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Philip Kitcher, PhD

Advisory Board Member, Bioethics; John Dewey Professor Emeritus of Philosophy, Columbia University

Philip Kitcher's research has included the philosophy of mathematics and general philosophy of science, the philosophy of biology, and the relations of biological research to society and politics. Since coming to Columbia, that line of investigation has been further elaborated in relation to pragmatism (especially William James and John Dewey), naturalistic ethics, and philosophical themes in literature and music. Recently, he has focused on Jocye, Wagner, and Thomas Mann.

Kitcher served as the Chair of Contemporary Civilization from 2004 to 2007. He currently teaches courses on Dewey, Science and Religion, Darwin, and (in the Department of English and Comparative Literature) on Joyce and on Finnegans Wake.

Education

  • Ph.D., Princeton University
  • B.A., Christ's College, University of Cambridge

Publications

  • The Ethical Project (Harvard University Press, October 2011)
  • Science in a Democratic Society (Prometheus Books, September 2011)
  • Joyce’s Kaleidoscope: An Invitation to Finnegans Wake (Oxford University Press, 2007) 
  • Living with Darwin (Oxford University Press, 2007)

Programs