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Blue and pink book cover of Owen Ware, Fichte's Moral Philosophy and brown and white book cover of Joseph Heath, The Machinery of Government

Two More Recent Publications with Oxford University Press: Joseph Heath and Owen Ware

Published: December 15, 2020

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Need some reading material in philosophy over the break? Look no further. Besides the books we have been announcing over the past weeks, two more have been published in recent months by members of the department. Joseph Heath‘s The Machinery of Government: Public Administration and the Liberal State (Oxford University Press) offers … Read More

Headshot of Ingrid Stefanovic and the book cover of Ethical Water Stewardship on a yellow background

New Volume on Water Ethics Edited by Ingrid Stefanovic

Published: December 11, 2020

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We are delighted to announce an important intervention into a current debate by Professor Emerita Ingrid Stefanovic: alongside Zafar Adeel (Simon Fraser University), she has edited Ethical Water Stewardship (Springer, 2020). An introduction to the topic for philosophers and non-philosophers alike, the tome for the first time links water ethics … Read More

Black-and-white headshots of Mohan Matthen, Sophia Moreau, and George Boys-Stones on salmon-colored background

JHI Research Fellowships for George Boys-Stones, Mohan Matthen, and Sophia Moreau

Published: November 27, 2020

Congratulations to three members of our department for being awarded research fellowships for 2021-2022 by the Jackman Humanities Institute, for work that will fall under the chosen annual theme of “Pleasure.” George Boys-Stones received a 12-month appointment as a Chancellor Jackman Research Fellow in the Humanities for his project titled … Read More

Cheers to the Graduates, may you all shine brightly in your endeavours, on a blue background with black convocation caps

A Note to Our Graduates on Convocation Day

Published: November 21, 2020

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To our Philosophy Graduates today: Congratulations!  You have not only shown your dedication, intelligence, and courage in studying philosophy here at the University for the past several years—you have also managed to get through our program under the extremely challenging circumstances of COVID-19, when courses magically shifted online and professorial … Read More

Henry Krahn standing smiling in a wooded area

Henry Krahn Wins 2020 Martha Lile Love Essay Award

Published: November 17, 2020

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Congratulations to our PhD student Henry Krahn for winning this year’s Martha Lile Love Essay Award with his essay “The Dilemma of Sanctioning: Blame, Responsibility, and the Participant Stance,” originally written for Brendan de Kenessey’s seminar titled “Morality and Accountability.”  The adjudication committee composed of George Boys-Stones and Jonathan Weisberg described Henry’s … Read More

Mosaic of photos on blue background. Clockwise from top left: Jessica Wright, Parisa Moosavi, Waheed Hussain, Darwin Pitts

October 2020 Departmental e-News

Published: October 26, 2020

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The past six months have passed in a whirlwind, but they’ve been incredibly productive and successful for the department! Take a look at a recap of our biggest news since March in issue 12 of the Department of Philosophy e-News. Accidentally missing from the announcements in the e-bulletin is another … Read More

Headshot of Brendan de Kenessey smiling

Brendan de Kenessey Writes on Bad People’s Suffering in Washington Post

Published: October 13, 2020

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A long-standing philosophical controversy deals with whether it is ever good in itself for bad people to suffer. In a recent Washington Post opinion piece, Professor Brendan de Kenessey took President Donald Trump’s recent diagnosis with COVID-19 as an entryway into the discussion, ultimately differentiating between wishing suffering on someone … Read More

Head shot of Matthew Scarfone

Matthew Scarfone Contributes to The Conversation

Published: September 24, 2020

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The recent death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg has once again stirred discussions around reproductive rights. In light of these, Philosophy postdoctoral fellow Matthew Scarfone (UTM), an ethicist, has recently published a piece on the moral arguments used to defend both the pro-choice and the pro-life positions in The Conversation. Read his … Read More

Elizabeth Zhu standing smiling in a sunny backyard, hands on her hips

From Aristotle Contest to Dialexicon: An Interview with Elizabeth Zhu

Published: August 10, 2020

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Elizabeth Zhu is a name to remember. Last year, as a 16-year-old Grade 11 student, Elizabeth genuinely impressed the judges with her submission to the 2019 Aristotle Contest, an annual essay-writing competition co-hosted between U of T’s Department of Philosophy and OPTA, the Ontario Philosophy Teachers’ Association. The adjudicating committee … Read More