Ben Baker
Assistant Professor of Philosophy
Philosophy
According to Socrates, philosophy is thinking about how to live, and “the unexamined life is not worth living.”
Angela Davis agrees, adding that any philosophy must be relevant to human problems and concerned with eradicating human misery, or it is “not worth the name of philosophy.”
About Philosophy
The Colby Philosophy Department understands philosophy as a sustained, reflective investigation into the nature of things and into questions about how we ought to live and act, individually and collectively. We are committed to a broad understanding of philosophy that includes the full range of voices that have carefully tried to ask and answer philosophical questions, as well as the full range of issues that provoke those questions. This commitment shapes both the courses we offer, which include thinkers and traditions sometimes underrepresented in mainstream academic philosophy, and the authors and questions we discuss in our individual classes.
We take seriously our responsibility for shaping what Colby students take “Philosophy” to be, and we are committed to revising our practices in order to promote an inclusive, genuinely pluralistic view of Philosophy.
Colby’s philosophy program challenges students to understand what it means to live morally in an often unjust world, to deliberate rationally about knowledge, freedom and meaning, and to appreciate deeply the natural and aesthetic dimensions of our lives. Our courses provide the historical depth, cosmopolitan breadth, and multiplicity of perspectives necessary for participating in the philosophical conversation that spans human history and reaches around the globe. The philosophy department cultivates skills in effective writing, close reading, clear reasoning, and creative thinking, enabling students to join this ongoing conversation.
Philosophy prepares students for professional careers and a lifetime of intellectual engagement in a complex and changing world.
Faculty and Staff
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Jim Behuniak
William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of Philosophy
Dan Cohen
Professor of Philosophy
Juan Carlos Gonzalez
Visiting Assistant Professor of Philosophy
Elizabeth Hill
Assistant Professor of Philosophy
Lydia Moland
John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Professor of Philosophy
Keith Peterson
Associate Professor of Philosophy; Chair of Philosophy
- Jill P. Gordon, M.A. ’04, Ph.D. (Claremont McKenna, Brown, Texas at Austin), 1991-2023, National Endowment for the Humanities/Class of 1940 Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, Emerita
- William D. Adams, M.A. ’00, Ph.D., 2000-2014, President, Emeritus; Professor of Philosophy, Emeritus
- Robert L. McArthur, M.A. ’83, Ph.D., 1972-2007, Christian A. Johnson Professor of Integrative Liberal Learning, Emeritus; Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid, 1982-1985; Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty, 1988-1998
Events
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