Philosophy

Five Students Earn Gilman International Scholarships

rime — Fri, 09 May 2025 17:46:02 +0000

Five Students Earn Gilman International Scholarships rime Fri, 05/09/2025 - 13:46

Did Jesus Teach Absolute Pacifism?

patenaude — Thu, 08 May 2025 16:12:31 +0000

Did Jesus Teach Absolute Pacifism?

Thursday, May 8, 2025

patenaude Thu, 05/08/2025 - 12:12

Professor Carlo Filice (�ʹڲ��ַ/Keith Walters '11)

Carlo Filice

Summary

The weight of the official Gospels evidence shows that Jesus was indeed a pacifist and that his pacifism is grounded in a particularly demanding ethical vision that has some parallels with that of the philosopher Immanuel Kant, but is even more demanding.

Abstract

Against the background of widespread use and justification of violence in Christian history, this paper looks at the Christian Gospels to see if the words or deeds of Jesus or his followers indicate whether Jesus taught absolute pacifism. It argues that while the evidence does not totally refute the claims of the just war tradition, the weight of the evidence favors the conclusion that Jesus was indeed a pacifist and that his pacifism is grounded in a particularly demanding ethical vision (that has some parallels with that of the philosopher Immanuel Kant but is even more demanding). It also notes that Gandhi incorporated Gospel teachings into his definitions of ahimsa and satyagraha; and that pacifist Christian groups such as Cathars, Anabaptists, and Quakers deserve credit for holding views closer to Jesus’ teachings than those of even the most well-intentioned mainstream Christian churches.

Main research questions

Has the mainstream Christian tradition, led by figures like Augustine of Hippo, and Martin Luther, misconstrued the teachings of Jesus regarding nonviolence?

What or how does your research add to the discussion?

The article adds an evidence-based neutral philosophical commentary on this question.

Carlo Filice. The Acorn: Philosophical Studies in Pacifism and Nonviolence, "Did Jesus Teach Absolute Pacifism?" Pgs 135–151. 2025 https://doi.org/10.5840/acorn202531835

The Acorn: Philosophical Studies in Pacifism and Nonviolence (2025)

Professor Filice Featured on WXXI

levy — Mon, 03 Mar 2025 14:42:43 +0000

Professor Filice Featured on WXXI

Monday, March 3, 2025

levy Mon, 03/03/2025 - 09:42

Philosophy News

Professor Carlo Filice was a recent guest on WXXI's "Connections with Evan Dawson." Together, they talked about Filice's recent work on desert, and the role played by luck in whatever success we have.

Filice notes that our social and economic starting points, along with several other factors such as strong emotional support and genetic dispositions, contribute to our success. Yet, we don't deserve any of these things; some people are simply fortunate with respect to these "aspects of the cosmic lottery." Hence, he argues, we don't deserve much of our own success.

You can watch their entire conversation here:

Professor Carlo Filice

The First Path May Not Be the Way

dreessen — Tue, 17 Dec 2024 19:50:01 +0000

The First Path May Not Be the Way dreessen Tue, 12/17/2024 - 14:50

Philosophy Students Address Inequities in Representation of Early Modern Women Philosophers

levy — Tue, 24 Sep 2024 13:15:58 +0000

Philosophy Students Address Inequities in Representation of Early Modern Women Philosophers

Tuesday, September 24, 2024

levy Tue, 09/24/2024 - 09:15

Philosophy News

Students in Modern Philosophy this past spring have played a key role in ensuring more consistent representation of 17th- and 18th-century women philosophers in philosophy’s top online research resource, the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (SEP).

Inspired by a visit from Daina Bouquin, last year’s Phi Beta Kappa lecturer, students in Professor David Levy’s course noticed that the SEP’s practices regularly subordinated entries about women from the era to those about men. For example, the entry about Lady Mary Shepherd, who offered a theory of perception quite different from any of her contemporaries, includes George Berkeley among the related entries (and indeed Shepherd’s account of perception was developed as a direct response to Berkeley’s). However, the entry about George Berkeley does not even mention Shepherd, let alone list her among the related entries.

