Edward C. Feser (; born April 16, 1968) is an American Catholic philosopher. He is an Associate Professor of
Philosophy
Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...
at
Pasadena City College
Pasadena City College (PCC) is a Public college, public community college in Pasadena, California.
History
Pasadena, California, Pasadena City College was founded in 1924 as Pasadena Junior College. From 1928 to 1953, it operated as a four- ...
in
Pasadena
Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district.
Its ...
,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
.
Education
Feser holds a Ph.D. in philosophy from the
University of California at Santa Barbara
The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara or UCSB) is a public land-grant research university in Santa Barbara, California with 23,196 undergraduates and 2,983 graduate students enrolled in 2021–2022. It is part of the Un ...
, an M.A. in religion from the
Claremont Graduate School
The Claremont Graduate University (CGU) is a private, all-graduate research university in Claremont, California. Founded in 1925, CGU is a member of the Claremont Colleges which includes five undergraduate (Pomona College, Claremont McKenna Col ...
, and a B.A. in philosophy and religious studies from the
California State University at Fullerton
California State University, Fullerton (CSUF or Cal State Fullerton) is a public university in Fullerton, California. With a total enrollment of more than 41,000, it has the largest student body of the 23-campus California State University (CSU) ...
. His thesis is titled "Russell, Hayek, and the Mind-Body Problem".
He also went to Crespi High School in California.
Career
Feser is an associate professor of philosophy at
Pasadena City College
Pasadena City College (PCC) is a Public college, public community college in Pasadena, California.
History
Pasadena, California, Pasadena City College was founded in 1924 as Pasadena Junior College. From 1928 to 1953, it operated as a four- ...
and has been a visiting assistant professor of philosophy at
Loyola Marymount University
Loyola Marymount University (LMU) is a private Jesuit and Marymount research university in Los Angeles, California. It is located on the west side of the city near Playa Vista. LMU is the parent school to Loyola Law School, which is located ...
and a visiting scholar at
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is a public research university in Bowling Green, Ohio. The main academic and residential campus is south of Toledo, Ohio. The university has nationally recognized programs and research facilities in the ...
's Social Philosophy and Policy Center.
Called by ''
National Review
''National Review'' is an American conservative editorial magazine, focusing on news and commentary pieces on political, social, and cultural affairs. The magazine was founded by the author William F. Buckley Jr. in 1955. Its editor-in-chief i ...
'' "one of the best contemporary writers on philosophy," Feser is the author of ''On Nozick'', ''Philosophy of Mind'', ''Locke'', ''The Last Superstition: A Refutation of the New Atheism'', ''Aquinas'', ''Scholastic Metaphysics: A Contemporary Introduction'', ''Neo-Scholastic Essay'', and ''Five Proofs of the Existence of God'', the co-author of ''By Man Shall His Blood Be Shed: A Catholic Defense of Capital Punishment'', and the editor of ''The Cambridge Companion to Hayek'' and ''Aristotle on Method and Metaphysics''. His primary academic research interests are in
metaphysics
Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that studies the fundamental nature of reality, the first principles of being, identity and change, space and time, causality, necessity, and possibility. It includes questions about the nature of conscio ...
,
natural theology
Natural theology, once also termed physico-theology, is a type of theology that seeks to provide arguments for theological topics (such as the existence of a deity) based on reason and the discoveries of science.
This distinguishes it from ...
, the
philosophy of mind
Philosophy of mind is a branch of philosophy that studies the ontology and nature of the mind and its relationship with the body. The mind–body problem is a paradigmatic issue in philosophy of mind, although a number of other issues are addre ...
, and moral and
political philosophy
Political philosophy or political theory is the philosophical study of government, addressing questions about the nature, scope, and legitimacy of public agents and institutions and the relationships between them. Its topics include politics, l ...
.
Feser writes on politics and culture from a conservative point of view and on religion, from a
traditional Roman Catholic perspective. His work has appeared in ''
The American'', ''
The American Conservative
''The American Conservative'' (''TAC'') is a magazine published by the American Ideas Institute which was founded in 2002. Originally published twice a month, it was reduced to monthly publication in August 2009, and since February 2013, it has ...
