Alumni & Friends

Dear Alumni and Friends of the Philosophy Department:

Welcome to our website!

The department continues to thrive in its traditional ways:  students this fall are taking symbolic logic, the history of Greek philosophy, ethical theory, political philosophy, philosophy of mind, philosophy of  language, and a panoply of other challenging and rewarding courses. You can hear students excitedly discussing Descartes and Wittgenstein as you walk down the hallway.

There are some positive changes to announce as well.  We are delighted to welcome two new faculty members to our roster this year.  Michael Rescorla joins us as professor of philosophy, moving laterally from UCSB.  Professor Rescorla specializes in philosophy of psychology, philosophy of logic, philosophy of mind, philosophy of language, and epistemology.  Daniela Dover joins us as an assistant professor of philosophy, having completed her doctorate at NYU and a post-doctoral fellowship at UCLA in the UCLA law and philosophy program.  Professor Dover specializes in ethics and social and political philosophy.

Some structural changes are also underway.   First, the department is finally getting air conditioning.  By next fall, argumentation will no longer take place in the over-heated circumstances with which you were familiar (if not nostalgic).  The ambient temperature will finally reflect the cool and calm reflection for which we are known.  Second, you are visiting a new website and we plan to have some additional resources for alumni here in the coming year.

Please don’t wait to drop by Dodd until we have air conditioning and a fully revamped website.   You are always welcome at our colloquia, conferences, and special lectures.  You can find notices of those events here.  If you can’t make it in person, drop your former teachers a line and let them know how you are doing and your favorite memories of the department.  We’d love to hear from you.

Finally, let me thank those of you who have supported our department over the years.  Whether through tutoring our students, helping our graduates find a career path, or donating to our programs, lectures, and the reading room, you help to allow us to make philosophical thinking available to a wide range of people.  We’re very grateful for your support 

Sincerely,

Seana Valentine Shiffrin
Chair, Department of Philosophy