1990 Major: Philosophy; certificate in Perspectives on Marxism and Society; Juris Doctor/Law (2001)
"I am a Professor in the English Department here, but all my work still partakes of subjects and ideas studied while I was a philosophy major at Duke, particularly in the courses I took with Prof. Rick Roderick. Although I jumped from Philosophy to Literature for graduate studies, the background I received in the history of philosophy, as well as the skills in reading actual works of philosophy by a wide range of thinking, contributed mightily to my own academic and professional development."
"I recommend deep dives into the history of philosophy, reading the original and complete texts of philosophers. Also, where possible, examining the social, political, and cultural contexts of those philosophers and works (e.g., Athens of the Peloponnesian War and post-war era when reading Plato, the Reformation or the Peace of Westphalia in understanding Descartes, etc.). That is, do not think of philosophy as an isolated practice, existing apart from the world in which it is practiced, but as an integral part of our world and our ways of making sense of it. In that sense, critique lies at the heart of philosophy."
Department of Philosophy