By Richard LeComte 

LEXINGTON, KY. – When Carson Loring faced life-threatening melanoma, he found consolation in the philosophy of the 17th century philosopher Baruch Spinoza through Loring’s classes at the University of Kentucky’s College of Arts and Sciences. 

“I was struggling with the idea of death,” Loring said. “There was a chance that might happen to me. I’m not exactly religious, so I didn’t have God to comfort me. Spinoza gave me a concept of God I could understand. If God exists, He’s there in nature and in everything. It’s just something that stuck with me.”  

Now on the mend, Loring is graduating in December with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy. His recovery and his engagement with philosophy have impressed his professors. 

"Carson has a keen sense of the high stakes

By Jennifer T. Allen 

When Rebekah Duke-Crockett, a first-year Ph.D. student in chemistry, took Julia Bursten’s Philosophy of Science graduate seminar, she began thinking about the wealth of insights philosophy has for chemists. The questions brought up eventually led to a collaboration between Duke-Crockett, philosophy professor Bursten, philosophy Ph.D. alum Ryan McCoy, and chemistry professor Chad Risko.  

That collaboration culminated in a recently published article in the Journal of American Chemical Society: “Promises and Perils of Big Data: Philosophical Constraints on Chemical Ontologies.” 

“Philosophers of science spend a lot of time thinking about problems and questions relevant for chemistry but, unfortunately, chemists

By Camille Harmon 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (May 8, 2024) — The University of Kentucky Office of Transdisciplinary Educational approaches to advance Kentucky has announced the TEK Faculty Fellows for the 2024-25 academic year.

“TEK Faculty Fellows have engaged as transdisciplinary collaborators in the project of designing and implementing innovative curricula and learning experiences that lead students to practice skills that are critical for the workforce and the future of Kentucky,” said Trey Conatser, director of the Center for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching.

Courses created as part of the TEK Faculty Fellows program involve faculty in team

Please help us give a warm welcome to Dr. Christopher Willard-Kyle. 

Starting this fall(2024), Dr. Willard-Kyle will be joining our department as an Assistant Professor.

Currently he is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the COGITO Epistemology Research Centre at the University of Glasgow. He finished his Ph.D. in philosophy at Rutgers University in 2021 under the direction of Ernie Sosa after doing a master's at Oxford.

Christopher's  current research project focuses on epistemic norms that govern interrogative attitudes—norms for wondering well. His research "pivot foot" is in epistemology, but his other foot sometimes wanders into the philosophy of language, the philosophy of religion, the

By Haven L. Patrick

LEXINGTON, Ky. — The 22nd annual Posters-at-the-Capitol on March 7 featured 13 University of Kentucky undergraduate research projects that address such issues in Kentucky as public safety, energy conservation, homeownership and lung cancer prevention. 

Posters-at-the-Capitol is hosted by Eastern Kentucky University, Kentucky Community and Technical College System, Kentucky State University, Morehead State University, Murray State University, Northern Kentucky University, University of Kentucky, University of Louisville

By Lindsey Piercy 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 11, 2024) — Theodore Schatzki, Ph.D., professor philosophy at the University of Kentucky, is serving as the 2023-24 College of Arts and Sciences’ Distinguished Professor and will deliver the annual Distinguished Professor Lecture on Monday, March 25.

Schatzki is also a professor in the Department of Geography and, until September 2024

Dear Colleagues, Friends, and Alumni,

It is with a heavy heart that we share the sad news that Dan Breazeale passed away on December 30, 2023.

Dan first came to the department as an assistant professor in 1971, after completing his PhD at Yale University. He was an internationally recognized scholar who specialized in German Philosophy from Kant to Nietzsche, with a research focus on post-Kantian Idealism and the philosophy of J. G. Fichte. He was the recipient of numerous prestigious awards, including 6 National Endowment for the Humanities grants and 2 Humboldt Research fellowships. He was named University of Kentucky Research Professor in 1991-1992, University of Kentucky Distinguished Professor in Arts and Sciences in 2005-2006, and University of Kentucky Provost's Distinguished Service Professor in 2013. He

By Haven L. Patrick 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 30, 2023) — The University of Kentucky Office of Undergraduate Research recently announced the 15 undergraduate winners of the 59th annual Oswald Research and Creativity awards. Chad Risko, faculty director of the Office of Undergraduate Research, and Research Ambassadors congratulated the winners and distribute the awards.

Established in 1964 by then-President John Oswald, the Oswald Research and Creativity Competition encourages undergraduate research and creative activities across all fields of study.

Categories are:

By Jennifer T. Allen

Deb Pena always thought she would study abroad for college. She specifically wanted to have a rich student life during her college studies. That’s how she landed at the University of Kentucky, 4,789 miles away from her hometown of Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Currently a sophomore majoring in psychology with a minor in philosophy and a certificate in business, Pena found the community she was looking for and so much more.

“When I visited UK, the reception was incredible,” Pena said. “I knew that if anything happened while I was away from home, I would have a strong support network that I could rely on. I also wanted a place where I could easily get involved, a place where there's always something going on around campus. I wanted a place that I could have the opportunity to stand out and speak up.”

