Students in the senior seminar PHIL 450 Topics in Value Theory: The Constitution of the Self with Professor Ariela Tubert presented their work in the 2022 Philosophy Poster Presentations earlier this week. The students presenting got lots of interest in their work and some tough questions that they are working to address in their final projects. Students and faculty attending the event appreciated the interesting topics and arguments, the clear explanations, and the enthusiasm of the presenters. Here are some pictures from the event, which was philosophically enriching for everyone and also lots of fun!
The poster presentations were as follows:
“The Case for Ethical and Normative Narrativity” Andrew Blanchette
“How to Achieve the Best Life: Using Introspection to Create a Unified Identity” Amelia Burkhart
“Mementos: On the Role of Representations in Quasi-Memory” Logan Canada-Johnson
“The Bond Between Self-Constitution and Morality: Why Morals are Essential for Establishing Personhood” Jack Lang
As some data on our graduates shows, Puget Sound philosophy majors go on to succeed in a variety of fields, with alumni pursuing careers in philosophy, education, law, or technology. Regardless of career choice, they find value in the skills and perspective they developed during their time studying philosophy at Puget Sound. Another career path that philosophy majors succeed in is consulting. We have had a number of majors pursue careers in consulting over the years and the value of philosophical training for business has been discussed in some prominent venues (see, for example here and here.) More recently and closer to home, rGen, a business consulting firm based in the Seattle area, has been hiring some of our very talented recent philosophy graduates, including Liam Grantham ’20, Brian Kim ’21, and August Malueg ‘20.
Ray Rasmussen, Founder and Managing Principal at rGen, told us about the work they do and why they are interested in hiring philosophy graduates from Puget Sound:
We work with some of the largest and most leading-edge technology companies to help them drive and achieve business results. These companies are fast-paced and demand world-class quality. All the time. So, the work we do is hard.
Puget Sound takes a rigorous approach to a college education emphasizing the importance of ethics and personal responsibility, students are challenged to be their best in intellectual and personal pursuits. This is especially true for philosophy students at Puget Sound. Students are immersed in intellectual, philosophical, and ethical ideas from great thinkers from around the globe and across time. The pursuit of diverse ideas, diverse ways of seeing issues, and diverse ways looking for truth requires a nimble mind, an openness to understanding, and a disciplined approach to analysis. Successful Puget Sound philosophy grads have had to stretch their minds and imaginations to understand the world’s most powerful philosophical ideas.
Our Consulting Master Class spans eight weeks and provides new college graduates with the context, industry understanding, and practical skills needed to be a world-class consultant. The rGen Consulting Master Class is hard, but we find Puget Sound philosophy grads are up to the challenge.
The results are impressive, philosophy grads are not afraid of hard topics, of complexity, nor of nuance. They are ideally suited to understand the most important business issues our clients face and ready to work as a team to find great ideas. And then, bring those ideas to life.
Liam Grantham ’20
Speaking about the ability to face challenges, Liam Grantham ’20 highlighted how his experiences studying philosophy helped to develop a positive attitude vis-à-vis challenge which he brings to his work:
What has helped me immensely in my new role, is the ability to take on any problem. I took Metaethics (with Ariela Tubert) freshman year without really knowing what meta meant, let alone what the study of ethics entailed. I knew how out of my depths I was and it was difficult being so far behind everyone else. But you learn as you go and eventually things start to snap into place. My first project felt a lot like that. I had little to no background in tech or business, but I knew that I had the ability to learn. And now I can confidently lead meetings with my clients, knowing that I am adding value to the conversation. I guess if I were to sum it up: Not knowing doesn’t scare me anymore.
August Malueg ’20
Focusing on the work he does and the skills he developed through the study of philosophy, August Malueg ’20 said,
In consulting, my day-to-day activities are defined by the project in which I’ve been placed and the client with whom I am working. Typical projects span a couple of months, and as such, consultants frequently encounter new subjects and areas of expertise outside of their current knowledge. The ability to quickly analyze new concepts to attain a basic understanding is essential to constantly changing clients, projects, and modes of work.
