Andrew Fiala

Andrew Fiala is a Professor of Philosophy at California State University, Fresno, where he also serves as the Founding Director of the Ethics Center. Previously, he was Chair of the Philosophy Department (2009-2017) and an Associate Professor at the University of Wisconsin, Green Bay.

• Ph.D., Vanderbilt University
• M.A., California State University, Long Beach
• B.A., University of California, Los Angeles

Fiala's research focuses on Applied Ethics, 19th Century Philosophy, and Philosophy of Religion, with a particular emphasis on Pacifism and Just War Theory. He has authored or edited over a dozen books and 50 scholarly articles, exploring themes like Nonviolence, Religious Pluralism, and Secular Cosmopolitanism.

His work has been supported by grants from the UK Arts and Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities, and he has received awards from the American Philosophical Association and Fresno State. Fiala writes a weekly column on ethics, religion, and politics for the Fresno Bee, emphasizing the importance of secularism, moral development, and the critique of warmongering.

• “Declaration of Independence was rooted in Enlightenment ideals, not divinity” (2025)
• “The warmongers are at it again” (2025)
• “Fertility clinic bombing and nihilistic violence” (2025)
• “Imagining a Pragmatic Post-Identitarian Peace” (2025)

Scientific Awards:

• UK Arts and Humanities Council Grant (2021-23)
• National Endowment for the Humanities Grant (2011-12)
• American Philosophical Association Award for Public Philosophy (2017)
• Fresno State Provost’s Award (2018)

Fiala’s teaching includes courses on Intro to Philosophy, Ethical Theory, and Existentialism. He has also served as editor of Philosophy in the Contemporary World and advisory roles for Ethical Perspectives and the Journal of Pacifism and Nonviolence.