Matthew Stuart (born 1966/1967) is an American

philosopher A philosopher is a person who practices or investigates philosophy. The term ''philosopher'' comes from the grc, φιλόσοφος, , translit=philosophos, meaning 'lover of wisdom'. The coining of the term has been attributed to the Greek th ...

and a professor of philosophy at

Bowdoin College Bowdoin College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Brunswick, Maine. When Bowdoin was chartered in 1794, Maine was still a part of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The college offers 34 majors and 36 minors, as well as several joint eng ...

. His primary work is in the field of Early

Modern Philosophy Modern philosophy is philosophy developed in the modern era and associated with modernity. It is not a specific doctrine or school (and thus should not be confused with ''Modernism''), although there are certain assumptions common to much of it ...

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 ...

epistemology Epistemology (; ), or the theory of knowledge, is the branch of philosophy concerned with knowledge. Epistemology is considered a major subfield of philosophy, along with other major subfields such as ethics, logic, and metaphysics. Episte ...

, and

ethics Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that "involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior".''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' The field of ethics, along with aesthetics, concerns m ...

and focuses on the philosophy of

John Locke John Locke (; 29 August 1632 – 28 October 1704) was an English philosopher and physician, widely regarded as one of the most influential of Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment thinkers and commonly known as the "father of liberalism ...

. He is the author of ''Locke’s Metaphysics'' (

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

Clarendon Press, 2013) in which he takes a unique approach to

's work "An Essay Concerning Human Understanding" to view it as a strong

Metaphysical 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 ...

text, rather than just that of

. Some ideas approached in his book focus on "Locke's denial that bodies can be co-located", that "empty spaces within a body are not parts of

hem A hem in sewing is a garment finishing method, where the edge of a piece of cloth is folded and sewn to prevent unravelling of the fabric and to adjust the length of the piece in garments, such as at the end of the sleeve or the bottom of the ga ...

, that " ocke'srelativism about identity equips him to respond to objects to his account of personal identity", and that of Locke's "rejection of essentialism". Stuart's book received attention from reviewers as a strong source for Lockean scholars to consider; still, several crucial critiques were offered, including Stuart's interpretation of substance and mode, as well as Stuart's interpretation of Locke's account of identity. Stuart has expressed sympathy to the unpopular

Ontological In metaphysics, ontology is the philosophical study of being, as well as related concepts such as existence, becoming, and reality. Ontology addresses questions like how entities are grouped into categories and which of these entities exis ...

view of

Animalism (philosophy) In the philosophical subdiscipline of ontology, animalism is a theory of personal identity that asserts that human persons are animals. The concept of animalism is advocated by philosophers Eric T. Olson, Peter Van Inwagen, Paul Snowdon, Steph ...

. Stuart received his B.A. in philosophy from the

University of Vermont The University of Vermont (UVM), officially the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont. It was founded in 1791 and is amon ...

and earned a Masters and Ph.D. in philosophy at

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

. He has been employed at

since 1993.

Books

A Companion to Locke (Editor). Oxford: Wily-Blackwell Publishing Co., 2016. Locke’s Metaphysics. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 2013.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stuart, Matthew 20th-century American philosophers Analytic philosophers 1967 births Living people Cornell University alumni University of Vermont alumni Bowdoin College faculty