Skip to Content

Department of Philosophy

Graduate Students

Kimberly Beasley

Kimberly Beasley

I am originally from Richmond, Virginia. In Virginia, I received my B.A. in Philosophy and American Studies from Christopher Newport University in 2022. I received my M.A. in Philosophy from Kent State University in 2024. My philosophical interests include social and political philosophy, feminist philosophy, and ethics. I am particularly interested in bioethics and care ethics. Outside of philosophy, I enjoy spending time with my family and friends.

John Boland

John Boland

I am interested in epistemology. I received my undergraduate degree in history from the College of William and Mary. I began my formal study of philosophy at the New School for Social Research before coming to South Carolina.

Nathan Cesky

Nathan Cesky

I am interested in the philosophy of action, free will, moral responsibility, and arguments for compatibilism. I am also interested in epistemology, particularly the problem of induction and what can be considered a proper source for knowledge. I received a B.S. in business administration in 2018 and a Master of Divinity in 2022.

Joseph Erickson

Joseph Erickson

I received a BA in philosophy from Columbia International University in 2013. My primary interests are ethics and philosophical hermeneutics, especially in the work of Hans-Georg Gadamer. Some of my side interests include bias, metaphor, and the nature of understanding.

Kelly Gallagher

Kelly Gallagher

My primary area of research is in contemporary neo-Aristotelian and Thomistic metaphysics. I am particularly interested in the relationship between Aristotelian conceptions of Nature and contemporary definitions of life. I argue for a Thomistic understanding of hylomorphism to address circularity in life definitions and to reconcile essences with evolution. I also study skilled knowledge (techne) in human flourishing. Outside of academics, I enjoy home renovation and watching my chickens free range.

Austin Gray

Austin Gray

I am interested in questions at the intersection of truth, inquiry, and ethics (including metaethics, practical ethics, and social ethics), as well as 20th century aesthetics. My research often engages American pragmatism. My recent work uses William James's "Will To Believe" to defend faux-believing. I also study Dewey’s aesthetics and logic. Recent Publications: Gray, Austin (2024). The Jamesian Right to Faux-Believe. Transactions of the Charles S. Peirce Society 60(1):77-92.

John Anderson Harris

John Anderson Harris

I am interested in care ethics, care aesthetics, and pragmatism. My dissertation develops an account of caring relationships using John Dewey, suggesting that good caring relationships are aesthetic experiences.

Tori Hui

Tori Hui

My research centers on contemporary epistemology, focusing on ignorance, virtue epistemology, and scepticism. I was also drawn to political philosophy and philosophy of language. Outside of academics, I enjoy tennis, photography, and watching CS:GO.

Leye Komolafe

Leye Komolafe

My research areas are political philosophy and philosophy of law, with interests in history of ideas and African philosophy. My work interrogates legal obligation and the state’s demand of obligation. Recent Publications: (2023) "Hegel’s Historical Denialism and Epistemic Eclipse in African Philosophy." (2022) "African Jurisprudence as Historical Co-extension of Diffused Legal Theories."

Yun-Ying Kuo

Yun-Ying Kuo

Originally from Taiwan, I received my BSc in Pharmacy and MA in Philosophy from National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University. My research lies at the intersection of philosophy of medicine, science in practice, and bioethics, especially treatment decision-making and clinical trials.

Carol Lin

Carol Lin

Originally from China, I received my BA from Chongqing University and MA from Beijing Normal University. My interests include philosophy of language, mind, and metaphysics. I also enjoy hiking, cycling, museums, theater, and reading fiction and poetry.

Eric Maher

Eric Maher

I graduated from the University of Pittsburgh in 2013. My research interests are philosophy of physics and philosophy of science.

Emily Mathias

Emily Mathias

Originally from Michigan, I received my MA in philosophy from Western Michigan University and am pursuing my PhD at USC. My research is at the intersection of philosophy of language and ethics. Recent Publications: "Groundwork for the Moral Evaluation of Speech Acts," Social Philosophy Today 35 (2019).

Carol Lynn Miller

Carol Lynn Miller

I am interested in personalism, philosophical anthropology, and existentialism. My master’s thesis compared the thought of Karol Wojtyla and Norris Clarke in European personalism.

Maritza Mills

Maritza Mills

My interests are philosophy of mind, cognitive science, and AI, particularly emotion-cognition interaction. I earned my MS in Computer Science from Georgia Tech and worked as a product manager at Google, AWS, and startups.

Kirk Mishrell

Kirk Mishrell

Originally from Atlanta, GA, I earned an MA in history from Georgia State University. My research moved from radical subcultures and horror studies to philosophy of religion and arguments for God.

Amir Motesharei

Amir Motesharei

My research focuses on philosophy of science (realism vs. anti-realism, role of models, values in science) and Iranian traditional philosophy (Suhrawardi, Mulla Sadra). I earned my MA from Sharif University of Technology in Iran.

Sarah Pressman

Sarah Pressman

I received my BA in philosophy from Baylor University. My research is in virtue ethics and moral psychology, with interest in the role of suffering. Outside of academics, I enjoy knitting, fiction, and piano.

James Stewart

James Stewart

I received my M.A. from the University of Wales, Trinity St. David. My research includes epistemology, theory confirmation, philosophy of science, biology, and anthropology. Outside of work, I enjoy time with my wife and children.

Patrick Tully

Patrick Tully

I am interested in New Natural Law Theory, ethics (especially bioethics), and aesthetics. I received my BA and MA from Franciscan University of Steubenville.

Carter Weinstein

Carter Weinstein

I received my BA in Philosophy from the University of Florida. My interests are normative ethics (especially virtue ethics), philosophy of emotion, and Rousseau.

Nicholas Wilson

Nicholas Wilson

I am interested in philosophy of religion and ethics, with a side interest in metaphysics. I focus on natural theology and natural law.

 


Challenge the conventional. Create the exceptional. No Limits.

©