Faculty Profile
Jeff Engelhardt
Associate Professor of Philosophy (2014)
Contact Information
East College
717-254-8301
Bio
My research focuses on interactions between minds, language, and broader social structures. In one recent paper, for instance, I consider how gendered linguistic norms might contribute to the prevalence of gaslighting. In the recent book Nonideal Theory and Content Externalism (Oxford, 2024), I argue that many, perhaps most, theories of language implicitly assume that oppression doesn't affect the structures that determine linguistic meaning; in fact, however, oppression systematically shapes these structures, and thus such theories of language are systematically inaccurate. In the past, I've worked on metaphysical issues relevant to minds, cognitive science, and causation; I'm still interested in those things, but I don't have research plans in those areas right now. In the coming years, I plan to explore how solidarity, mutual aid, and political organizing affect language and what can be thought. In addition to Philosophy 101, I teach courses in logic, philosophy of race and gender, philosophy of mind, philosophy of sex, metaphysics, philosophy of language, and phenomenology.
Education
- B.A., Saint Peter's College, 2004
- Ph.D., Georgetown University, 2011