The fundamentals of philosophical thought – analytical paradigms, knowledge-making, logical consistency – are ubiquitous in the worlds of business and technology, and those able to apply these notions are a step ahead when faced with wide-ranging and challenging new concepts. Understanding and communication between individuals drives results and builds cooperation and fellowship. Those who can communicate their ideas with precision and work through disagreement are better off because of it. More broadly speaking, the world is made up of ideas – Philosophy helps students peek behind the blinds.
Brain Kim ’21
Brian Kim ’21, discussed how the practice in critical and analytic thinking that he got as part of his studies in philosophy are helpful in his consulting work at rGen,
An important part of my work deals with identifying the different components to a problem, visualize which components are limiting factors, and then to clearly communicate my analysis to someone. Taking a problem with many components and rephrasing it in more accessible terms without losing any valuable information is a skill I wouldn’t have enriched without philosophy.
I’m currently building an interactive report that requires some coding and data modeling. Though I was never the best at formal logic, I always think about how helpful that experience was for this assignment. Knowing some logic has made learning this coding language considerably easier. Coming into this assignment with my formal logic background has allowed me to make much more progress than I ever would have without it.
Liam, Brian, and August conferring with the team before an ethics bowl presentation in 2018
Brian also spoke about how his studies in philosophy led him to appreciate the importance of empathy in relating to others and the breath of outlook that comes from studying philosophy:
I often think about the topics I learned in Sara Protasi’s Philosophy of Emotions course and my summer research project that was inspired from it. My main takeaway from those experiences is that the emotions people feel reflects their beliefs about a given circumstance. While their beliefs may not be necessarily correct, or even rational, their emotions are a manifested form of their beliefs. This insight is actualized in practice through empathy. I believe that the quality of my relationships has improved considerably when I stopped emphasizing only what someone was saying and started caring more about how they are saying it. I used to aspire to be someone who spoke from their mind, but philosophy reoriented my goals to want to be someone who speaks and listens from the heart.
My time as a philosophy major taught me not to take my beliefs so seriously. The constant engagement in hypotheticals helped me realize that many things I believe in are probably wrong! Letting go of the seriousness of my beliefs and instead being more agnostic has helped me be more open-minded and become a better conversationalist.
On a related note, Liam spoke about the importance of trying to engage with and understand the perspective of others:
My favorite part about philosophy was always the dialectic, and what I took away from my conversations was the importance of listening first, and responding charitably. My first real pitch meeting was somewhat of a surprise for me. We had prepared some talking points for me to go through, but I was playing more of a supporting role until our client pivoted the meeting to talk predominately to me. My ability to listen and respond allowed me to make clear statements and ask good questions. We ended up getting the contract. While I know the expertise of my colleagues was the driving force in winning that contract, my background in Philosophy enabled me to connect with our client and instill confidence that their point of view would be heard and taken seriously.
Reflecting on a specific situation when he put the skills he gained through his philosophical studies to use, August said:
When my boss asked me, “Who wrote The Metaphysics of Morals?” Just kidding. I think that one area that illustrates the skills I gained through my studies in philosophy is building business presentations. Just as in a philosophical essay, it is essential for presentations to uphold logical consistency, especially when concerned with execution and the delivery of real-world results. Philosophy has taught me not only how to parse out an argument (or presentation) into main ideas and supporting elements, but also how to take a step back and see how everything fits together.
While August compared preparing presentations to writing a philosophical essay, Brian compared writing philosophy to other aspects of his work:
My philosophy studies have shaped my thinking to be highly critical of assumptions, able to identify potential objections, and to be flexible (or rigid!) with language. These skills help me see both the micro and macro-level details in a project and allow me to smoothly navigate my role. I’m currently helping build a year-long plan comprised of multiple initiatives and even more workstreams within those initiatives. I have to be able to see the big picture to line up the different initiatives to their respective outcomes and identify potential risks to the plan, which often reminds me of structuring a philosophy paper! It’s not too different from putting together multiple lines of an argument to drive my thesis and to identify potential objections. The topics I work on now obviously differ from the writing I did in college, but the skills I learned from structuring philosophical arguments are ones I utilize often.
