News

Michael Ruse, who from 2000 until his retirement in 2020 was Lucyle T. Werkmeister Professor of Philosophy at Florida State University, died on November 1. Michael founded and directed the Program in History and Philosophy of Science at FSU. He had previously taught at the University of Guelph, after receiving his doctorate from the University of Bristol in 1970.

We are very sad to report the death of Jan-Felix Müller, a third-year Ph.D. student in our program. Jan-Felix’s main philosophical interests were free will, decision theory, and time. He is the author of “Compatibilist Libertarianism: Advantages and Challenges” (Kriterion 2022) and “A New Role for Rollbacks: Showing How Objective Probabilities Undermine the Ability to Act Otherwise” (accessible on PhilPapers). Jan-Felix was a brilliant young philosopher and a delightful young man. We miss him sorely, and we offer our heartfelt condolences to his family.

Marc Kaufman successfully defended his dissertation, “Stoic Moderation and the Pursuit of a Meaningful Life,” on October 25th. Marc’s committee was chaired by Edward Hinchman.

FSU Philosophy Department's Michael Bishop was recently interviewed as part of The College of Arts and Sciences' Faculty Spotlight series.

Vincenza Berardo successfully defended her dissertation, “Socratic Wisdom in the Apology and Charmides,” on June 7th. Vincenza’s committee was chaired by Nathanael Stein.

Professors Tracie Mahaffey and Michael Nair-Collins participated in a debate, organized by the Office of Public Policy, on organ and tissue donation policy.

Her paper, “An Attunement Account of Forgiveness,” won the prize for best graduate student essay at the 2024 Great Lakes Philosophy Conference: Blame and Forgiveness.

Benjamin Hause successfully defended his dissertation, “Essays at the Intersection of Population Ethics and Animal Ethics,” on March 25th. Ben’s committee was chaired by Piers Rawling.

Georgia Rae Rainer successfully defended her dissertation, “Evaluating Values: Understanding the Epistemic Worth of Values in Science,” on March 28th. Georgia Rae’s committee was chaired by Piers Rawling.

Brenden Kost successfully defended his master’s thesis, “Symmetry without Skepticism: Compromising with Rosen on Moral Ignorance and Responsibility,” on March 27th. Brenden’s committee was chaired by Mark LeBar.