2006 Calgary International Film Festival.  I recently completed two projects about the oil sands developments in Alberta and their impact on the aboriginal communities of the area. Land of Oil and Water, which I co-directed with Warren Cariou, had its world premiere at the DOXA Festival in Vancouver on 29 May 2009. We were also nominated for a Golden Sheaf Award. You can see the official list of nominees here. In October 2009 the film screened at the ImagineNative Festival in Toronto, and in November at the Winnipeg Aboriginal Film Festival. On June 18 we premiered our short film Overburden at the Canadian Film Centre's Worldwide Short Film Festival, with a repeat screening on June 21. You can see the film's page on the festival website here. On October 12 and 13 it screened at the Vancouver International Film Festival. More information is available here. We screened the film at Cinefest Sudbury in late September (more information here), and at the Winnipeg Film Group's Gimme Some Truth Festival in October. You can check back here for future screenings of both films. 

I am a member of the Winnipeg Film Group and Video Pool.

You can find out more about my film projects here.You can read published reviews of my work here.

For researchers: searchable database of the works of Edmund Burke.

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