Liam and August with other members of the ethics bowl team in 2019
August, Brian, and Liam were all part of the ethics bowl team at Puget Sound. As part of the team, they got practice in researching, discussing, and working together to build unified team recommendations on various complex ethical dilemmas. Ethics bowl is one of the experiential learning opportunities offered to students in the department and the work the students did on the team fits with the team-oriented nature of their work at rGen. Ray explained their approach to supporting their employees and encouraging collaboration:
We match each new consultant with a mentor that provides advice and guidance on how to manage consulting challenges, succeed with new tools, and work in a dynamic teaming environment.
For all team members at all levels, each day begins with a team scrum with team members discussing the objectives of the day, areas on which they may need help, and areas on which they may be helpful to others.
Professor Ariela Tubert, chair of the philosophy department, said she was excited about this new opportunity for Puget Sound philosophy students
We appreciate rGen’s values-based approach, focus on developing long term relationships, and their strategy of investing in training recent philosophy graduates. Our philosophy majors are awesome and it’s great to see the skills they developed throughout their studies valued in a field as competitive as consulting.
Speaking about the work they do in philosophy courses, Prof. Tubert said:
Throughout their time at Puget Sound, our students develop as thinkers and communicators, they become comfortable with intellectual challenge, and with working in groups where they have to engage with alternative points of view. In addition, they have practice with the nuance and complexity that comes with trying to balance different sorts of values or considerations and envisioning alternative possibilities. Our philosophy graduates tend to be the sort of creative thinkers that can think outside the box and are used to being part of a collaborative environment – whether it is in group projects or activities such as organizing a philosophy conference or being part of the ethics bowl team, they are used to collaborating and supporting each other.
Brian at graduation with other philosophy graduates in May 2021
Margaret Snape, Management and Operations Practice Leader at rGen, spoke about the value she sees in the skills and experience that our students bring with them:
It has been a pleasure working with the team from Puget Sound’s philosophy department. Their background in philosophy helps them to think through complex business problems, quickly identify where our clients need help, and offer tailored solutions to our clients. Additionally, their training creates a perspective and drives rigor that is difficult to find in other candidates. As a leader of the business, I am grateful for their eagerness to learn and their teamwork. I look forward to adding Puget Sound philosophers to our team.
Speaking about Puget Sound’s program in philosophy from his experience hiring recent graduates, Ray Rasmussen said,
It is a great place to learn all about big ideas, ethical behavior, breakthrough problem-solving, and teamwork. For us that makes Puget Sound philosophy grads an ideal place to find strong candidates that are great fit for our business consulting firm.
Discussing how the study of the humanities, and philosophy in particular, can be practical in connection to his work in consulting, Liam said:
There is a sentiment, though it is certainly dying, that degrees like Philosophy or History or English close off or limit career paths. I’ve found exactly the opposite. I can do anything because I have a background in thinking about everything, not just doing one thing.
Puget Sound Philosophy was well represented at the 2022 meeting of the Pacific Division of the American Philosophical Association in Vancouver, BC.
Logan Canada-Johnson ’22 presented the poster “Public Access Screenings: An Ontological Inquiry into Cinematic Street Art” during the Teaching Hub session on undergraduate research.
Kyle Stroh ’09, currently a graduate student at Indiana University, presented the paper “Moody-Adams Critical Pluralism and an Alternative Form of Moral Convergence.”
Adjunct Professor Ross Colebrook presented the paper “Do the Folk Know What a Moral Judgment Is?”
Colleen Hanson ’19, currently a graduate student at UCLA, and professors Ariela Tubert and Justin Tiehen served as chairs for sessions on ethics and AI, group epistemology, metaethics, and Nietzsche. Professor Tubert also served on the program committee for the conference.
Jack Lang ’22, Hannah Stockton ’22, Mae Lovett ’23, and Ember Reed ’23 attended many talks and events throughout the conference.
