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A broad range of expertise with cross-disciplinary ties

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Research-driven mentoring and instruction

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Prepare for career pathways in Philosophy

Applied Ontology

Earn a master's degree in a cutting edge research area

PPE Program

Blending philosophy, politics, and economics

PHILOSOPHY NEWS SPOTLIGHT

  • John Beverley wins $3.8 million grant from the National Institute on Aging
    9/19/24
    Congratulations to John Beverley, winner a $3.8 million grant from the National Institute on Aging for a project focused on philosophically-informed ontology development related to the psychological study of aging. Read DAILY-NOUS article.
  • Philosophy, Politics and Economics program recognized as a ‘Hidden Gem’
    9/30/24
    The American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) has recognized UB's Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) program as a ‘Hidden Gem’ that enhances students’ analytical skills. The program creates prepared leaders eager to shape and improve the relationship between markets and the liberal sociopolitical order. Read the news story by Bert Gambini.
  • Oprea and Stephens co-author paper on the duties of democratic citizens
    9/25/24
    Alexandra Oprea and Daniel Stephens have co-authored a thought-provoking paper that was recently published in the journal Politics, Philosophy & Economics. According to the co-authors, the first duty of a democratic citizen is voting in ways that keep their democracy a democracy. Read the research news article by Bert Gambini.
  • Templeton Foundation $2.5 million grant supercharges PPE research capacities
    7/22/24
    The John Templeton Foundation has awarded a $2.5 million research grant to support the work of faculty in UB’s Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) program. The innovative research project will demonstrate how diversity, disagreement and dynamism are crucial resources for fueling an open society, not problems to be managed. Professor Ryan Muldoon, who directs the PPE program, is the grant’s principal investigator. Co-principal investigators include fellow UB faculty members Justin Bruner, associate professor of philosophy; David Emmanuel Gray, associate teaching professor of philosophy; Jacob Neiheisel, associate professor of political science; Alexandra Oprea, assistant professor of philosophy; Alexander Schaefer, assistant professor of philosophy; and Erik Kimbrough, Chapman University professor of political economy and philosophy.
  • Cosmos+Taxis publishes symposium on the work of Jobst Landgrebe and Barry Smith
    5/29/24
    The journal Cosmos+Taxis, 12 (5+6), has published a symposium on Jobst Landgrebe and Barry Smith, Why Machines Will Never Rule the World: Artificial Intelligence without Fear. The issue includes papers and reviews by more than eighteen authors.
  • Barry Smith: "Human creativity will never be replaced by artificial intelligence."
    5/9/24
    The Bruno Leoni Institute featured Barry Smith talking with his avatar. His digital alter ego asks questions and he answers them. The physical resemblance to Smith is impressive, but the way the avatar speaks is a little less so. It was one of the most awaited moments of the meeting organized at the Ogr in Turin by the Crt foundation and the Bruno Leoni institute.
  • BFO and CCO adopted as 'baseline standards' by federal agencies
    3/4/24
    Under the leadership of Barry Smith, on-going research by UB ontologists has resulted in the development of Basic Formal Ontology (BFO), an international standard top-level ontology that provides the common starting point for 100s of ontology initiatives throughout the world. Here in Buffalo, BFO has been extended to form the Common Core Ontologies (CCO), which is a family of mid-level ontologies used especially in military and security domains. BFO and CCO allow information to be effectively combined, retrieved and analyzed. In January of this year, the Chief Data Officers in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the DOD, and, the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office defined BFO and CCO as the baseline standards for ontology work in the Department of Defense and Intelligence Community.
  • Alexandra Oprea's research on compulsory voting published by Cambridge UP
    3/8/24
    Alexandria Oprea's research, published online by Cambridge University Press, strengthens the normative case for compulsory voting by arguing that it could improve democracy by reducing polarization, which existing work suggests can lead to democratic backsliding. Read the news story by Bert Gambini.
  • PPE student initiative helps make BUFFALO SOUP a recurring event
    2/5/24
    PHI 485, Integrating PPE, is a course that challenges students to find a way to concretely make a social improvement, and then do it. One team accomplished that with BUFFALO SOUP. Their professor, Dr. David Gray, designed the philosophy course. He states, “I am really proud of our PPE students who continue working on their capstone project from Spring 2023, transforming Buffalo Soup into a regular Buffalo institution that is now bringing in partners from other colleges at UB.” BUFFALO SOUP is now apart of a micro-funding group. Read news story by David J. Hill.
  • Jiyuan Yu's philosophical legacy is examined in two new books
    11/1/23
    The philosophical legacy of Jiyuan Yu is examined in two new books. Published in 2023, both books are written in Chinese. The first, Between Ancient and Modern China and the West: Academic Anthology of Jiyuan Yu, is a collection of his important articles and of responses by other scholars. The second, Lecture on Aristotle's Metaphysics, contains a series of lectures delivered in 2011 by Professor Yu at Shandong University that were later compiled by Professor Yu’s doctoral students.
  • PHI 485 students deliver new areas for reading at Buffalo City Mission
    7/10/23
    When the student team in the PPE course, PHI 485, identified a need for places to read inside the Buffalo City Mission, they proceeded to develop three areas, and built bookshelves for over 1,000 donated books for the residents. Their capstone project is the subject of an article by Charles Anzalone, UB News.
  • Philosophy graduate students selected as Social Impact Fellows
    5/16/23
    The Department of Philosophy is pleased to announce that three graduate students have been selected as Social Impact Fellows for Summer 2023. Botan Dolun, Katrina Johnson, and Noah Kim are among ten graduate students selected for this program. They’ll each receive a $5,000 stipend and spend the summer interning with a local, Buffalo non-profit organization. Learn more about the program.