Dr. Crystal Allen-Gunasekera

"My love for philosophy led to my desire to teach . . . I love the clarity that a philosophical approach can bring, and I wanted to share that with others."

Dr. Crystal Allen-Gunasekera joined the faculty in 2012. Her areas of expertise include ethics and social and political philosophy. Before coming to Principia, she taught for three years as a graduate instructor at the University of Missouri while completing her PhD.

Scholarly Interests

• Ethics of war
• Moral status of animals
• Political philosophy
• Applied ethics

Contributions to Field

Allen-Gunasekera recently had a paper accepted by the journal Ethical Theory and Moral Practice. She has presented papers at the Pacific and Central meetings of the American Philosophical Association as well as the Central States Philosophical Association and the International Society for Military Ethics.

Memberships and Affiliations

American Philosophical Association

Publications and Presentations

“Liability and Narrowly Targeted Wars,” Ethical Theory and Moral Practice 19 (2016): 209-223.

“Gender-Neutral Standards for Combat Training,” January 2016, International Society for Military Ethics, Annapolis, Maryland.

“Territorial Integrity and Just Cause,” October 2015, The Theory of Just War: Behind the jurisprudential defense of (abstaining from) military action, Warsaw, Poland.

“Secession and Just Cause,” April 2015, American Philosophical Association, Pacific Division (also presented at the International Society for Military Ethics in October 2014).

“Animal Euthanasia and the Moral Responsibility of Zoos,” February 2015, American Philosophical Association, Central Division Meeting.

For additional publications and presentations, please see the CV below.