David Wong was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Congratulations, David! Reuben Stern has been promoted to associate professor with tenure, effective July 1. Congratulations, Reuben! Nina Van Rooy has been awarded a Duke Institute for Brain Sciences PhD fellowship for the next academic year. Congratulations, Nina! … read more about Departmental Newsletter: April 2026 »
Duke philosopher David Wong is among 252 leaders in academia, the arts, industry, journalism, philanthropy, policy, research and science elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, one of the oldest learned societies in the United States.Wong is the Susan Fox Beischer and George D. Beischer Trinity College Arts & Sciences Distinguished Professor of Philosophy and an affiliate of the Duke Initiative for Science & Society. He is a leading expert researching questions of morality on the personal and… read more about Duke Philosopher Elected to American Academy of Arts & Sciences »
Jason Murray is a senior double majoring in Classical Languages and Philosophy with a minor in Political Science. In addition to serving as a Trinity Ambassador, he co-leads the Transformative Ideas Living Learning Community, works with the Center for Christianity and Scholarship and is a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow. His academic interests center on ancient history and theology, particularly the intellectual life of the Eastern Roman Empire. In his free time, he enjoys playing chess and strategy video games. As… read more about Jason Murray '26: Studying the Ancient World While Building Community in Durham »
As a first-year student at the University of Toronto, Mia Xie didn’t plan on becoming a philosophy major. She had her sights set on studying the intersection between economics and international relations, drawn to the complexities of diplomacy and how countries make decisions — but one class changed everything.“I absolutely fell in love with my intro to philosophy course,” she confesses.That moment set her on a new path, one that eventually brought her to Duke.Now weeks away from graduating with majors in Philosophy and… read more about Mia Xie '26: Curiosity Led the Way »
Two Duke Seniors, Annabel Miller and Mia Xie, were selected among only 18 winners nationwide for the competitive James C. Gaither Junior Fellows Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. This marks an institutional first: two Duke students earning the fellowship in a single year. Miller and Xie will each spend a year at the Carnegie Endowment supporting the work of senior scholars at the forefront of domestic and international policy.“We are so proud of Annabel Miller and Mia Xie for earning the James C.… read more about Two Trinity Seniors Win Gaither Junior Fellowship at Carnegie Endowment »
This Month in Departmental History:March 1936: The first issue of the Journal of Symbolic Logic is published. Charles Baylis alongside the first issue of the Journal of Symbolic Logic, which lists him as managing editor. The idea for the journal emerged from discussions between Curt Ducasse and Charles Baylis, who joined the Duke philosophy department in 1952. Baylis was the first managing editor of the journal and a founding… read more about Departmental Newsletter: March 2026 »
THE DUKE PHILOSOPHY DEPARTMENT HISTORY PROJECTThis Month in Departmental HistoryProfessor Bernard Peach was an ethicist and, when he arrived at Duke in 1951, the 12th faculty member ever hired by the philosophy department.He and his wife also rented rooms — usually by the day or week — in their 3,200-square-foot home at 920 Dacian Avenue. Here's an ad for the property that appeared in the Duke Chronicle on February 8, 1955: Professor Peach,… read more about Departmental Newsletter: February 2026 »
“We Shone Brightly”: Robert Brandon and Alex Rosenberg on the Philosophy of Biology at DukeIn 1979, the philosophy department was looking for a philosopher of physics. Instead, they had to settle for their second-choice candidate, a philosopher of biology named Robert Brandon. Top: Robert Brandon, Bottom: Alex Rosenberg At the time, Brandon says, philosophy of biology “barely existed” as a subdiscipline. But questions about foundational concepts like fitness and… read more about Departmental History: Philosophy of Biology »
THE DUKE PHILOSOPHY DEPARTMENT HISTORY PROJECT“We Shone Brightly”: Robert Brandon and Alex Rosenberg on the Philosophy of Biology at DukeIn 1979, the philosophy department was looking for a philosopher of physics. Instead, they had to settle for their second-choice candidate, a philosopher of biology named Robert Brandon. Top: Robert Brandon, Bottom: Alex Rosenberg At the time, Brandon says, philosophy of biology “barely existed” as a subdiscipline. But questions… read more about Departmental Newsletter: January 2026 »
Learn more about Adrienne and her work on her website.How would you describe your research program?I work in the philosophy of psychiatry, and my dissertation provides an evaluative account of mental disorder, which is a departure from much of the current thinking that mental disorder must involve a biological dysfunction. By contrast, my account allows that normal or expected emotional pain (without any evidence of dysfunction) will sometimes constitute a disorder. Beyond… read more about Research Highlight: Adrienne Duke »
