Jobs for Philosophers (Buffalo Edition)
3/25/20

A significant number of our graduates obtain well-paying jobs in biomedical research, government, banking, social media, and similar areas. The key to this success lies in the role played in our program by the discipline of ontology, a branch of philosophy that is making a significant contribution to information and data science. Learn more here.

At the intersection of Philosophy and Information Science
2/6/20

Ontology is a foundational discipline of philosophy that has its origins in ancient Greece. Today, the demand for trained ontologists is becoming a distinct career path for our graduates. UB is a world center of research in applied ontology, opening the doors for our graduate students to successful careers in informatics and data science in fields such as biomedicine, finance, defense and security. Start a new career by earning an M.A. in Philosophy with a focus in ontology.

Oxford publishes The Powers Metaphysic by Neil Williams
2/6/20

Professor Neil Williams' new book is an engaging and unique case study in systematic metaphysics. He argues that we can solve a host of basic metaphysical problems by appealing to the nature of objects. See Oxford UP.

Diversity isn’t what divides us. Division is what divides us.
2/6/20

Ryan Muldoon's new paper was commissioned by The Knight Foundation for its series on media and democracy. The work is about how thinking about faction can help guide practical solutions to combat misinformation. Read the paper.

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Keylight

  • The Infectious Disease Ontology in the Age of COVID-19
    6/12/20
    Research at the University at Buffalo’s National Center for Ontological Research (NCOR) is leveraging ontology to assist in the efforts to control the current outbreak, accelerate data discovery in future pandemics, and promote reproducible infectious disease research. Read the news story by Bert Gambini. Also see the related paper, The Coronavirus Infectious Disease Ontology (CIDO), a community-based ontology for coronavirus disease knowledge and data integration, sharing, and analysis, here.
  • Beebe wins $234,000 grant from John Templeton Foundation
    5/18/20
    The University at Buffalo Department of Philosophy is pelase to announce that James R. Beebe,  Professor of Philosophy, has been awarded a $234,000 research grant from the John Templeton Foundation  to study the philosophy and psychology of intellectual autonomy. The three-year project aims to deepen understanding of how to balance a healthy reliance upon our own reasoning and decision making with a robust awareness of the fallibility of our cognitive capacities. On the one hand, overestimating our intellectual abilities and achievements can lead us to dismiss the testimony of peers and experts when they disagree with us, closing us off to potentially valuable information. On the other hand, focusing too much on our intellectual limitations and weaknesses can result in insufficient self-trust and an excessive deference toward the opinions and reasoning of others. Knowing how to balance intellectual self-reliance with intellectual humility can be especially difficult when navigating contentious public debates that are marked by increasing polarization and massive amounts of misinformation that are disguised as fact.
  • What We Ought and What We Can by Alex King
    6/19/19
    Routledge has published Alex King's book, What We Ought and What We Can (2019). Book abstract:  Are we able to do everything we ought to do? According to the important but controversial Ought Implies Can principle, the answer is yes. In this book Alex King sheds some much-needed light on this principle. She argues that it is flawed because we are obligated to perform some actions that we cannot perform, and goes on to present a suggested theory for anyone who would deny the principle. She examines the traditional motivations for Ought Implies Can, and finds that they to a large degree do not support it. Using examples like gay rights, addiction, and disability, she argues that we can preserve many of the motivations that led us to the principle by thinking more about what we, as individuals or institutions, can fairly demand of ourselves and each other.
  • Routledge to publish text with chapters by Romanell Center Fellows
    2/7/19
    A primary text for undergraduate courses on the philosophy of death and dying is forthcoming by Routledge Press. Exploring the Philosophy of Death: Classical and Contemporary Perspective, co-edited by Travis Timmerman, uses classic texts and contemporary contributions to investigate central questions within the philosophy of death literature. Chapters authored by Romanell Center Fellows include:
        "Death Is Bad for Us When We're Dead.” by Neil Feit (SUNY Fredonia).
        “Can We Survive our Deaths?” by Rose Hershenov and David Hershenov (University at Buffalo).
        “The Possibility of Suicide.” by Philip Reed (Canisius College).
         "Refuting Symmetry Arguments." by Travis Timmerman (Seton Hall University).
  • Inner Virtue
    6/21/18
    What does it mean to be a morally good person? Nicolas Bommarito's book, Inner Virtue, provides a new theory of moral virtue and vice. The work examines a neglected area of philosophical study (the moral status of states disconnected from action), while drawing on sources in non-western philosophy, empirical work and memoir. Published by Oxford University Press.
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Faculty Research

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CLASS OF 2020

student and alumni news.
Congratulations to our new graduates!

PRESENTING UB PHILOSOPHY CLASS OF 2020. Four years. You’ve strived, sweated and succeeded. You’ve made friends and memories to last a lifetime. You’ve come so far, Class of 2020. To recognize the achievement, we are pleased to present the listing of graduates in the UB Philosophy Class of 2020.

Class of 2020 List of Graduate Names>

Poster Design Contest

Open to all UB Students: Top prize: $5,000, UB Tuition Waiver.
Open to Undergraduates, Top Prize: $5,000, UB Tuition Waiver

The Department of Philosophy is pleased to announce a graphic design contest for UB undergraduate students to create an original poster to advertise one of our selected courses. The contest is open to all UB Undergraduate students currently enrolled in any program. All undergraduate students at UB are invited to enter the poster design contest. The top prize is a UB 2021-22 tuition waiver valued at $5,000.

Learn more>