'', ''
Catholic World Report
''The Catholic World Report'' is an international news magazine published by Ignatius Press that covers issues related to the Catholic Church. It was founded by Joseph Fessio in 1991 as a print monthly. Its circulation was approximately 20,000 in ...
'', ''
City Journal
''City Journal'' is a public policy magazine and website, published by the conservative Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, that covers a range of topics on urban affairs, such as policing, education, housing, and other issues. The magazine ...
'', ''
The Claremont Review of Books'', ''Crisis'', ''
First Things
''First Things'' (''FT'') is an ecumenical and conservative religious journal aimed at "advanc nga religiously informed public philosophy for the ordering of society". The magazine, which focuses on theology, liturgy, church history, religio ...
'', ''Liberty'', ''
National Review
''National Review'' is an American conservative editorial magazine, focusing on news and commentary pieces on political, social, and cultural affairs. The magazine was founded by the author William F. Buckley Jr. in 1955. Its editor-in-chief i ...
'', ''
New Oxford Review
The ''New Oxford Review'' is a magazine of Catholic cultural and theological commentary.Ronald Lora, William Henry Longton, ''The conservative press in twentieth-century America'', Greenwood Publishing Group, 1999, p. 20/ref>Mary Jo Weaver, ''Bein ...
'', ''
Nova et Vetera
''Nova et Vetera'' is a theological review in the tradition of Thomism which focuses on contemporary issues facing the Roman Catholic Church. Published in the Swiss region of Romandy, the main language of the journal is French. It is also publis ...
'', ''Public Discourse'', ''Reason'', and ''TCS Daily''.
Feser's book ''The Last Superstition: A Refutation of the New Atheism'' makes a philosophical argument for the classical
Aristotelian-
Thomistic
Thomism is the philosophical and theological school that arose as a legacy of the work and thought of Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274), the Dominican philosopher, theologian, and Doctor of the Church. In philosophy, Aquinas' disputed questions ...
worldview over and against the
materialist
Materialism is a form of philosophical monism which holds matter to be the fundamental substance in nature, and all things, including mental states and consciousness, are results of material interactions. According to philosophical materialis ...
assumptions, which he sees as
scientistic prejudices, of contemporary atheists such as
Richard Dawkins
Richard Dawkins (born 26 March 1941) is a British evolutionary biologist and author. He is an emeritus fellow of New College, Oxford and was Professor for Public Understanding of Science in the University of Oxford from 1995 to 2008. An ath ...
, of whom he is particularly critical.
Personal life
Feser lives with his wife and six children in
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
.
Bibliography
* ''On Nozick'' (Thomson-Wadsworth, 2003)
* ''The Cambridge Companion to Hayek'' (Cambridge University Press, 2006)
* ''Philosophy of Mind (A Beginner's Guide)'' (Oneworld Publications, 2007)
* ''Locke'' (Oneworld Publications, 2007)
* ''The Last Superstition: A Refutation of the New Atheism'' (St. Augustine's Press, 2008)
* ''Aquinas (A Beginner's Guide)'' (Oneworld Publications, 2009)
* ''Aristotle on Method and Metaphysics'' (as editor and contributor) (Palgrave Macmillan, 2013)
* ''Scholastic Metaphysics: A Contemporary Introduction'' (Editiones Scholasticae, 2014)
* ''Neo-Scholastic Essays'' (St. Augustine's Press, 2015)
* ''By Man Shall His Blood Be Shed: A Catholic Defense of the Death Penalty'' (with Joseph M. Bessette) (Ignatius Press, 2017)
* ''Five Proofs of the Existence of God'' (Ignatius Press, 2017)
* ''Aristotle's Revenge: The Metaphysical Foundations of Physical and Biological Science'' (Editiones Scholasticae, 2019)
* ''All One in Christ: A Catholic Critique of Racism and Critical Race Theory'' (Ignatius Press, 2022)
References
External links
Official websiteEdward Feser's blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Feser, Edward C
Living people
1968 births
21st-century American philosophers
American philosophy academics
Pasadena City College faculty
University of California, Santa Barbara alumni
Critics of atheism
Converts to Roman Catholicism from atheism or agnosticism
Philosophers of religion
Catholic philosophers
Thomists
American male writers
Catholics from California
American traditionalist Catholics
Traditionalist Catholic writers