Bouquin, a data operations and research manager at the National Parks Conservation Association and a 2011 alumna of �ʹڲ��ַ, has advocated for the use of metadata to protect against the erasure of, and indeed to elevate the work of, women astronomers from the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Some of the students in Levy’s course identified patterns of exclusion in related-entry tagging for seven women philosophers from the historical period covered by the course. Others discovered information about the SEP’s editorial policies, while still others identified the relevant members of the editorial staff. After much collaboration, they wrote a letter to SEP editors in which they shared their findings and offered specific suggestions for improvement. Chief among these was a recommendation that the SEP adopt a policy of mutual tagging of related entries: for example, if George Berkeley is listed among the related entries on the page for Lady Mary Shepherd, then Lady Mary Shepherd should be listed among the related entries on the page for George Berkeley.

Within hours of sending the letter over email, the students received a response from Christia Mercer, Gustave M. Berne Professor of Philosophy at Columbia University and SEP subject editor for Women in the History of Philosophy. Professor Mercer commended the students for making and sharing their observations about the ways in which the SEP’s policies and practices continue to contribute to the marginalization of women. And, a few days later, they heard from the SEP’s co-principal editors, who shared the news that they had already made some changes to include references to women among the “Related Entries” of specific entries, and that they would begin to investigate others.

As students reflected on the work they completed for this project, they noted ways in which it related to �ʹڲ��ַ’s values, and to several of �ʹڲ��ַ’s Learning Outcomes for a Baccalaureate Education. One student wrote, “It made me think of the belonging aspect of �ʹڲ��ַ's values; Catharine Trotter Cockburn is not being treated as though she belongs in the SEP.” Another student, a current Philosophy major, added, “I enjoyed the collaborative effort of this project and believe that it has an important value in philosophy and academic culture overall. As a woman myself, I am aware of the disadvantages, especially in the past during periods such as the Modern Era, that women face just to release their work, let alone for that work to be fairly and dutifully recorded and remembered. This project has allowed undergraduate students to use critical thinking and communication-—intended learning outcomes for our class—to work firsthand on something that deals directly with an important issue that we believe can and should be resolved.”

Because of the work these students have done, other students throughout the world will have an easier time accessing and understanding the significant contributions made by women philosophers during this important era in the history of philosophy.

Exterior of Welles hall

�ʹڲ��ַ Ushers In a New Academic Year

rime — Fri, 30 Aug 2024 14:30:48 +0000

�ʹڲ��ַ Ushers In a New Academic Year rime Fri, 08/30/2024 - 10:30

�ʹڲ��ַ Announces New 3+3 Program with UB School of Law

rime — Fri, 30 Aug 2024 13:23:41 +0000

�ʹڲ��ַ Announces New 3+3 Program with UB School of Law rime Fri, 08/30/2024 - 09:23

Law 3+3

barkan — Tue, 27 Aug 2024 14:34:32 +0000

Law 3+3 barkan Tue, 08/27/2024 - 10:34

UB School of Law Experiential Learning Opportunities

Externships
Judicial externships
Law journals
Practicum courses
Pro bono services
Summer fellowships
The Advocacy Institute

Pre-Law Advisory Program

Interested in a law career? �ʹڲ��ַ also offers its own pre-law advisory program, which is separate from the UB 3+3 program.

Pre-Law Advisory Program

Admission Requirements

For high school students: Core GPA of 93 or higher.
For current �ʹڲ��ַ students: GPA of 3.0 or higher and a meeting with the pre-law advisor to assess 3+3 program eligibility.

Law 3+3

Why study pre-law at �ʹڲ��ַ?

The 3+3 BA/JD program with the University at Buffalo School of Law encourages students to accelerate their course of study by completing their Bachelor of Arts and Juris Doctor in just six years of full-time study, saving them one year’s worth of time and tuition.

�ʹڲ��ַ students can choose majors in American studies; economics; English; geography; history; mathematics; philosophy; philosophy, politics, and economics; or sustainability studies. After three years at �ʹڲ��ַ, students transfer to UB. Upon completing the first-year law school curriculum, students’ credits for the year are transferred to �ʹڲ��ַ to complete their bachelor’s degree.

