Course MU & KUL Student Self-Descriptions

Thomas Hansberger, MU:

My primary research interests are in German Idealism (Kant, Hegel, Schopenhauer, Nietzsche) and Phenomenology/Existentialism (Husserl, Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty).  I tend to focus on metaphysics, ontology, and epistemology; in particular, I am interested in problematizing distinctions between exteriority/interiority and subject/object.  I also am interested in investigating the impact of a phenomenological metaphysics of the subject in ethics, feminist philosophy, and political philosophy (Habermas).  I am interested in Aquinas because I would like to better understand his take on Aristotelian metaphysics, particularly Aquinas' solutions to the various 'aporiai' that arise in metaphysics.

Dale Hobbs, MU:

My philosophical interests primarily lie in 19th and 20th century continental philosophy, with a particular focus on the area of intersection between phenomenology and Würzburg 7-8 June 2013ethics. I am interested in questions of how notions of value feature in the horizons of our experience of the world; I find that this conception of value can be very illuminating with respect to why we do what we do and our overall understanding of ourselves. I am influenced by the conventionally great names of the continental and phenomenological traditions – Kant, Hegel, Husserl, Heidegger, Levinas, and so on – but I also am very interested in certain thinkers who respond to similar questions in interesting and novel ways, such as Kierkegaard or Nietzsche. Nonetheless, despite my particular emphasis on the continental philosophy of the past two centuries, I am also certainly interested in incorporating insights from the history of philosophy generally into my thought. As such, I feel that the study of Aquinas and his own influences (perhaps especially Augustine) will be a worthwhile endeavor in the context of my own research, to say nothing of its value in its own right.

Philip Mack, MU:

My current research interests include American Pragmatism, Latin American philosophy, and the philosophy of race and racism. Others of my interests include the philosophy of art, philosophy of language, and logic. I am currently working on several projects. The first is concerned with whether racism can be defined, and if it can, what might stand as a satisfactory definition. This project is also broadly concerned with the varieties of racist behavior, and what justifies moral judgments like the following: ‘S is racist, and racism is wrong’. Another project is concerned with John Dewey’s philosophy of language, specifically spelling out his theory of meaning. Yet another project I am working on concerns the Aztec (or Nahua) philosophical tradition. In particular, I’m working on a paper which argues that the Nahua term ‘neltiliztli’ should not be translated as ‘truth’. I argue that if translated as ‘truth’, neltiliztli loses its unique Nahuatl meaning, or its unique semantic content. Finally, the methodology I employ while doing philosophy can accurately be described as analytic.

Alexander Neubauer, MU:

My philosophical interests lie mainly in ethics. I’ve been particularly interested in applying the concepts of Deleuze & Guattari as well as Jacques Ellul to issues in the realm of technology including online privacy and responsibilities, data collection/storage, propaganda, and the implications that the internet has on our sense of identity in general.  I’ve also been interested in Nietzsche’s critique of morality and am currently interested in some of the ways these thinkers can inform a theory of virtue.

Timothy Rothhaar. MU:

My research centers on continental philosophy of religion, especially as it manifests in Marion’s phenomenology and the existence philosophy of Kierkegaard and Marcel.  I am also intrigued by Pierre Hadot’s account of philosophy as a way life and how this rethinking of philosophy affects the ordinary, everyday experience of our lives.

My motivation in studying philosophy lies in my belief that philosophy is a vocation and ministry.  I am called to it to use in service of God and His people.  My experiences with the impoverished in multiple community outreach programs have led me to consider how an in-depth understanding of existential themes aids in thinking out societal problems.  These have increased my interest in intersubjectivity, philosophical anthropology, and socially-applied philosophy. 

Anne Samata, MU

My philosophical interests are broadly within the contemporary analytic genre.  More specifically my interests include philosophy of mind, philosophy of emotions, and philosophy of science.  Of particular interest at the moment is neuroscience and the question of to what extent/how should empirical data influence a philosophical conception of mind and emotions, and how does/can philosophy interpret empirical data alongside science.  On a secondary level I am interested in philosophy of religion, Christian philosophy, feminism and feminist philosophy. 

Travis Williams, MU:

I have a B.A. from Simpson College in Indianola, IA where I majored in English and Philosophy. I am currently pursuing an M.A. with a focus on the History of Philosophy. I'm primarily interested in Phenomenology, 19th and 20th century continental philosophy and social theory. Specifically, I'm interested in Kant, Husserl, Hegel, Heidegger, Gadamer and, more recently, Ricoeur. The topics that I am interested are (personal) identity, authenticity, historicity, sociology, philosophy of literature, Feminism and race theory. I also have expertise in propositional, predicate and modal logic, transcendentalism (American Romanticism), Greek philosophy (specifically Plato and Aristotle), Feminist philosophy/ethics and virtue ethics. My ultimate goal after receiving a PhD is to teach philosophy while doing research on the side.

William Wilson, MU:

My main philosophical interests are the history of philosophy and science, with an emphasis on Spinoza's thought and the existential philosophers. However, I am also very interested in medieval and early modern philosophy, as well as the history of the church. Additionally, my other main interest has been in the vain of critical theory; that is, broadly speaking, a kind of religiously informed Marxism with influences coming from Foucalt and the Frankfurt school. My foci in this field have mostly been on agency and structure, the relations of power, and the effect of modern capitalism on race, identity, gender, and consciousness.

Bret Yardley, MU:

“In essentials unity, in doubtful things liberty, in all things charity.”

                                                                                       Rupertus Meldenius

I’m inspired by the quote ascribed to Rupertus Meldenius (especially when applied to theological, philosophical, and religious traditions), but it immediately raises the question of how one distinguishes between essentials and doubtful things.  Thus, my interests lean toward philosophy of religion, or theological/religious epistemology in hopes of distinguishing "essentials" from "non-essentials" within sets of knowledge and to address the framework in which ideas truly merit a dogmatic defense and upon which ideas “we can agree to disagree” (how to overcome disagreement in theology/philosophy).

As such, I’m drawn to ideas/concepts from historical (and contemporary) philosophy to see if they can be reapplied in a more systematic approach, such as Aristotle’s “final cause” and Aquinas’s “ultimate end” (teleology).  Examples include whether holding a shared τέλος has a unifying effect (not “the end justifies the means,” but how a specific end often prescribes acceptable means), or whether ethics can be understood as whether someone/something is acting/used in accordance with its purpose.  In the end, I’m open to alternatives seeing how teleology has been dissuaded since Francis Bacon’s Novum Organum, but then again even evolutionary biologists often still use teleological language…