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General Interests
"I take seriously the search for an environmental ethic that will treat animals and habitats as possessing significant worth. There are a number of theories and ideas about how this can be done. My paper, "Critical Features Theory: The Wetlands Example," draws on ideas from discussions and field trips in my environmental ethics class-showing how teaching and research often strengthen each other.
Another area of research is the history of maps. Maps contain biases that both reflect and shape the belief systems of the viewer. Maps often convey subtle prejudices about the superiority of nations and cultures. In the Knox College map archives I found several useful examples that are used in Global Structures and Processes."
Years at Knox: 1969 to present
Education
Ph.D., Philosophy, with distinction, 1970, University of Georgia.
M.A., Philosophy, with distinction, 1967, University of Georgia.
B.A., Philosophy, cum laude,1965, Ohio State University.
Teaching Interests
American philosophy, symbolic logic, philosophy of science, Greek philosophy, environmental ethics.
Recent Accomplishments
Publications
"Mercator Decoded: The Hidden Geometry of a Famous Map." Mapline: The Journal of the Dunlap Center for the History of Cartography, Forthcoming.
"At 150-Old Main Rocks." Knox Alumni Magazine, 2007.
Campus & Community Involvement
Director, Knox College Religious Studies Program.
Member, American Philosophical Association.
Member, Phi Beta Kappa.
Member, Phi Kappa Phi.
Member, Society of Christian Philosophers.
What Students Say
"What makes Lance Factor an effective and well-loved professor is his ability to relate to the interests of his students. He has a knack for incorporating philosophical ideas into a variety of subjects, encouraging students to look at their disciplines and personal interests in a new light. As a philosopher, of course he's committed to ideas, but he also encourages students to relate to their world through the development of their knowledge and understanding of truth."
-Justin Hoye, Philosophy Major
Contact
309-341-7473
lfactor@knox.edu
The Knox-Sandburg Community Concert Band, Knox Wind Ensemble, and individual music students perform in concert and recital, November 13 through 17 at Knox College.
Marking the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, Elisabeth Herrmann of the University of Alberta gives the 2009 Johnson Lecture, "Mapping Germany from a Cultural Perspective Twenty Years after the Fall of the Wall," November 13 at Knox College.
Severed heads, a ghost in the well -- the Knox College Japanese Club marks Halloween by building a "Kimodameshi," which led visitors through scenes drawn from traditional Japanese ghost stories.
