Department of Philosophy

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"The Supreme Court’s decision that grants presidents immunity from criminal prosecution for their 'official acts' has been met by alarm by many legal scholars," writes Michael Blake, professor of philosophy and of public policy and governance at the UW.

"As a political philosopher, I am interested in how concepts like moral equivalence are used in political discussions. Those who use this concept generally do so as a way of asserting that someone is at best deceived – and, at worse, deliberately deceptive – about the moral wrongs done by one side in a conflict," writes Michael Blake, professor of philosophy and of public policy and governance at the UW.

"Why is persuasion so hard, even when you have facts on your side? As a philosopher, I’m especially interested in persuasion – not just how to convince someone, but how to do it ethically, without manipulation," writes Colin Marshall, associate professor of philosophy at the UW.

Q: Why would someone cheat at pub trivia? A: Oh boy... Michael Blake, professor of philosophy and of public policy and governance at the UW, is quoted.

“I couldn’t ask donors to give if I weren’t also giving,” says Michael Podlin, a former UW fundraiser. Podlin recently included a significant bequest in his estate plans for the Department of Philosophy in the amount of $2 million. This gift dramatically increases the size and flexibility of a modest endowment he established years earlier.

Devices that connect brains to computers are increasingly sophisticated. Can the nascent neurorights movement catch up? Sara Goering, professor of philosophy at the UW, is quoted.

"Santos may be exceptional in how many lies he has told, but politicians seeking election have incentives to tell voters what they want to hear – and there is some empirical evidence that a willingness to lie may be helpful in the process of getting elected. Voters may not appreciate candidates who are unwilling or unable to mislead others from time to time," writes Michael Blake, professor of philosophy and of public policy and governance at the UW.

"You belong here. This place will change you and you will change it. I belong here, too, and I am forever grateful for the ways I’ve been changed by the students, staff, and faculty in my part of the UW community." - Andrea Woody, Divisional Dean of the Social Sciences

"Hostage-taking has been frequently used by both states and insurgent groups as a means to extract funds or concessions from more powerful states," writes Michael Blake, professor of philosophy and of public policy and governance at the UW.

A new study from the University of Washington and Cornell University shows researchers more likely to write scientific papers with co-authors of the same gender, a pattern that can’t be explained by varying gender representations across scientific disciplines and time. Carole Lee, associate professor of philosophy, is quoted.

"The United States has finished destroying the last of its stock of chemical weapons, marking the end of a 26-year period during which it frequently condemned other states for maintaining and using chemical weapons while continuing to keep a stockpile of such weapons for itself," writes Michael Blake, professor of philosophy and of public policy and governance at the UW.

The four new graduates honored as College of Arts & Sciences Dean's Medalists for 2023 are all working to improve our world, in different ways.