News

Kenneth M. Sayre, a University of Notre Dame professor emeritus of philosophy and an early leader in the study of artificial intelligence, has died at age 94. A member of the faculty for 56 years, he was known for his teaching and research across a broad range of areas, including cybernetics, information theory, philosophy of mind, environmental philosophy, Plato, and epistemology. He authored 14 books, edited or co-edited five more, and...

Intellectual humility — being free to think and listen without being concerned with the need to “be right” — could be an antidote for some pressing personal and societal problems. An interdisciplinary group of philosophers and psychologists, led by Laura Callahan and supported by a John Templeton Foundation grant, are hoping to identify how the characteristic can be used by individuals to improve their lives and how it can be...

The British Journal for the History of Philosophy (BJHP) announced that graduate student Jordan Lavender was awarded the Best Graduate Essay Prize for 2022 for his paper "The Mark of the Mental in the Fourteenth Century: Volitio, Cognitio, and Adam Wodeham’s Experience Argumen”. The prize of £1000 is awarded annually to the writer of an essay that makes a significant contribution to the history of philosophy. The competition is open to...

With support from two major research grants, Notre Dame associate professor of philosophy Nicholas Teh has been exploring new ideas in symmetry for philosophy and physics.

Notre Dame’s College of Arts & Letters is launching a new selective program that will offer specialized coursework, programming, and resources for undergraduates interested in finding deeper meaning in the practice of business through the liberal arts. The Sheedy Family Program in Economy, Enterprise & Society is a rigorous academic experience and collaborative community focused on helping students form strong bonds as they engage in exclusive classes, independent research, meaningful...

Three faculty members in the College of Arts & Letters — philosopher Sara Bernstein, theatre scholar Tarryn Chun, and historian Katie Jarvis — have won National Endowment for the Humanities fellowships, extending Notre Dame's record success with the federal agency committed to supporting original research and scholarship. The University also received a significant grant for a digital scholarship project that will develop a new platform that makes digital archives easier to analyze, present, and...

Char Brecevic, a Ph.D. student from the History and Philosophy of Science (HPS) Program, won the 2021 Notre Dame Graduate School Shaheen Three Minute Thesis Competition (3MT®) on Wednesday, October 13th on the stage in Carey Auditorium in the Hesburgh Library. The Shaheen 3MT® is a competition open to all graduate students in which they explain their research in an accessible manner to an audience of specialists and non-specialists alike....

Christopher Shields is the new editor of Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews. He is succeeds Prof. Jc Beall.  NDPR was founded in 2002 by the late Gary Gutting and Anastasia Friel Gutting and is entirely devoted to publishing substantive, high-quality book reviews. For more information on NDPR and to see their latest reviews, check out their website…

History and Philosophy of Science (HPS) Graduate Student, Sebastian Murgueitio Ramirez, wins the 2021 Eli J. and Helen Shaheen Graduate School Award.  The Shaheen Awards recognize one outstanding graduate student from each of the four divisions of the Graduate School: Humanities, Social Sciences, Science, and Engineering. Sebastian is the first philosophy student to receive the award since 2006. Dr. Murgueitio Ramirez is headed to Oxford in the fall to start a 1-year post-doc. …

Dr. Hannah Rubin received a 5-year career grant from National Science Foundation (NSF) for her project "Race, Gender, and the Science of Science".  The Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program is a Foundation-wide activity that offers the National Science Foundation's most prestigious awards in support of early-career faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in the mission of...

Rawls' work A Theory of Justice has had a lasting and far-reaching influence on the fields of economics, political science, philosophy, and law — and nearly 50 years after its publication, it remains one of the greatest works of political philosophy ever produced, said Paul Weithman, the Glynn Family Honors Professor of Philosophy. With funding from a Collaborative Research Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Weithman is planning a conference commemorating...

Dr. Sheilah Maureen O’Flynn Brennan passed away on Sunday, April 11, 2021 at the age of 91. She retired in the late 1980's and is a significant figure in the history of our department. In 1971 she became the first female member of Notre Dame's Department of Philosophy, and she played an important role in the department from that time until her retirement. She specialized in ancient Greek philosophy and existentialism, and in 1982 won...

The Department of Philosophy is excited to welcome Stephen Ogden to the faculty, starting in fall 2021. Stephen specializes in classical Islamic philosophy, and also has interests in medieval philosophy, ancient philosophy, and the philosophy of religion. His book, Averroes on Intellect: From Aristotelian Origins to Aquinas’s Critique…

Children love to act things out. Some pretend to be a mother or a father, others act as a shopkeeper or pose as a singer. At age 6, John Draves wanted to be a priest. Now a senior at Notre Dame, he never abandoned that passion for his faith. As a seminarian in the Congregation of the Holy Cross, Draves uses his faith as backdrop through which he pursues his...

Three faculty members from Notre Dame’s Department of Philosophy — Richard Cross, Katharina Kraus, and Samuel Newlands — have been offered fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Scholars in Notre Dame’s College of Arts and Letters have received a total of 68 NEH fellowships since 1999 — more than any other university in the country. 

Written by Phillip Sloan, Program of Liberal Studies/Program in History and Philosophy of Science I am honored to be asked to offer a few reflections on Edward Manier, a long-time colleague and friend who died on Thanksgiving Day. His general biographical details can readily be accessed through his detailed obituary available here…

The History of Philosophy Forum congratulates Katharina Kraus, Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy, for being awarded a Feodor Lynen Research Fellowship for Experienced Researchers by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (https://www.humboldt-foundation.de…

Professor Janet Kourany will be giving the 28th annual Vienna Circle Lecture "The Present Plight of Science, and Our Plight" on Wednesday, December 9, 2020. Previous lecturers include Saul Kripke (1993), Michael Friedmann (2000), Peter Galison (2009), and David Chalmers (2018). For a full list of events, visit the Vienna Circle Society website…

According to research published in The Lancet Planetary Health, scientists at Notre Dame found that particulate matter concentrations in China dropped by an unprecedented 29.7 percent, and by 17.1 percent in parts of Europe, during lockdowns that took place between Feb. 1 and March 31 in China and Feb. 21 to May 17 in Europe. 

Professor Sara Bernstein was selected as one of seven women across the University for Women Lead 2020.  In celebration of International Women's Day and Women's History Month, meet seven outstanding faculty members who are shifting paradigms in their fields as they work to build a better tomorrow.…