Department of Philosophy
The Department of Philosophy is part of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and offers both a Major and a Minor in Philosophy.
The Department counts 21 full-time faculty members working in a variety of specialties, who are active scholars committed to undergraduate education. They share their expertise in a wide variety of philosophical schools, national traditions, historical periods, and specialized areas of philosophical work.
The curriculum is designed to provide students with a foundation in the history of philosophy and also to encourage students to pursue work in their own areas of interest. Formal coursework is only one part of the Philosophy student's education. Since inquiry and study are most fruitful when conducted in a vital community of fellow scholars, the Department is committed to offering a number of excellent learning opportunities that go beyond traditional classroom structures.
Office Hours
Faculty Office Hours Winter 2025
Last Name
Hogg
First Name
Charles (Robb)
Office Hours
Tues./Thurs. 1:00 PM-2:00 PM
Office
B3 219 MAK
Email
hoggc@gvsu.edu
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Articles/Interviews
Professor Judy Whipps is featured on the Society for the Advancement of American Philosophy’s homepage in their “I am an American philosopher” interview series. Read the whole interview here (https://american-philosophy.org/i-am-an-american-philosopher-interview-series/i-am-an-american-philosopher-judy-whipps/)
Professor Judy Whipps
Recent Happenings For GVSU Philosophy
GVSU philosophers in the world: Professors. Wenhui Xie and Andrew Spear at the world Congress of philosophy in Rome, August 2024. Professors Xie and Spear both presented their research, attended other sessions at the conference, and spent some time one evening checking out the architecture of Rome.
Upcoming Events
The notion of gaslighting derives from Patrick Hamilton’s 1938 play, Gaslight and has seen discussion in both popular and academic contexts ever since, with early film adaptations (1940 and 1944) and a recent uptick of use since 2016 when the American Dialect Society voted it word most useful/likely to succeed. It was Merriam Webster’s word of the year in 2022. Because of its recent origins in theater and film and its dual academic- and popular-culture influence, there are peculiar methodological questions concerning the criteria for a good philosophical account of gaslighting. I articulate desiderata for a good account of gaslighting and argue that so-called “intentionalist” accounts satisfy these desiderata better than alternative accounts. I identify problems faced by an intentionalist view: is gaslighting a self-contradictory enterprise? What is the difference between gaslighting and other types of structural epistemic injustice? What is the difference between strong, reasonable disagreement and gaslighting? Is there such a thing as inadvertent or accidental gaslighting? The account I propose provides answers to these questions. I conclude by contrasting this account with recent proposals by Kirk-Giannini (2023) and Manne (2024).
If you have any questions please email Alycia LaGuardia-LoBianco at [email protected]
Past Events
Majors Fair
BMS and Philosophy Major Jonathan McCabe and Prof. of Philosophy Andrew Spear want YOU to major in Philosophy!
