Eva Dadlez is Professor Emerita of philosophy at the University of Central Oklahoma and currently resides in Ithaca, NY. She received her PhD from Syracuse University. She writes on issues at the intersection (sometimes the collision) of aesthetics, ethics, and epistemology.
Link to your website: evadadlez.com
What excites you about philosophy?
In the beginning, nothing excited me about philosophy. I didn’t take a single philosophy course as an undergrad. When I was doing a Masters in an entirely unrelated field, a friend (now my husband of nearly 50 years) told me about his graduate-level aesthetics class. “Wait. So these people think they can determine what art is without being able to draw their way out of a paper bag?” I asked in some umbrage. I’d been doing paid art and illustration for years as a side gig. “I have to take that class! What can they be thinking?” I took it as an elective (I had one elective course in my program, and I’d been hoarding it). The class was a revelation. When ways in which one has been thinking all along are presented as received methodology, there’s a kind of stunned recognition that has a powerful impact. I was just angry with myself for having wasted so much time doing other, clearly less interesting, things. I applied to the PhD program. I took another grad course in philosophy as a test, and was admitted, although it took me a year to get an assistantship that enabled me to begin coursework. Aesthetics (insufficiently respected in the field, in my opinion) was and remains my first obsession.
What is your favorite thing that you’ve written?
My Wiley-Blackwell book on Jane Austen and David Hume, Mirrors to One Another. I remember that I sent a proposal accompanied by the one thing on the subject I’d published to a few presses and was informed in kindly tones that it was a good paper, but that the subject matter was exhausted by the single article. So I took a sabbatical and wrote the book. Really, when people say something like that in just that way, it’s almost a requirement to prove them wrong.
Another favorite for entirely different reasons is an article I collaborated on with my entire senior seminar in feminist ethics (dubbed Women and Values so as not unnecessarily to inflame the curriculum committee). Entitled “Rape, Evolution and Pseudoscience: Natural Selection in the Academy,” it challenged the claim that rape was an evolutionary strategy. A philosopher who was a supporter of the rape module hypothesis actually undertook to argue with the class via email (thanks, Jeff), and all of us ended up working much harder than we expected to when we decided to call bullshit. Three students had bylines when we published, and everyone in the class was given credit in the footnotes. It was an exercise in the mustering of forces, in confronting an argument in a field with which none of us was familiar, while at the same time being genuinely invested in trying to get things right. That article made a lot of people angry. Indeed, it and I were verbally attacked at a university event by a visiting evolutionary psychologist whose shouted imprecations almost made me drop my brie (almost—I really like brie). Whether or not we got things exactly right, this at least suggests we struck a nerve. I took it as a modest win.
What are you working on right now?
Two conference papers. One is on the art status of tattoo coverups, and the other is on a really interesting book on humor and race. Recently, I’ve also been trying my hand at fantasy and science fiction, although I haven’t published much yet. Only three stories.
What common philosophical dilemma do you think has a clear answer?
Probably the so-called paradox of tragic pleasure (something that clearly extends to horror and melodrama as well). First, it isn’t a paradox. And next, there are innumerable perfectly plausible accounts of the pleasure we can take in works that also arouse negative emotions. We can be saddened by a character’s plight yet enjoy the artistry with which it is depicted, or admire that character’s fortitude, or feel smug about our sensitivity. Different responses with distinct objects.
If you could wake up tomorrow with a new talent, what would you most like it to be?
I thought about this quite a bit, and realized that I mainly want to be even better at the things I’m already pretty good at. If you become astronomically better at something, it counts as a new talent, right?
Name a trait, skill, or characteristic that you have that others may not know about.
I fence. Or at least I used to.
What do you like to do outside of work?
Read novels. Constantly. And I do Tai Chi. I write stories. I draw.
When did you last sing to yourself, or to someone else?
Yesterday. I sing to my dogs when there are no bipeds around. Usually, I sing tunes onto which I have imposed dog-themed lyrics.
What time of day are you most productive and creative?
In the morning, after a walk or run.
What are your goals and aspirations outside of work?
Becoming more adept at writing fiction. Travelling the world. Becoming better at tai chi. Continuing to write about philosophical issues that interest me. Getting a third dog.
If you could have a one-hour conversation with any philosopher or historical figure from any time, who would you pick and what topic would you choose?
David Hume. I would ask him about that passage involving emotional conversion in “Of Tragedy” that people are still fighting about.
What 3 items would you take to a desert island other than food and water?
My Kindle, and a solar-powered charger, and backups.
What is your least favorite type of fruit and why?
Banana. The texture skeeves me out.
Who would win in a fight between Spider-Man and Batman?
Catwoman.
Wonder Woman vs Supergirl?
Jessica Jones.
If you were an ice cream, what flavor would you be?
Maple walnut.
What’s your poison? (Favorite drink.)
Framboise.
What advice do you wish someone had given you?
They did give it. I just didn’t listen.
This section of the APA Blog is designed to get to know our fellow philosophers a little better. We’re including profiles of APA members that spotlight what captures their interest, not only inside the office, but also outside of it. We’d love for you to be a part of it, so please contact us via the interview nomination form.
Jessica Castellani
Jessica Castellani had a unique high school experience attending Toledo School for the Arts, where she played in a percussion ensemble and steel drum band for six years. She earned her dual Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology and religious studies from the University of Toledo. Her primary focus was “the Self” and the mystical experience of losing it. She earned her Master of Arts in philosophy from The University of Toledo as well, with a specialization in comparative philosophy, Eastern studies, and continental philosophy. She has taught World Religions and Introduction to Philosophy at The University of Toledo both in person and virtually. She is a member of the Buddhist Temple of Toledo, tutors students, and has worked in the service industry for over a decade. In her free time, she likes to spend time outside and with her pets, friends, and family.