It was nice to see Prof. Sara Protasi’s book The Philosophy of Envy featured prominently in the Cambridge University Press table of the book exhibit.
Logan presenting his poster
Logan Canada-Johnson ’22 reflected on the experience of attending the conference and presenting his work during the Teaching Hub poster session:
The APA Pacific Division Meeting was my last stop on a series of conferences that I was fortunate enough to present at this semester. Thanks to a special sponsorship from the American Association for Philosophy Teachers and a University Enrichment Grant, I was able to drive to Vancouver BC and present a poster version of my summer research on cinematic street art. The conference was full of enlightening talks, spirited debates, and pleasant people who I was fortunate enough to engage with, including some who were featured in my work! Nicholas Riggle, who was one of the first aestheticians to discuss street art in philosophy, kindly stopped by my presentation and asked me questions about my arguments — for philosophers, that’s kind of like one of your favorite actors reading a script you wrote for them. Being immersed in a philosophical environment for 4 days was inspirational, both in the sense that I am inspired by the intellectual rigor of the philosophers there and in the sense that I am inspired by their ideas. There really isn’t anything I could’ve wished for to have been better in the short time that I was there, except perhaps that it was a bit longer. Thank the philosophy department for helping our renegade group of philosophers attend the APA and to all of the other philosophy majors who came along for this wonderful conference.
Hannah, Jack, and Logan at various events throughout the conference
Prof. Protasi’s The Philosophy of Envy in the Cambridge University Press display
Jack Lang ’22, also reflected on his experience at the conference:
My attendance at the American Philosophical Association conference in Vancouver, British Columbia was a highlight of my college experience. The variety of philosophers who were there really made it clear how many different directions you can go with philosophy, this scope allowed me to explore topics I had not heard of before as well as those that have been discussed in length during classes I have taken. It was this breadth of the conference that was truly useful for me, prior to going, I was unsure what areas of philosophy I enjoy working in, but after the second day, I realized that my big interests revolve around morals and ethics. In addition to this, it was truly impressive to hear people that I have read, for class and leisure, speak about the new ideas they have or ideas that they recently fleshed out. Another feature of this conference that made it a prodigious experience was the ability to approach anyone there and discuss philosophical ideas, I spoke to one philosopher about my desire to learn more about Chinese philosophy and she was able to get me materials to read on the subject, this interaction is one I will remember for a long time. The congeniality and professionalism of everyone there made me feel welcome even as one of the few undergraduate students in attendance. When professor Manuel Rodeiro, author of Mining Thacker Pass: Environmental Justice and the Demands of Green Energy, became aware of our undergraduate status he seemed truly impressed and happy to see people our age taking a serious interest in academic philosophy. Even though I felt the weight of all the school work bearing down on me, I am happy I was able to attend because it was one of the rare trips that resulted in the acquisition of knowledge. It was an experience that I would not trade for anything else the world has to offer.
Mae, Hannah, Jack, and Ember at the conference venue and around Vancouver
Professors Justin Tiehen and Ariela Tubert were awarded the Dolliver Professorship for 2022-2025
As Provost Laura Behling wrote in her announcement of this news to the faculty:
The Dolliver Professorship is a three-year appointment. In the first summer of the appointment, the chair holders organize a summer seminar for Puget Sound faculty connected with the development or improvement of courses and pedagogy in the Humanities. The second year of the Dolliver Professorship supports visiting speakers or other programming, and the third year funding can support a visiting faculty member with connections to central themes in the Dolliver Professorship.
The university’s choice to award Prof. Tubert and Prof. Tiehen the Dolliver Professorship attests to their excellence in research and teaching. Their book manuscript in progress, Robot Existentialism, is on the intersection of artificial intelligence and issues of rationality, creation, and value. Prof. Tiehen has taught multiple iterations of the introductory course Neuroethics and Human Enhancement. And soon, Prof. Tubert will begin to regularly teach Ethics, Data, and Artificial Intelligence.
PUGET SOUND PHILOSOPHY 