Philosophy, Politics and Economics Undergraduate Minor
8/21/20

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.

Ryan Muldoon to co-edit Oxford's new book series
7/30/20

The newly named series editors are looking forward to putting together a stellar book list. Learn more.

Jobs for Philosophers (Buffalo Edition)
7/30/20

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
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.

Oxford publishes The Powers Metaphysic by Neil Williams
7/30/20

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.
7/30/20

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

  • Bridges: In Honor of Kah Kyung Cho
    9/15/20
    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.
  • Welcome New Faculty
    8/26/20

    The University at Buffalo Department of Philosophy welcomes our students, faculty, and staff to the Fall 2020 semester. We are pleased to announce two new members of our faculty:

    David E. Gray, PhD, Areas of specialization include Social and Political Philosophy, Ethics, and the Philosophy of DecisionTheory. 

    Ariane Nomikos, PhD, Areas of specialization include Aesthetics, Ethics, and Environmental Philosophy.

  • Division, Not Diversity, Is What's Dividing Our Society
    9/15/20
    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.
  • Oxford University Press names Ryan Muldoon editor of new book series
    7/29/20
    Oxford University Press (OUP) has announced that Dr. Ryan Muldoon is co-editor of its new book series, Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. Dr. Muldoon, Associate Professor and Director of the Undergraduate Program, University at Buffalo Department of Philosophy, is an expert in social political philosophy. As one of five co-editors of the book series, Muldoon enjoys the support and advice of OUP's Editorial Advisory Board. 
  • Cuba Before Castro: A Century of Family Memoirs by Jorge J. E. Gracia
    7/15/19
    "In this partly biographical and partly philosophical work, Jorge Gracia provides us with an autobiographical account of his youth in Cuba prior and right after the Cuban Revolution. His is an unmatching riveting and revealing account of his life that can explain his love with philosophy, history and Hispanic/Latino culture in general. [...] With his broad background in the history of philosophy, especially Medieval and Latin American philosophy, Gracia has given us an exemplary account of how relevant philosophy could be for exploring challenging issues related to culture, ethnicity, and race. In sum, I think that unquestionably Jorge Gracia can be considered the living dean of Latin American philosophy in North America." — Vicente Medina, professor of philosophy, Seton Hall University. The book is available on Amazon.
  • 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.

Faculty Research

Sample Areas of Research.
Sample Areas of Research
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Student and Alumni Highlights

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.

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