Request Info

Visit �ʹڲ��ַ

Apply

Program Options

BA in American Studies + JD in Law
BA in Economics + JD in Law
BA in English (Creative Writing) + JD in Law
BA in English (Literature) + JD in Law
BA in Geography + JD in Law
BA in History + JD in Law
BA in Mathematics + JD in Law
BA in Philosophy + JD in Law
BA in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics + JD in Law
BA in Sustainability Studies + JD in Law

Program Highlights

Students enrolled in 3+3 programs at UB’s partner institutions like �ʹڲ��ַ are able to take advantage of all the School of Law offers as early as their first year, including:

Free LSAT preparation workshops
Annual 3+3 networking reception and webinar
Access to law school tours, classroom visits, and individual meetings with School of Law staff
Invitations to various School of Law programs and events

Sample Legal Fields

Compliance
Corporate
Criminal
Environmental
Estate planning
Family and divorce
Immigration
Intellectual property
Labor and employment
Media and entertainment
Mergers and acquisitions
Real estate
Sports
Tax

Contact Info

Prospective Students:
Kevin Reed, Assistant Director of Admissions
reedk@geneseo.edu
Doty Hall 200B
585-245-5435

Current Students:
Graham Drake, Professor of English
drake@geneseo.edu
Welles 217A
585-245-5266

Request More Info

�ʹڲ��ַ Adds New Major in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics

rime — Thu, 15 Aug 2024 18:22:57 +0000

�ʹڲ��ַ Adds New Major in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics rime Thu, 08/15/2024 - 14:22

Professor Amanda Roth Quoted in Time Magazine Regarding IVF and Reproductive Ethics

rothal — Mon, 12 Aug 2024 00:17:08 +0000

Professor Amanda Roth Quoted in Time Magazine Regarding IVF and Reproductive Ethics

Sunday, August 11, 2024

rothal Sun, 08/11/2024 - 20:17

Philosophy News

Amanda Roth, Associate Professor of Philosophy and Women's & Gender Studies, contributed to the article "IVF Changed America. But Its Future is Under Threat" published August 7, 2024 by Jamie Ducharme in Time Magazine.

Roth, who specializes in bioethics, moral and feminist philosophy, and gender & sexuality studies, spoke to Ducharme about the role of IVF in allowing individuals to have genetically-related children and what IVF has meant for same-sex couples.

"In some ways, IVF is an unlikely target. The technology enables people who have badly wanted biological children, a sentiment that could be seen as having a 'conservative traditional family aspect to it,' says Amanda Roth, an associate professor of philosophy and women's and gender studies at the State University of New York at �ʹڲ��ַ. The importance of having children is a regular conservative talking point--see: Vance recently calling child-free women 'cat ladies' without a 'direct stake' in the future of America--and IVF makes it possible for more people to do that."

Roth drew on her ongoing research for a book on lgbtq+ family-making, reproductive ethics, and the (over)valuing of genetic ties in family and parenthood for this contribution.

Philosophy

Five Students Earn Gilman International Scholarships

Did Jesus Teach Absolute Pacifism?

Summary

Abstract

Main research questions

What or how does your research add to the discussion?

Professor Filice Featured on WXXI

The First Path May Not Be the Way

Philosophy Students Address Inequities in Representation of Early Modern Women Philosophers

�ʹڲ�����ַ Ushers In a New Academic Year

�ʹڲ�����ַ Announces New 3+3 Program with UB School of Law

Law 3+3

UB School of Law Experiential Learning Opportunities

Pre-Law Advisory Program

Admission Requirements

Law 3+3

Program Options

Program Highlights

Sample Legal Fields

Contact Info

�ʹڲ�����ַ Adds New Major in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics

Professor Amanda Roth Quoted in Time Magazine Regarding IVF and Reproductive Ethics

�ʹڲ��ַ Ushers In a New Academic Year

�ʹڲ��ַ Announces New 3+3 Program with UB School of Law

�ʹڲ��ַ Adds New Major in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics