Department of Philosophy
A new award, which celebrates excellence in philosophy of physics, will be presented during a free, two-day campus event where the winner will be the featured speaker. The inaugural Du Châtelet Prize in Philosophy of Physics — supported by Duke University in collaboration with the publication Studies in History and Philosophy of Science — recognizes a U.S. or international graduate student or a recent Ph.D. for their previously unpublished work in philosophy of physics. This year, applicants were asked to address… read more about Duke Recognizes Philosophy of Physics Prize Winner During Upcoming Campus Workshop »
Duke Philosophy PhD Candidate Ewan Kingston wrote for the Carnegie Council on three civil society strategies that can ratchet up climate ambition, including pressing domestically for ambitious pledges, comparing mitigation pledges, and facilitating means of implementation. The article also appears on the Ethics and International Affairs website. read more about Philosophy Grad Student on What Civil Society can do for Climate Change »
Wireless Philosophy (Wi-Phi) received a grant in the amount of $250,000 from the National Endowment of the Humanities (NEH). Wi Phi's goal is to "introduce people to the practice of philosophy by making videos that are freely available in a form that is entertaining, interesting and accessible to people with no background in the subject." Wi Phi features Duke Philosophy PhD candidates Paul Henne (associate director) and Matthew Harris (content associate). Learn more about Wi Phi here, and read about the… read more about Wi Phi Receives $250,000 NEH Grant »
Duke University is pleased to announce the Du Châtelet Prize in Philosophy of Physics, an award that celebrates excellence in philosophy of physics and promotes breadth across the field both historically and philosophically. The prize — supported by Duke in collaboration with the Studies in History and Philosophy of Science — will be awarded next Spring to a U.S. or international graduate student or recent Ph.D. to recognize their previously unpublished work in philosophy of physics. The winner will receive $1,000… read more about Duke Announces New Prize for Philosophy of Physics »
Duke Philosophy professors Dr. Walter Sinnott-Armstrong and Dr. Vincent Conitzer and their Moral AI research were featured on Thrive Global. Read the story and watch their video here. read more about Researchers at Duke University weigh in on how Artificial Intelligence can help decision making »
Walter Sinnott-Armstrong featured in the Wall Street Journal - To Get Along Better, We Need Better Arguments. read more about Walter Sinnott-Armstrong Featured in Wall Street Journal »
Felipe De Brigard is featured on Duke Today and examines false memories, or why we're so sure of things we're wrong about read more about Felipe De Brigard: WHY YOU DIDN'T DO THAT THING YOU'RE SURE YOU DID »
Duke Philosophy Graduate Student Bryce Gessell spends his summer translating French philosopher Emilie du Chatelet. Read the news here. read more about Bryce Gessell Translates Du Chatelet »
Andrew Janiak writes about Project Vox in the Washington Post. "Two years ago, philosophy professors Andrew Janiak of Duke University and Christia Mercer of Columbia University wrote for Grade Point about the need to rectify gender bias in the history of a discipline long dominated by men. Here, Janiak writes about his own experience with this issue." read more about Project Vox in the Washington Post »
We are delighted to announce a $1 million gift. to establish an endowment to support the Edward Mahoney Visiting Professorship in Medieval and Renaissance Philosophy. This will enable us to bring scholars of international distinction in the field of Medieval and Renaissance philosophy to Duke’s campus annually to teach students and to collaborate with faculty. read more about Gift $1M to the Duke Philosophy Department »
Professor Owen Flanagan is to be honored by his former students and colleagues with a conference on September 28-29. Please see details by clicking here. The event is free, but you must RSVP. Full URL: http://homepages.uc.edu/~polgertw/Flanaganfest/index.html read more about Owen Flanagan to be Honored at Conference »
The Department of Philosophy welcomes Kathrine Brading. Katherine comes to us from University of Notre Dame, where she served as Director of the History and Philosophy of Science Program. She currently holds an ACLS collaborative research fellowship with Marius Stan (Boston College) for their book on 18th century matter theory and mechanics. Additional projects include research on 18th century philosopher Émilie du Châtelet Foundations of Physics; and a monograph re-telling history of philosophy from the late sixteenth… read more about Welcome Katherine Brading! »
Philosophy doctoral student, Adela Deanova, completed a series of online courses in digital marketing in order to contribute to Project Vox, a digital initiative that recovers the lost voices of female philosophers in the early modern era. More story here. read more about Philosophy Grad Student Builds Expertise in Marketing and Data Analysis »
Alex Rosenberg published in the New York Times: Click here to read "The Making of a Non-Patriot" read more about Alexander Rosenberg- "The Making of a Non-Patriot" »
In a review of the new film "The Circle" in The Atlantic, Professor Elizabeth Yale discusses the philosophical views of Margaret Cavendish and mentions Project Vox along the way. read more about Cavendish and Project Vox in The Atlantic »
Frédéric Bouchard, who earned a PhD in philosophy from Duke in 2005, has been named Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at the University of Montreal in Canada. Congratulations! read more about Duke PhD named Dean at University of Montreal »
We are delighted to announce that Professor Felipe De Brigard has received a major grant from the Office of Naval Research. The pending award, entitled “Counterfactual thinking and omissive causation,” brings $555,560 to Duke to support Professor De Brigard's ongoing research into counterfactuals. Congratulations! read more about Professor Felipe De Brigard receives major grant »
Team Members include: Aaron Ancell, Duke University, Dr. Jordan Carpenter, Psychology, Duke University, and Dr. Jesse Summers, Philosophy, Duke University. A Healthier Q&A: Can asking the right questions make political discussion more productive?Walter Sinnott-Armstrong of Duke University and his team will work to determine which questions, and which contexts, produce humility and civility in public discourse and which produce polarization and inflexibility, with the ultimate goal of finding… read more about Walter Sinnott-Armstrong Awarded Grant- "Towards a Culture of Questioning: Accountability, Humility, and Public Discourse" »
Aaron Ancell, Ph.D. candidate in Philosophy, coauthored a paper that was published this month in Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics. The paper, “How to Allow Conscientious Objections in Medicine While Protecting Patient Rights,” challenges those who propose an outright ban on conscientious objections in medicine, arguing that many conscientious objections must be permitted simply because they fall within the range of freedom doctors have to define the scope of their own practices. The latter half of the… read more about Philosophy Student Explores Healthcare Ethics, Political Disagreement »
Allen Buchanan (Duke Philosophy) and Russell Powell (Boston University) accepted the NEH Grant Offers and Awards, July 2016. Project Title: The Evolution of Moral Progress Project Description: Preparation for publication of a co-written book about the possibility of a theory of moral progress in light of current evolutionary explanations of morality. For more information on the NEH Grant, please click here. read more about NEH Grant Awarded to Allen Buchanan and Russell Powell »
Duke alumnus Joseph Wu is among 55 international recipients selected for the Gates-Cambridge Scholarship, which covers a student’s tuition and living expenses while completing a graduate degree at the University of Cambridge. Some 3,730 applicants competed for only 90 scholarships (55 of which are reserved for international students or students studying outside the United States). The Gates-Cambridge Scholarship program began in 2000 with a grant of $210 million from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The scholarships… read more about Duke Alumnus Joseph Wu Named Gates-Cambridge Scholar »
Link to First Lecture (Oc tober 28, 2015): "What is Moral Progress?" Link to Second Lecture (November 4, 2015): "Is Human Nature an Obstacle to Moral Progress?" Link to Third Lecture (November 11, 2015): "Toward a Naturalistic History of Moral Progress" read more about Recordings of Phi Beta Kappa Romanell Lectures »