News
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…
Professor Jessica Collins is a recipient of the 2026 Lenfest Distinguished Faculty Award. The award recognizes Prof. Collins's long and sustained contributions to the intellectual life of the Department of Philosophy, the joyful and infectious passion for knowledge she imparts upon her students and colleagues, her breadth of teaching and exceptional mentorship, and her unwavering service to the department and the University for over three decades.
Established in 2005 by a gift from late Columbia University Trustee Gerry Lenfest, the Lenfest Distinguished Faculty Award recognizes the excellence…
Nicole Meily is a recipient of the Division of Humanities Award for Community Building & Engagement. Given annually, the Divisional Awards recognize the essential role that faculty and staff play across the Arts and Sciences. Recipients are selected by divisional deans in consultation with department chairs, and winners are honored during the spring semester. The award recognizes Nicole’s work and dedication to our students, colleagues, and department.
Congratulations, Nicole!
Professor Katja Vogt was among the four faculty members honored at the American Academy of Sciences and Letters Ceremony on November 12, 2025.
The American Academy of Sciences and Letters promotes scholarship and honors outstanding achievement in the arts, sciences, and learned professions. It encourages the fruitful exchange of ideas within academia and society at large by sponsoring occasions for scholarly interaction and providing platforms for the presentation and dissemination of scholarship in the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, mathematics, and engineering. An independent…
Find the full interview here:
The New Chair of Philosophy Aims to Maintain Its High Standard of Research and Teaching
New Humanities Faculty Salon
Monday, October 13
5:30-7:00pm
Heyman Center for the Humanities, 2nd floor conference room
Register here.
Please join Division of Humanities Dean Bruno Bosteels in welcoming our newest colleagues from across the division.
Hosted by the Division of Humanities in the Arts and Sciences and co-sponsored by the Society of Fellows and Heyman Center for the Humanities, the New Humanities Faculty Salons are an opportunity to meet new faculty members as they join the Columbia Humanities community. Learn about their current work while you enjoy conversation, drinks, and…
The 2025 Ultrafinitism Conference, hosted by Prof. Justin Clarke-Doane at Columbia University and Barnard College, was recently covered by Karmela Padavic-Callaghan in a cover story for NewScientist Magazine. The story can be found here.
Philosophy major Wasa Ball, CC'25, has been named a 2025-2026 Fulbright Scholar. A story about Columbia's Fulbright awardees can be found here. Congratulations to Wasa!
Professor Bilgrami’s research project, titled “The Instability of Constraints on Capital,” is affiliated with the Political Economy and Democracy Initiative. The grant is administered through the Columbia World Projects. It supports new knowledge and networks that facilitate the exchange of discoveries, accelerate the identification of key challenges, and open up the methods that scholars use.
Congratulations to Prof. Russell! Established at Barnard in 1989 by the Gladys Brooks Foundation, this award recognizes considerable individual achievements of tenure-track/tenure-eligible assistant professor. Please see this page for more information.
The Department of Philosophy is proud of our Class of 2025 majors, concentrators, and recipients of MA and PhD degrees. We warmly congratulate them on their accomplishments and hard work. We also congratulate the following students for earning the following prizes and distinctions.
Departmental Honors
Nathan Darmon (GS)
Varun Mandgi (GS)
Oliver Rice (CC)
Elias Wachtel (CC)
Adam Leroy Jones Prize
Zimu Zhang (CC) - "Why nonlocality and nonseparability does not suggest monism."
Honorable Mention, Shanley and Chamberlain Essay Competition
Nathan Darmon (GS) - "Big Tech as Emerging Company-States"
James…
The faculty mentoring award is presented annually to two faculty of Columbia University to recognize excellence in mentoring PhD and MA students during their graduate careers. We congratulate Professor Honneth on receiving this award and for all his work in advising our students. Honneth, whose words were read by Professor Christopher Peacocke, wrote of mentorship, “What is needed is not a specific kind of theoretical knowledge or expertise, but a mixture of empathy, good will, and an abundance of patience.” For more information, please see this page.
Once one of the ranching and mining heartlands of the United States, New Mexico no longer has the workforce nor environmental conditions to support its dwindling number of cattle ranchers. Those who remain recognize ranching’s importance, seeking to continue tending the land in the face of encroaching subdevelopment. Land With No Rider captures the transcendent New Mexican skies, illustrating with pastoral breadth why these ranchers remain.
The screening will be followed by a talkback with the director Tamar Lando, moderated by filmmaker and cinematographer Kirsten Johnson.
For…
The BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in the Humanities category has gone in this seventeenth edition to the Anglo-American philosopher Philip Kitcher, described by the committee as a “humanistic intellectual” whose trailblazing work addresses a broad spectrum of the core questions of our time. For the full story, see this page.
Callia Fielding spoke with Gadfly editors Aharon Dardik and William Freedman. Read the full article here.