Education
M.A.  Philosophy, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada
Ph.D. Philosophy of Science, Western University, London, Canada

Scholarly interests

I was trained as an analytic philosopher, specializing in philosophy of mind and cognitive science. A second area of interest has been the history and philosophy of science of the early modern period. My research work since 2000 has been divided into two areas: (1) An investigation into the archival records of trials for witchcraft, magic, and diabolical pacts in the region of Brunswick, Germany. (2) A study of how the theology and metaphysics of Lutheran protestants shaped their attitudes to the sins of superstition and magic, and to the threat of the Devil.

Recent books:

Philosophy of Mind: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives, Third Edition, eds. Peter A. Morton and Myrto Mylopoulos (Peterborough ON: Broadview Press, March 20, 2020)
Formerly A Historical Introduction to the Philosophy of Mind.

The Bedevilment of Elizabeth Lorentz, ed. Peter A. Morton, trans. Barbara Dähms (Toronto: The University of Toronto Press, 2018)

The Trial of Tempel Anneke: Records of a Witchcraft Trial in Brunswick, Germany, 1663, Second Edition, ed. Peter A. Morton, trans. Barbara Dähms (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2017)

Recent articles:

“Martin Luther's Early Views on Superstition and Witchcraft in his Decem praecepta of 1518,” Magic, Ritual, and Witchcraft 15, no. 2 (forthcoming Summer 2020).

“Superstition, Witchcraft, and the First Commandment in the Late Middle Ages,” Magic, Ritual, and Witchcraft 13, no. 1 (Spring 2018): 40-70.

“Witchcraft and Magic,” in Dictionary of Luther and the Lutheran Traditions, eds. Timothy Wengert et al. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Publishing Group, 2017), 784-786.

“Lutheran Naturalism, Popular Magic, and the Devil,” in The Devil in Society in Premodern Europe, eds. Richard Raiswell with Peter Dendle (Toronto: Centre for Renaissance and Reformation Studies, 2012), 409-435.

“Popular Magic, Witchcraft, and Lutheran Religious Literature,” in Staging the Superstitions of Early Modern Europe, eds. Verena Theile and Andrew McCarthy (Farnham, Surrey: Ashgate Publishing, 2012), 21-38.

Works in Progress:

“Martin Luther’s Views on Superstition, Sorcery, and Faith between 1518 and 1529”

“Melancholy and the Devil’s Pact in Seventeenth Century Lutheran Germany: The Case of Gunther Brödermann”

“Philipp Melanchthon’s Views on Providence, Order and the Devil”