Philosophy News and Events

 Spring 2023 Guest Speakers

Spring 2023 Graduate Student Conference

Fall 2022 Conference

SUMMER 2022

WELCOME ABOARD, DR. ASHLEY PURDY

The Philosophy Department is happy to announce an incoming Visiting Assistant Professor Dr. Ashley Purdy from the University of Pittsburgh. She works primarily in normative ethics, with her research activity exploring the compatibility of some prominent normative ethical theories and other values such as friendship and the role of loyalty in friendship. Other areas of her research include philosophy of action, Kantian practical phlosophy, animal ethics, and bioethics. Dr. Purdy has taught introductory courses in early modern philosophy, ethics, and is interested in teaching political philosophy, bioethics, Kantian practical philosophy, and philosophy of action. Good luck and welcome to Fayetteville, Dr. Purdy!

WELL DONE, TORI COTTON

One of our Master's students, Tori Cotton, attended an international philosophy conference in Europe this summer. The conference, hosted by the Philosophy Department at Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania and was sponsored by the European Social Fund. The conference was called Beyond Free Will: Variety in Understanding of Choice, Luck, and Necessity, and her paper was titled "Aristotle's Luck: Is the Consistently Lucky Man Happy?" 

Overview

Philosophy is an ancient academic discipline, but it also moves with the times. While we continue to research the traditional problems of philosophy (e.g., What is knowledge? What is the basis of right action? What is the nature of reality?), our faculty also do research on such timely topics as the spread of online misinformation, political speech, the reliability of testimony and memory, quantum mechanics, animal minds, and data ethics.

Philosophy strongly emphasises both creative thinking and argumentative rigor. Our students learn to think critically and creatively, and to clearly articulate and impartially evaluate their own ideas and those of others. These are highly portable skills that are broadly applicable in business, in the laboratory, and in the professions.

We offer classes in most of the major fields and historical periods of philosophy. In addition to its stand-alone value, our B.A. in Philosophy complements many other degrees as a second major. It is a particularly good choice for those interested in attending law school, but fits well with other degrees including psychology, political science, physics, computer science, and mathematics. At the graduate level, we offer distinct M.A. and Ph.D. programs.

Faculty At A Glance

Associate Professor Jacob Adler (Ph.D., Harvard University)

AOS: Modern Philosophy (Specifically Spinoza); Social-Political Philosophy; Philosophy of Law; Jewish Philosophy

Instructor David Barrett (Ph.D., University of Arkansas)

AOS: Philosophy of Mind

Assistant Professor Jenna Donohue (Ph.D., UCLA) Starting Fall 2023

AOS: Moal Philosophy; Political Philosophy; Applied Ethics

Professor Eric Funkhouser (Ph.D., Syracuse University)

AOS: Philosophy of Psychology, Mind, and Action; Metaphysics

Instructor Warren Herold (Ph.D., University of Michigan)

AOS: Applied Ethics; Moral Psychology; Philosophy of Economics

Instructor Jeremy Hyman (CPhil., UCLA)

AOS: Modern Philosphy (Specifically Descartes); Medieval Philosophy

Associate Professor Richard Lee (Ph.D., Stanford University)

AOS: Ethics, Philosophy of Art and Music

Assistant Professor Amanda McMullen (Ph.D., University of Miami)

AOS: Philosophy of Language; Feminist Philosophy; Philosophy of Gender

Professor Edward Minar (Ph.D., Harvard University)

AOS: History of Analytic Phliosophy (Specifically Wittgenstein); Philosophy of Mind; Continental Philosophy

Visiting Assistant Professor Ashley Purdy (Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh)

AOS: Normative Ethics; Kantian Practical Philosophy; Philosophy of Action

Assistant Professor Bryan Reece (Ph.D., University of Toronto)

AOS: Ancient Greek and Roman Philosophy (Specifically Aristotle); Philosophy of Action

Professor Thomas D. Senor (Ph.D., University of Arizona)

AOS: Philosophy of Religion; Epistemology

Instructor Christopher Stevens (Ph.D., University of Maryland) 

AOS: Ethics; Political Philosophy

Professor Barry Ward (Ph.D., Rutgers University)

AOS: Philosophy of Science; Metaphysics; Philosophy of Physics