THE DUKE PHILOSOPHY DEPARTMENT HISTORY PROJECTWilliam Ivey Cranford (1867-1936): Duke’s First Philosopher The founding chair of Duke’s philosophy department, William Ivey Cranford, must have found department meetings to be either breathtakingly short or interminable. For he was the department for the first six years. He taught all eight courses in the curriculum each year, until the arrival of two new colleagues in 1930… read more about Departmental Newsletter: November/December »
Learn more about Sally and her work on her website. How would you describe your research program? My work explores the question of how to live, guided by the sense that the ideal figures often found in philosophical discussions are too serious to serve as genuine ideals—or at least as the only ones. My dissertation and recent work pursue two lines of research: the nature of play and its role in a good life, and interpretation of Zhuangzi, an… read more about Research Highlight: Shih-Han (Sally) Huang »
Duke’s Trinity College of Arts & Sciences has invited its faculty to submit proposals for the creation of new research initiatives on campus.Following the successful launches of the SPACE Initiative and the Society-Centered AI Initiative, the Trinity Research Initiative will support new directions for interdisciplinary research through seed funding for nascent research collaborations, community-building, and complementary educational and outreach activities.Open to all areas of research and… read more about Trinity College of Arts & Sciences Invites Proposals for New Research Initiatives »
What do cooking dumplings and meeting a former Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff have in common?Both are memorable experiences first-year students had this fall, thanks to Trinity College’s Arts & Sciences Curriculum.Finding your footing in a new place can be challenging, but the Arts & Sciences Curriculum’s First-Year Experience helps students make meaningful connections from the moment they arrive on campus.All first-year students in Trinity College participate in the First-Year Experience through… read more about Building Connections Through the First-Year Experience »
Colder weather means it’s time to curl up with a book. New readings from Duke authors include everything from a mystery and a middle-grade novel to books on privacy, hip-hop and fast fashion. Below is a roundup of some of the most recent and upcoming published titles. Many of the books, including new editions of previous titles, can be found on the “Duke Authors” display shelves near the circulation desk in Perkins Library. Some are available as e-books for quick download. Most can also be purchased through the… read more about Books for When There’s a Chill in the Air »
Learn more about Botian and his work on his website.How would you describe your research program?It is centered around one issue: How do we become better people. [Actually, the issue is: How do I become a better person.] Answering the question requires me to pay attention to both what make people “good,” as well as how to become one. Since I understand “good people” in both very broadly and pluralistically. It includes not only the… read more about Research Highlight: Botian Liu »
THE DUKE PHILOSOPHY DEPARTMENT HISTORY PROJECT: SPOOKY EDITIONWhen Wenjin Liu and Wayne Norman began digging into the department's past in the Duke Archives, they knew there was a risk of unearthing skeletons in our closet. And also ghosts.Owen Flanagan had been reminding people for years that the Philosophy department occupied the space in the West Duke Building that had once been home to the Duke University Parapsychology Laboratory. The lab was created by a… read more about Departmental Newsletter: October 2025 »
A Trip to the Archives—and Back in TimeIntroducing Our New Monthly Feature: The Duke Philosophy Department History Project When Katherine Brading assumed her role as department chair after the pandemic, the department had weathered much change. We had lost our two oldest professors emeriti, Martin Golding and David Sanford, and, with them, much of the institutional memory of the department’s first half-century. Other faculty, staff, and graduate students had left, and… read more about Departmental Newsletter: September 2025 »
Can you tell us a little bit about who you are, how you came to Duke, and what your role looks like here?I am a Hong Kong-born southern Californian who got his Ph.D. in philosophy at Pitt. I answered the call of the Center for Comparative Philosophy for an associate director and was hired also as a research associate. So, I have the double role of a philosopher and a community person who helps organize things related to comp phil. Please reach out for anything philosophical… read more about Research Highlight: Gus Law »
Walter Sinnott-Armstrong is very pleased to host two visitors this fall. Letícia Yumi Nakao Morello is a graduate student from Brazil who works on gender violence. She will visit Duke from August 15 through November 15. Federico Burdman is a philosophy professor in Chile who works on addiction and mental illness. He will be at Duke from September 8-22. Both are funded by prestigious grants. Please make them welcome.Above is a photo of… read more about Departmental Newsletter: June - August 2025 »
