Philosophy

Phi Sigma Tau Induction

dbocchino — Fri, 02 May 2025 14:46:04 +0000

On Thursday, May 1, the Philosophy Department inducted two students into the Saint Peter’s University Epsilon Chapter of Phi Sigma Tau, the National Philosophy Honors Society. Isabelle Riza Bautista is a Chemistry, Mathematics, and Philosophy triple major and Tiffany Mata Licona is a Cyber Security major and Philosophy minor. Both students will proudly wear their purple and white honors cords when they graduate later this month as members of the Class of 2025.

Phi Sigma Tau Induction of Kevin Loo

dbocchino — Mon, 01 May 2023 14:48:20 +0000

On May 1, the Philosophy Department inducted junior Kevin Loo ’24 into the Saint Peter’s University Epsilon Chapter of Phi Sigma Tau, the National Philosophy Honors Society. Kevin is a Philosophy major and Psychology minor and will graduate in May 2024.

Reading Day at the New York Historical Society

pdamm — Thu, 12 Jan 2023 15:42:25 +0000

On Friday, December 10, 2021, the philosophy and history departments teamed up to bring a group of students to the New York Historical Society on Reading Day to see the exhibit Aristotle: From Antiquity to the Modern Era. The exhibit featured early modern manuscripts of some of Aristotle’s most important works on physics, metaphysics, logic, ethics and politics.

Included in the exhibit were works by Jesuit scholars Francisco Suarez (1583) and Giuseppe Agostini (1605). Maria Americo, Ph.D., assistant professor of history, and Daniel Murphy, Ph.D., associate professor and chair of philosophy, accompanied the students. The trip was funded with generous support from the Office of Leadership, Engagement and Orientation.

World Philosophy Day

joshuagaul — Thu, 17 Nov 2022 18:42:30 +0000

On Thursday, November 17, 2022, in recognition of World Philosophy Day, the Philosophy Department hosted an information session for students which expounded the benefits of studying Philosophy as an undergraduate. The event also provided information about the major and minor program of study at Saint Peter’s and the various concentrations and electives available to students. World Philosophy Day is an opportunity to educate everyone on the value of studying Philosophy — not only for its own sake — but in preparation for a variety of careers, too! If you or someone you know is interested in declaring a major or minor in Philosophy, contact department chairperson, Dr. Daniel Murphy ([email protected]) for more information.

National Philosophy Honor Society Inductees

joshuagaul — Wed, 04 May 2022 13:55:13 +0000

On Wednesday, May 4, 2022, the Philosophy Department welcomed two students into Phi Sigma Tau, the National Philosophy Honor Society. Congratulations are extended to Rebecca Lopez and David Dolgitzer, both of the Class of 2022. During the ceremony, both students received a certificate of membership and purple and white honor society cords to proudly wear at graduation.

Is Complicity Evil? The Holocaust and Its Legacy Guest Lecture

joshuagaul — Fri, 29 Apr 2022 13:05:56 +0000

On Friday, April 29 the Philosophy Department co-sponsored a guest lecture with the Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies in observance of Yom HaShoah titled Is Complicity Evil? The Holocaust and Its Legacy. Nitzan Lebovic, Ph.D., professor of history and Apter Chair of Holocaust Studies and Ethical Values at Lehigh University, talked about the ethics of complicity and nonaction, and whether bystanders played an amoral or immoral role in the death of roughly 6 million Jews and 5 million non-Jews during the Holocaust.

Nitzan Lebovic received his B.A. in History and Theory of Literature from Tel Aviv University and his Ph.D. from UCLA. His first book, titled The Philosophy of Life and Death: Ludwig Klages and the Rise of a Nazi Biopolitics (2013) focuses on the circle around the Lebensphilosophie and anti-Semitic thinker Ludwig Klages. His second book, Zionism and Melancholy: The Short Life of Israel Zarchi, came out in Hebrew in 2015 and was published in June 2019 with the “New Jewish Philosophy and Thought” series at Indiana University Press. He is also co-editor of The Politics of Nihilism (2014) and of Catastrophes: A History and Theory of an Operative Concept (2014), and has authored special issues of Rethinking History (Nihilism), Zmanim (Religion and Power), and The New German Critique (Political Theology), Comparative Literature and Culture (Complicity and Dissent), and Political Theology (Prophetic Politics).

Dr. Lebovic regularly teaches classes about the history of the Holocaust, the history of total war, introduction to modern Jewish culture, and the history of fascism. The university thanks Dr. Lebovic for speaking with our campus community.

Philosophy Program General Information Session

pdamm — Tue, 23 Nov 2021 21:11:23 +0000

There will be a Philosophy program general information session in the Digital Humanities Center (basement of O’Toole Library) at 12 pm on Monday, 11/29. Lunch will be provided, and this will be a great chance to learn more about majoring and minoring in Philosophy at SPU!

There will be a short presentation on the requirements for both the major and minor, and as well, on the value of the Philosophy major and minor – not only for their own sake, but for preparing students for a variety of careers as well.

Please contact the Philosophy chairperson, Dr. Daniel Murphy, with any questions, and we hope to see you on Monday, 11/29!

Phi Sigma Tau inducts three students “virtually”!

lsquillante — Mon, 11 May 2020 16:56:39 +0000

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic and temporary closure of the University’s Jersey City campus, the Philosophy Department held its first ever virtual induction ceremony on Zoom! On Friday, May 1, 2020, the Philosophy Department welcomed three students into Phi Sigma Tau, the Philosophy Honor Society. Congratulations are extended to Hunter Criollo ’20, Cesar Gomez ’20, and Ahmed Shehata ’21. The students will be receiving their certificate of membership and their purple and white honor society cords through the mail.

All Philosophy Department events temporarily postponed

lsquillante — Tue, 17 Mar 2020 16:28:12 +0000

Due to the recent outbreak of COVID-19, and in accordance with Governor Murphy’s declaration of a state of emergency and related decisions, the Saint Peter’s University campus is temporarily closed. All university classes and everyday operational functioning will be taking place virtually. With respect for the health of our students, employees, and their families, the Philosophy Department will not be holding any events for the remainder of the spring term.

Please, continue to check back in with us during this time. We will continue to announce the achievements of our students and keep you up-to-date with what wonderful opportunities await our students when situations return to normal.

In the meantime, student support services such as Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), the Center for Career Engagement and Experiential Learning (CEEL), the Center for Academic Success and Engagement (CASE) and Campus Ministry, among others, will be assisting students virtually. Again, email will be the primary form of communication for these and other services. You may also refer to our Office of Health Services page for updated information about the virus and campus actions. There you will also find a list of frequently asked questions surrounding COVID-19.

On behalf of the Saint Peter’s University community, we wish you good health and blessings.

Philosophy students travel to Germany & Austria!

lsquillante — Sun, 08 Mar 2020 13:00:50 +0000

Students from the PL-495 Exploring Philosophy Overseas course traveled to Germany and Austria over spring break. Student enjoyed their ten day trip, which included sightseeing at the medievals treasures of Munich, a tour of Nazi Socialist Munich in addition to a sobering visit to Dachau, a visit to Nuremberg, a ride along the Alps to Austria, a day in the musical city of Salzburg, and a day’s lecture at the United Nations in Vienna. Check out some of the amazing photos our students were able to capture while abroad!