Jason DeWitt is a PhD student at The Ohio State University. His primary research areas are in philosophy of science, metaphysics, epistemology, and history of analytic philosophy (esp. Quine).
What excites you about philosophy?
What excites me most is the communal nature of philosophy. I always look forward to talking to friends/colleagues about any topic in philosophy, meeting philosophers from around the world, sharing ideas around dinner conversations, etc. I really and truly love the feeling of watching and participating in good philosophy. I always feel enlivened and sustained after participating in good philosophical discussion.
What is your favorite thing that you’ve written?
My favorite paper of my own is my one and only publication (so far!). It’s broadly on the question: what justifies our basic epistemic rules, rules like modus ponens? I argue against a very clever (and friendly) philosopher named Sinan Dogramaci. The paper tries to show that even if we grant what Sinan calls epistemic communism, we don’t have to follow him to deflationism about rationality.
What are you working on right now?
I’m working on my third-year candidacy project which involves surveying works on the question: how ought we conduct scientifically-informed metaphysics? I’ve been reading a lot of Quine, Anjan Chakravartty, Huw Price, and James Ladyman (as well as many others). I’m now working on a few drafts broadly related to this topic. One is questioning whether global expressivists/pragmatists can really save themselves from what Robert Kraut calls the No Exit problem. The other paper is, broadly, concerned with the stability of Chakravartty’s stance voluntarism.
What are you reading right now?
I’m currently reading a book called Against the Market by David McNally. When I’m not reading for work, I like to read political economy books. I’ve also just started reading Penelope Maddy’s Second Philosophy. I’ve wanted to read it for quite a while and it’s highly relevant to my current research interests.
Which books have changed your life? In what ways?
The Demon-Haunted World by Carl Sagan was a gift from my brother when I was a teenager. It was my first real introduction to discussions of logic, critical thinking, and scientific skepticism. It made me start to question the beliefs I had and the beliefs held by most of those around me. It hooked me on the critical spirit of philosophy. Another book that changed my life is The Last Days of Socrates (which contains Plato’s Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, and Phaedo). I read this very early on in my philosophical career. It’s great, readable philosophy about the most important and fundamental philosophical questions. Socrates’ (martyrdom-like) dedication to philosophy displayed there really gripped me and I’ve been studying/doing philosophy ever since.
What’s your poison? (Favorite drink.)
I’m a really big fan of sour beers. The best one I’ve had is the Rodenbach Alexander, so that’s my choice.
What is your favorite album of all time? (Or top 3). Why? To whom would you recommend them?
I’m a music lover and enjoy checking out new music every chance I get, so this is a hard question for me. The following three albums may not be my favorite three albums of all time, but they certainly are three of my favorite albums of all time: Bob Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks, Van Morrison’s Astral Weeks, and The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway by Genesis. Blood on the Tracks is just a beautiful set of tracks and Bob Dylan at his best. Astral Weeks is a vibrant and transcendent record near to my heart. Any lovers of folk/folk-rock should check those albums out, but I imagine most already have—they’re classics. The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway is an epic, double-sided, concept-album. Prog rock is my favorite sub-genre of music and I think this album represents that genre at its height.
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Dr. Sabrina D. MisirHiralall is an editor at the Blog of the APA who currently teaches philosophy, religion, and education courses solely online for Montclair State University, Three Rivers Community College, and St. John’s University.