And Pena has definitely found her voice at UK. As

By Lindsey Piercy

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 22, 2023) — Theodore Schatzki, professor of geography, philosophy and sociology at the University of Kentucky, is serving as the 2023-24 College of Arts and Sciences’ Distinguished Professor and will deliver the

Each year, the Philosophy Department recognizes at least one philosophy major in each class for academic excellence with a monetary, departmental award. We are very pleased to announce the winners of 2022-2023:

2022-23 Award Recipients

A big thank you to all of you for your dedication and hard work, the enthusiasm you put into your exploration of philosophy, and for contributing to the overall high quality of the department. We are incredibly proud of you!

Congratulations!!

By Ryan Girves 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 30, 2023) — The University of Kentucky Gaines Center for Humanities has selected 12  undergraduates as scholars for the university's Gaines Fellowship Program for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 academic years.

The Gaines Fellowship is presented in recognition of outstanding academic performance, demonstrated ability to conduct independent research, an interest in public issues and a desire to enhance understanding of the human condition through the humanities. Founded in 1984 by a gift from John and Joan Gaines, the Gaines Center for the Humanities is designed to enrich the study of the humanities at UK and functions as a

CHSS Workshop Series Grants

The Cooperative for the Humanities and Social Sciences’ Workshop Series Grants are supported by generous donors and the College of Arts and Sciences.  These grants offer funding for faculty and graduate students to create a series of workshops for reading, writing, and discussion of a particular theme across disciplines in the humanities and social sciences.

During the Spring Semester of 2022, CHSS supported four Workshop Series Grants. These workshop events presented new pedagogical and research ideas within A&S and across other UK Colleges as well. Below, we spotlight each series of workshops. We would like to thank our donors and everyone who participated in these workshops, and to congratulate those who planned and executed these innovative events.

By Jesi Jones-Bowman

LEXINGTON, Ky. (July 25, 2021) — Eight University of Kentucky students have been selected for the Sustainability Summer Research Fellowship program, a high-impact learning experience that contributes to the students’ academic growth as well as sustainability-focused research initiatives at UK and within the community at large.

The Sustainability Research Fellowship is a collaborative program coordinated by the Office of Undergraduate Research and sponsored by the UK Student Sustainability Council and UK Sustainability. The fellowship’s goal is to support and promote sustainability-related undergraduate research endeavors. The program, which launched in 2014, has supported 48 undergraduate sustainability summer projects.

“Sustainability Research Fellowships have

By Elizabeth Chapin

LEXINGTON, Ky. (June 8, 2022) — Julia Bursten, associate professor in the University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Philosophy, works together with scientists to help improve scientific methods for their experiments.

As a philosopher of science, Bursten studies epistemology, or the logical and conceptual foundations of scientific knowledge. Her highly interdisciplinary work merging philosophy and scientific research has been supported by both the National Endowment for the Humanities  and the National Science Foundation.

Bursten’s work supported by the NEH is focused on the philosophy of nanoscience, the study of structures and materials on an

By Jenny Wells-Hosley

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 9. 2021) — Studying for finals have you stressed? Come unwind (on some aerial fabric or a trapeze) with the University of Kentucky’s new Circus Club.

Circus Club, the first organization of its kind at UK, offers students  opportunities to learn about circus arts through firsthand experience of circus skills, including juggling, acro-balancing and aerial arts.

Jess Farace, founder and president of UK Circus Club, was inspired to start the organization after taking a course with Meg Wallace, associate professor of philosophy in the UK College of Arts and Sciences. The class merged circus arts with philosophical studies. Farace loved the class so much, she wanted to offer all students a chance to experience circus.  

“

By Jesi Jones-Bowman

UK undergraduate researchers Bridget Bolt and Gretchen Ruschman. Students are encouraged to explore undergraduate research opportunities at the Research + Creative Experience Expo.

At the University of Kentucky, undergraduates have access to outstanding research and creative work activities led by world-class faculty and staff that promote self-discovery, experiential learning and lifelong achievement.

Explore exciting undergraduate opportunities at the first annual UK Research + Creative Experience Expo 3-5 p.m. Monday, Sept. 13, around the Gatton Student Center’s Social Staircase.

“The goal of the Research + Creative Experience Expo is to introduce undergraduates to the diversity of research and creative work conducted at UK,” said Chad Risko, faculty

Arnold Farr, professor of philosophy in the University of Kentucky's College of Arts & Sciences, has written an article for the Academic Influence website titled "Critical Race Theory: What It Is and What It Is Not."

In the article, Farr states: "In today’s news, Critical Race Theory has become a hot political topic. It seems as if CRT burst on the scene overnight. However, Critical Race has been around for several decades. In this introduction to Critical Race Theory, I will briefly explain what Critical Race Theory (CRT) is and how it originated. I will also distinguish it from theories that it has been confused with. Finally, I will attempt to rescue CRT from several misunderstandings or false interpretations by

Dr. Farr (Professor, Philosophy) publishes special project on Critical Race Theory for website "Academic Influence".

https://academicinfluence.com/rankings/people/influential-critical-race-theorists

Former and present graduate students co-authored an edited volume on their experiences running a Summer Philosophy Camp in Lexington, KY. 

Congratulations to Caroline Buchanan, James Lincoln, Suraj Chaudhary, Clay Graham, Andrew Van't Land, Lauren O'Dell and Colin Smith!