Department of Philosophy

Meet the four new graduates honored as College of Arts & Sciences Dean's Medalists for 2025. 

Carl Hagenbeck believed that animals should be housed in habitats that mimicked their natural environment. Earlier, hed followed the same guiding philosophy when exhibiting Indigenous people in human zoos. Karen S. Emmerman, affiliate instructor of philosophy at the UW, is quoted.

Brain-computer interfaces, or BCIs, can help people with severe injuries or impairments regain the ability to communicate or move their arms and legs through robotic substitutes. The devices, which are about the size of a dime and are implanted on the surface of a persons brain, serve as a communication link between the brains neural...

The College of Arts & Sciences is home to many distinguished researchers, faculty, and students. Their work and contributions have been featured in media outside of the UW and across the country. Take a look at some ArtSci features from this past Spring Quarter. From AI to nature's poets, ArtSci in the Media has something for everyone!

The College of Arts & Sciences celebrates undergraduate and graduate students from across all four divisions, who are recognized for making the most of their time at the UW. 

"Empathy can make people weaker both physically and practically, according to social scientists. Consider the phenomenon known as empathy fatigue, a major source of burnout among counselors, nurses and even neurosurgeons. These professionals devote their lives to helping others, yet the empathy they feel for their clients and patients wears them down, making it harder to do their jobs," co-writes Colin Marshall, associate professor of philosophy at the UW.

From campus to wherever you call home, we welcome you to learn from and connect with the College of Arts & Sciences community through public events spanning the arts, humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences. We hope to see you this May. Innovation Month April 30 | An Evening with Christine Sun Kim (Public Lecture)...

Admitted students and families can engage with the College of Arts and Sciences through several department and program specific events over the next few weeks.

The College of Arts & Sciences welcomes students and their families to connect with faculty and staff, learn about a variety of topics, and explore our spaces throughout Family Weekend.

"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.