The richness of Duke’s intellectual communities and its deep commitment to interdisciplinarity are major draws for top scholars who are leaders in their fields. To help recruit these academic stars, Duke leveraged the university-wide institutes, initiatives and centers (UICs) to create the Provost’s School-UIC Joint Hiring Program and to offer starting support from UICs. Donors’ generous gifts helped make these programs possible.Duke was able to recruit more than 40 faculty members through these mechanisms between 2006 and… read more about Nine Reasons Stellar Interdisciplinary Faculty Choose Duke »
David Wong and Wenjin Liu hosted a workshop on Interpersonal Harmony in Comparative Philosophy on April 10 and 11, funded by their FHI-affiliated Harmony Humanities Lab. Here, Agnes Callard talks with Susan Wolf in front of a packed house. Reuben Stern and Ben Eva did some causation stuff. Here, they’re pictured talking about causation with Betsy Ogburn at the Duke Causation Group workshop.… read more about Departmental Newsletter: April - May 2025 »
With sadness, we share the news that Alasdair MacIntyre, professor emeritus of philosophy, has died. Professor MacIntyre was professor of philosophy at Duke University from 1995 to 1997.His work focused on moral and political philosophy, and he published several widely-read books on the topics, including After Virtue (1981), Whose Justice? Which Rationality? (1988), Three Rival Versions of Moral Enquiry (1990), and Dependent Rational Animals (1999).You… read more about Alasdair MacIntyre, Professor Emeritus, 1929-2025 »
It seems counterintuitive, but it can be a wonderful feeling to realize that you’re wrong.Duke philosophy and neuroscience professor Felipe De Brigard didn’t feel great at first when he realized that some claims in the paper that helped establish his career 15 years previous were wrong. But then he had a chance to discuss his errors publicly at a large conference. He was followed in his talk by other scientists, including John O’Keefe, a Nobel Laureate who, like De Brigard, studies the hippocampus in the brain.“John ended… read more about When I Was Wrong: Faculty Lessons From Their Mistakes »
One is a first-generation Indian-American who grew up in Princeton, N.J. The other grew up in the rural United States, rodeo riding. Though Danica Bajaj and Lucas Vaughan come from different upbringings, they have one thing in common: They were selected as the undergraduate and graduate student commencement speakers for the Class of 2025. A Message of HopeBajaj, who will graduate with a computer science major and a philosophy minor, says her message to students this year will center on “finding hope and community… read more about 2025 Student Commencement Speakers: Different Backgrounds, One Special Day »
Faith Chong is a Trinity senior from Singapore majoring in Economics and Philosophy. What advice would you give to a first-year student just starting at Duke?The biggest piece of advice I would give to a first-year is to jump at every opportunity. Duke is limitless, and you can really do virtually anything here. It was the most random things at Duke that turned out to be the most significant. For example, I signed up for a coffee chat just because I wanted to learn more, which sparked a domino effect… read more about A Place in this World: Trinity Senior Finds Her Home at Duke - Cloned »
Frank Mercer IV is a Trinity senior and Robertson Scholar majoring in Philosophy and minoring in Chemistry. What is one of your fondest memories as an undergraduate student at Duke?One of my fondest Duke memories was a summer spent tracing the footsteps of marginalized women philosophers across Europe, inspired by my work with Project Vox. As a researcher, I visited London’s Chelsea Physic Garden, where Mary Astell once worked, and felt history come alive in the tranquil glasshouse. In Paris,… read more about Philosophy Major Turns Texts Into Something Tangible »
Faith Chong is a Trinity senior from Singapore majoring in Economics and Philosophy. What advice would you give to a first-year student just starting at Duke?The biggest piece of advice I would give to a first-year is to jump at every opportunity. Duke is limitless, and you can really do virtually anything here. It was the most random things at Duke that turned out to be the most significant. For example, I signed up for a coffee chat just because I wanted to learn more, which sparked a domino effect… read more about A Place in this World: Trinity Senior Finds Her Home at Duke »
Frank Mercer IV is a Trinity senior and Robertson Scholar majoring in Philosophy and minoring in Chemistry. What is one of your fondest memories as an undergraduate student at Duke?One of my fondest Duke memories was a summer spent tracing the footsteps of marginalized women philosophers across Europe, inspired by my work with Project Vox. As a researcher, I visited London’s Chelsea Physic Garden, where Mary Astell once worked, and felt history come alive in the tranquil glasshouse. In Paris,… read more about Philosophy Major Turns Texts Into Something Tangible - Cloned »
Please join us in congratulating Felipe De Brigard, who has been promoted to full Professor. Felipe is a recognized leader across multiple fields for his work on memory, remembering, and counterfactual thinking, and his current project on memory and forgiveness is of powerful social importance. He is a dedicated teacher, and a reliable and hard-working colleague. Plus, he’s lots of fun to have around in the department. Katherine Brading and Caleb… read more about Departmental Newsletter: February - March 2025 »