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On 3/7/25, Dr. Edgar Valdez presented a paper entitled “Self-Transcendence in Lonergan and Laudato si: the Epistemic Dimension of Integral Ecology” at the Integral Ecology Colloquium on the 10th Anniversary of Laudato Si, Marquette University.

(L to R: Lauren Squillante, Jorge Rivera ’27, Professor Peter Heap, Dr. Edgar Valdez)

On Thursday, 11/21/24, in recognition of World Philosophy Day, the Philosophy Department hosted an information session for students that presented the benefits of studying philosophy as an undergraduate. The event provided information about the various SPU major and minor programs in philosophy and a number of the electives available to students.

While studying philosophy is valuable for its own sake, it is great also for preparing for a wide range of careers! If you or someone you know is interested in declaring a major or minor in Philosophy, contact department chairperson Dr. Daniel Murphy for more information.

On 11/16/24, Professor Peter Heap, an adjunct in the Philosophy Department, took students on a trip to the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City. Professor Heap, who also works a docent at the Whitney Museum, guided students through the museum and discussed with them a number of themes and ideas that relate philosophy to art. In the first photograph, we see (L to R) Sanai Johnson, Muhammad Paracha, Brenda Newborn, and Professor Heap standing before “The Rose”, by Jay DeFeo. Next, we see these students standing in front of the abstract painting “Winter Bitch” by Ed Clark. Finally, we see Brenda, Sanai, and Muhammad taking in “Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney” by Robert Henri.

Thanks to Professor Heap for taking our students to the Whitney Museum!

Dr. Pilkington is author of over 40 peer-reviewed publications and a member of the editorial boards of many leading bioethics journals. His research focuses on questions in bioethics, and he is especially interested in questions of conscience, moral responsibility, and the practices of the health professions. His interests also range to moral and political philosophy, and in those fields, he is interested in the concept of dignity and in moral disagreement.

He has held numerous fellowships, including the Leadership Excellence in Educating For Professionalism Fellowship. He has also received multiple teaching and research awards, including the Outstanding Teacher Award (Aquinas College), the Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award (University of Notre Dame), and the Prestigious Oral Presentation Award, from the Association for the Study of Medical Education.

We thank Dr. Pilkington for being our 2024 Filosa speaker!

Dr. McPherson’s talk was part of the NYIP Project on the Philosophy of Race and Racism.