In Memoriam
7/14/21

The University at Buffalo Department of Philosophy regrets to announce the passing, on July 13, 2021, of Jorge J. E. Gracia, SUNY Distinguished Professor Emeritus and Samuel P. Capen Chair in Philosophy and Comparative Literature. Learn more.

Philosophy, Politics and Economics Undergraduate Minor
6/17/21

UB this fall will begin offering its undergraduate students a new multidisciplinary minor in Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE). Concentrating aspects of these three complementary domains into a transformative and far-reaching course of study was an idea that took root at Oxford University in 1920. Since then, PPE has continued to grow steadily across Europe and the United States. Learn more about the program.

Jobs for Philosophers (Buffalo Edition)
1/13/21

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.

At the intersection of Philosophy and Information Science
7/30/20

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.

Diversity isn’t what divides us. Division is what divides us.
1/8/21

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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WHY STUDY PHILOSOPHY: Individuals with degrees in philosophy have higher life-time earnings than other humanities students.
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Keylight

  • Muldoon directs new program in Philosophy, Politics, and Economy
    8/21/20
    Philosophy, Politics and Economics begins with a wide-angle view of the inherent tools found in these three disciplines. It considers their strengths and blind spots, and then pulls the various instruments together to create a robust mechanism that can creatively inform, explain and evaluate those systems and forces influencing organizations and societies. UB’s three-dimensional PPE design also includes an early course in model-based reasoning, which has been developed specifically for the program. “The idea is to help students think about the world using models that allow them to consider complicated problems, Ryan Muldoon, associate professor, Department of Philosophy.
  • NCOR-Brazil 2021
    2/19/21
    The National Center for Ontological Research (NCOR) now has a sister organization in Brazil. The non-profit association, NCOR-BR, consists of a dynamic network of researchers, professionals and students committed to playing an active role in discussions on Applied Ontology, disseminating knowledge and good practices to support high quality ontological artifacts. The Brazilian chapter of NCOR was born from more than a decade of discussions within a group of researchers in Information Science.
  • Division, Not Diversity, Is What's Dividing Our Society
    1/15/21
    There’s a growing sense that the American experiment is faltering, and it’s tempting to blame diversity (the thing that amplifies our different needs, interests, and wants). But in a truly liberal society, that’s the easy (and incorrect) way out, says Ryan Muldoon in a conversation with Niskanen's Will Wilkinson.  Access the discussion on YouTube.
  • Bridges: In Honor of Kah Kyung Cho
    1/11/21
    On the occasion of commemorating service to a Department and a University which ran for almost fifty years, that had its start at a time of the anti-war movement and the student protests of the late 1960s, and ended at the time of digital globalization and economic precarity of the late 2010s, it is worth remembering Professor Kah Kyung Cho’s turbulent beginings. It may well be said that his early life was determined by such a series of rare events, and strokes of good fortune, which one encounters only in the fictional world of a novel. But, at the same time, Prof. Cho’s life tale was the offspring of a different era, an era that seems today a distant past, when hardship, insecurity, danger, and eventually chance, ruled. Read more.
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POSTER DESIGN CONTEST

  • Laura Rivera Salgado wins $5,000. tuition waiver in 2021 poster design contest
    5/12/21
    The University at Buffalo Department of Philosophy is pleased to announce that UB sophmore Laura Rivera Salgado (Psychology) is the winner of the $5,000. tuition waiver in our 2021 poster design contest. Philosophy Department Chair Neil Williams notified Salgado that her poster won the grand prize. In his letter, Williams states, "We had a great many excellent submissions, and the judging was not an easy task. That makes it all the more impressive that not only was your PHI 162 poster selected as a winner, but the judges have also selected your PHI 376 poster as one of five runner-ups among the entries! In fact, the judges were very impressed with all the posters you submitted, not just the two entries that were picked as the overall winner and as a runner up. Therefore, in addition to the tuition waiver, you will also receive an Apple I-Pad."

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