Philosophy department’s roots intertwine with America’s
As the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary, meet Tar Heels who have shaped national philosophical thought.
From the lectures of Horace Williams in the late 1800s to the public-facing mission of Maynard Adams and the modern ethics of Susan Wolf, UNC-Chapel Hill has consistently produced thinkers who believe that the life of the mind is the highest form of service.
Carolina’s earliest students learned about many philosophical ideas that fueled the intellectual engine of American independence. Concepts like consent of the governed, the right of revolution and natural law were justification for breaking from Great Britain and the blueprint for building a new nation.
Almost 200 years later, E. Maynard Adams, a Kenan Professor, launched the Program in the Humanities and Human Values in 1979. The program, now known as Carolina Public Humanities, was the practical manifestation of Adams’ belief that philosophy should extend beyond ivory towers to serve a democratic society. The moment solidified Carolina’s place among highly influential centers of philosophy.
Today’s philosophy department dates to 1875’s College of Philosophy, which included the School of Metaphysics and Logic and the School of Moral Science. The school became the philosophy department around 1895. Horace Williams, the department’s first chair, joined the faculty in 1891. He strengthened the University’s focus on critical inquiry.
After Williams, Adams spent over 50 years at Carolina and served as department chair. Adams published 11 books, including his last, “A Society Fit for Human Beings” (1997), in which he diagnosed a profound incoherence in modern Western civilization. He argued that a fixation on economic wealth and military dominance driven by a strictly scientific worldview was effectively “polluting the wells of meaning” that sustain the human spirit. Adams called for a cultural revolution rooted in the humanities, advocating for a shift from a materialistic culture to one that prioritizes human growth, inner well-being and flourishing over efficiency. That thinking underpinned the creation of Carolina Public Humanities.
Some Carolina philosophy faculty and their influence
Professors
Thomas E. Hill Jr., Kenan Professor, transformed contemporary moral theory by bridging the gap between historical Kantian scholarship and modern political problems in his book “Dignity and Practical Reason.”
Thomas Hofweber, William R. Kenan Jr. Distinguished Professor, published groundbreaking research on how mathematical and linguistic structures define our reality.
Mariska Leunissen gained acclaim for her work on Aristotelian biology.
Geoffrey Sayre-McCord, Morehead-Cain Alumni Distinguished Professor, shaped the field of metaethics. He founded Carolina’s Philosophy, Politics and Economics program, influencing how a new generation of thinkers understands the relationship between moral values and social structures.
Sarah Stroud furthered the field of action theory by exploring the complex moral demands of friendship and partiality.
Rebecca Walker made meaningful contributions to philosophy and bioethics.
Emeritus faculty
James Lesher, an expert in ancient Greek philosophy, maintained the department’s historical strength through his definitive studies on pre-Socratic thinkers.
William Lycan became a world leader on the philosophy of mind. His work on consciousness and the “language of thought” provided the analytical tools necessary for modern cognitive science.
Susan Wolf, an international sensation with her critique of “moral saints,” developed the influential theory that meaning is found where subjective passion meets objective value.
Alumni
Matthew Chrisman ’06 (PhD) at the University of Edinburgh focuses on ethics, epistemology, philosophy of language and political philosophy.
Felipe De Brigard ’07 (MA) ’11 (PhD) at Duke University is an expert in the philosophy of cognitive science and the mechanics of memory.
Carolina’s former chancellor, the late Michael Hooker ’69, was a scholar of 17th-century thought who championed the idea that a philosophical education is the ultimate preparation for leadership.
Kai Nielsen ’49 was a prominent voice in 20th-century political philosophy.
Susanne Sreedhar ’05 (PhD) at Boston University has influenced the history of political thought through her feminist re-reading of Hobbes.
Valerie Tiberius ’92 (MA) ’97 (PhD), a professor at the University of Minnesota, has shaped modern moral psychology with her work on well-being.
