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Earlier this month on February 13, 2026, Philosophy Graduate Student Daniel Galley successfully defended his dissertation titled: "The Ethics of Persuasion". He was overseen by a committee consisting of Philosophy faculty members Michael Blake, Colin Marshall, and José Mendoza. In this dissertation, I use ‘persuasion’ to refer to the provision of reasons offered with the intention of changing the target’s mind on some moral matter. A key premise that underlies much of this dissertation is…
Earlier this month on December 11, 2025, Philosophy Graduate Student Aaron Barker successfully defended his dissertation titled: "Schopenhauer on Character, Cognition, and Moral Responsibility". He was overseen by a committee consisting of Ellwood Wiggins, Chair of German Studies. Along with fellow Philosophy faculty members Colin Marshall, Paul Franco and Shawn Wang.His dissertation addresses some of the central features of Arthur Schopenhauer's theory of action. It does so through three…
Last month, on August 21st, 2025, Philosophy Graduate Student Sofia Huerter successfully defended their dissertation titled: "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings: Domestication, Disability, and Moral Repair". They were overseen by a committee consisting of Jamie Mayerfeld, Department Chair of Law, Societies, & Justice. Along with fellow Philosophy faculty members Michael Blake, Sara Goering, Department Chair and Colin Marshall. The abstract for their dissertation is as follows: …
Earlier this month on August 15th, 2025, Philosophy Graduate Student Kyle O'Dwyer successfully defended his dissertation titled: "Deflationary Challenges and Essentialism". He was overseen by a committee consisting of Michael Raven, a Philosophy professor from University of Victoria. Rob Rhee, Chair of Interdisciplinary Visual Art, at the school of Art + Art History + Design. Along with fellow Philosophy faculty members Sosseh Assaturian, Paul Franco and Colin Marshall.
The…
We made it to the summer! I hope that you are able to enjoy a somewhat slower pace in the coming months, with time to reflect and revel in the lengthy days of summer. If you’re looking for reading recommendations, check out our faculty summer reading list.
This has been a challenging year on campus, with grant terminations, international student visa revocations, significant budget cuts and more. Academic institutions across the country are under fire, and trying to figure out how to maintain…
Congratulations to all our 2025 graduates!
We held our ceremony June 11, 2025 at the wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ – Intellectual House, continuing the wonderful tradition of a Philosophy Departmental Graduation. Over half of the class of 2025, both undergraduate and graduates, were able to attend, bringing over 200 of their family and friends to celebrate with them.
Our alumni speaker was Miriam Korngold, Therapist for A Mental Health Space and Attorney for Korngold…
The University of Washington Department of Philosophy greatly benefited from the wisdom, service, and generous contributions of Dan Gerler, a longstanding Advisory Board member and general champion of philosophy. We all mourn the loss of Dan, who died April 15, 2024, from pancreatic cancer.
Dan Gerler was a UW student of philosophy and psychology who, after graduating, was suddenly thrust into running his father’s two Red Wing Shoes franchises after his father suffered a stroke. Dan expanded…
Last year the department saw four graduate students complete their PhDs and move on to prestigious postdoctoral positions!
Cody Dout “Understanding White Superagency” (chair: Michael Blake); now postdoc at Rutgers University
Kayla Mehl “Fat – Therefore, Unhealthy? Oppressing Fat People in the Name of Health” (chair: Sara Goering); now postdoc at Johns Hopkins University
Arthur Obst “Wilderness for Wildness: Saving the Wild in a Post-Natural World” (chair: Stephen Gardiner); now postdoc at…
Congratulations to all our 2023 graduates!
Our alumni speaker was Noah Purcell, Washington State Solicitor General and 2002 UW Philosophy grad, and our undergraduate speaker was Wendi Zhou.
Photo credit: Merriam Al-Maiahi
