Joseph Karaganis named 2026 Columbia College Valedictorian
Congratulations to Joseph Karaganis! He has been selected by the Columbia College Committee on Honors, Awards and Prizes based on the strength, breadth, depth and rigor of his academic achievements, as well as his intellectual promise, character and achievement outside the classroom.
Karaganis is a double major in philosophy and political science with a minor in history. His academic interests are in meta-ethics, the philosophy of artificial intelligence, political theory and the work of British philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein. Karaganis wrote two senior theses: one on Spinoza’s reception in late-20th century post-Marxist thought; the other on the role of illusions of sense in non-reductive theories of mind.
“Joseph is lively, engaging, precise, very respectful to his peers and to faculty, always weeks (and sometimes months or years) ahead in terms of preparatory reading, open-minded and conscientious,” says Professor of Philosophy Katja Vogt. “His interests in AI concern complex questions in the philosophy of mind. They are motivated, however, by ethical considerations, about the challenges that AI may pose for human interaction and flourishing. Joseph strikes me as genuinely extraordinary in terms of maturity, motivation, and ability to contribute to high-level, complex discussions. I believe he will go far.”
“Joseph is simply one of the best students I have taught in 42 years,” says Michele Moody-Adams, the Joseph Straus Professor of Political Philosophy and Legal Theory. “He is deeply interested in ideas, possessed of real philosophical acumen, and displays uncommon intellectual maturity and confidence as a writer.”