Colby Clark
I recently (2023) defended my dissertation on the topic of ecological complexity spanning topics such as island biogeography theory, resilience theory, catastrophe theory, and restoration ethics. My current research addresses applied issues in management and restoration ethics from the perspective of ecological complexity.
Few, if any, doctoral programs could have prepared me as well as UK. The department’s commitment to pluralism and encouragement to pursue interdisciplinary connections across campus provided the best possible environment for my academic growth. Not only do I feel more confident to engage with philosophers on a range of topics across the discipline, but I also had the opportunity to work alongside academics outside the department, including a dissertation co-director from the Geography department (Prof. Tony Stallins).
This upcoming fall, I begin a two-year postdoctoral fellowship in environmental philosophy at the University of Utah. I will be teaching one course a semester (Environmental Ethics) and conducting research aimed at building connections between the Philosophy department and the Environmental Humanities Program, S.J. Quinney College of Law, and Global Change and Sustainability Center.
Jarrad Felgenhauer
I attended the University of Kentucky from 2017-2022, defending my dissertation in August 2022. My areas of specialization are 19th and 20th century Continental Philosophy, particularly German Idealism and Poststructuralism. However, thanks in large part to UK’s pluralistic department, I have developed serious interests in Metaphysics (broadly construed), Critical Social Theory, and Ancient Philosophy.
At its core, my dissertation project lies at the intersection of metaphysics and history. Specifically, I’m interested in what I take to be the intimate relationship between metaphysics and historical change which was sparked by a series of questions. How does, or what makes, history ‘happen,’ so to speak? Is history something that unfolds in an linear, narrative like manner? Or perhaps is it something marked by points of legitimate ontological disruption, such that we can talk about new ways of being coming into existence that are entirely different in nature? And lastly, what kind of metaphysics must we articulate to account for ruptures or breaks in historical continuity such as social revolutions or violent fractures in nature such as ecological crises? I argue that properly addressing these question requires a fundamental shift in the way we ‘do’ metaphysics, from a framework based on conditioning to one based on genesis. That is, the aim of metaphysics is not to understand the conditions of world in which we live, or how this world coheres in terms of unity/identity but rather we should try to understand how such a world is something historically generated. Put differently, we should not presuppose categories like structure or identity but try to understand them as produced dynamically.
This is what drew me to a rigorous study of Hegel’s metaphysics in the Science of Logic. Specifically, I argue that Hegel conceives of the structured world of our lived experience in terms of the historical actualization (or expression) of an irreducible, dynamic tension inherent to reality itself. Accordingly, my contribution is that this element of difference and not structure or identity is the most basic metaphysical element of Hegel’s philosophy. Further, I try to show how this allows us to reimagine history in terms of discontinuous and discursive “events” rather than a linear and teleological unfolding.
I am currently an Instructor of Philosophy at Seattle University. The interdisciplinary nature of UK’s department provides an excellent foundation for graduate students, especially when it comes to their dissertation projects. At UK, students will take a variety of seminars, many outside their area of expertise. This allows them to gain a deeper appreciation for the breadth of the discipline and work with faculty they may not have otherwise been inclined to. More importantly, however, UK’s department provides students with an expansive foundation to cultivate their own ideas and projects.