Department Homepage
The College of Arts & Sciences
Kate A. Manne, professor of philosophy in Cornell's College of Arts and Sciences, is one of two Cornell faculty members named 2026 fellows by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. Manne's research focuses on moral, feminist and social philosophy.
Cornell’s College of Arts & Sciences hosts a screening of the Oscar-nominated documentary “I Am Ready, Warden” on April 23, 5 p.m. The film’s co-producer, journalist Keri Blakinger ’14, and faculty experts will discuss death penalty impacts.
Cornell admits the Class of 2030 emphasizing real-world impact, enrolling 5,776 students from 102 countries. At Cornell University, the diverse cohort reflects the land-grant mission and applied learning goals across multiple colleges.
Cornell University Humanities Scholars traveled to Washington, D.C. to advocate for increased National Endowment for the Humanities and National Archives funding, meeting with congressional offices to highlight the impact of humanities programs on education. Their two‑day trip underscored how federal support strengthens community partnerships, language programs, and public humanities initiatives benefiting campuses and local organizations nationwide.
The new class, dean Peter John Loewen said, for students to be able to confront and move through disagreements at work, at home, in their communities and in society.
The 12 early-career scholars will pursue research in the sciences, social sciences and humanities.
From midcentury melodramas to speculative visions of technology and the human body—and even a French coming of age story about crafting world class cheese—Cornell Cinema’s spring season offers a varied plate.
A leading proponent of interdisciplinary approaches to moral psychology exploring questions of character, virtue and agency, John Doris writes about a movement to inform moral philosophy with psychological research, as well as the other way around.
Built in an era when the University was under fire for being nonsectarian, it offers respite from a bustling campus.
Congratulations to Philosophy professor John Doris. He was recently awarded the 2025 Joseph B. Gittler Award from the American Philosophy Association. Read more here https://www.apaonline.org/general/custom.asp?page=2025prizes-f#gittler_award
After a long career onstage and off, Ellen Stekert ’57 is focused on preservation—releasing songs from her vast archive on Bandcamp.
I know it sounds like the setup to a joke: a philosophy major walks into a football locker room..... From Cornell Sports/CornellBigRed.com : On fall Saturdays in Macomb, Ill., the town felt small enough that every face was familiar and every story overlapped with your own. It's the kind of place where your pediatrician might also be your teammate's mom, where the local circuit court judge doubles as your Scout leader, and where a soccer team can grow up together from first grade through senior year without changing much more than jersey sizes. "Small-town America really made me who I am," senior sprint football place-kicker Sumner Roberts said. "Everyone knows everyone. You can't fake it. You learn to be authentic."
This month’s titles featured in Cornellians include poetry, a famed restaurateur’s memoir, and a chronicle of the 1929 stock market crash
"I got a taste of what neuroscience research is really like."
A new course being offered will give students the chance to consider some of the most polarizing issues in our world today.
A new study explores how people feel about sharing their good deeds.
Five professors from across campus will advocate that their discipline is the most important to save for the future in the annual Apocalypse Debate Nov. 6.
“Political leaders – of all stripes – hate two things: unfettered speech and being mocked. With Jimmy Kimmel, the administration got a chance to squelch both."
The celebration also features a welcome speech at 12:15 p.m. by Elaine L. Westbrooks, Carl A. Kroch University Librarian, and open houses for the new Anthropology Collaboratory and Library Map Collection.
Ten students who participated in this summer's Nexus Scholars Program share their stories..
Political satire—long a staple of late-night TV—plays a critical role in democracy, cutting through partisanship and exposing hypocrisies that traditional news often can’t, says philosophy professor David Shoemaker.
Migdalia Arcila-Valenzuela is one of 20 recipients of Newcombe Doctoral Dissertation Fellowships for 2025-26, selected from nearly 600 applicants.
Migdalia Arcila-Valenzuela is a doctoral candidate in philosophy from Medellín, Colombia. She earned her B.A. in philosophy and literature from Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana in Medellín, Colombia, and M.A., magna cum laude, in philosophy from Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá, Colombia and now studies how praise and pride reflect the values embraced by a given society under the guidance of John M. Doris at Cornell. She was recently featured in the Cornell Grad School's "Student Spotlight".
.jpg)
The professorships are made possible because of gifts from alumni, parents and friends.
Projects spanned topics from Confederate cemeteries to Korean textiles.
Hanako Yamasaki is majoring in comparative literature and philosophy.
S. Gottfried is a Robert S. Harrison College Scholar who is also majoring in philosophy & English.
Sina Toussi ’91 established a new undergraduate scholarship in honor of Professors David B. Lyons and Allen W. Wood. The gift contributes to Cornell’s Undergraduate Affordability Initiative, and it is focused on supporting first-generation college students from the Bronx, New York.
A senior talks about one of his favorite classes.
For Steinberg, the relevance of history extends beyond academia. He is heartened by the increasing number of philosophers engaging in public philosophy, especially in relation to contemporary issues like social media and AI.
I'm interested in understanding norms. There are moral norms that tell us how to conduct ourselves in relation to others, there are epistemic norms for how we should orient our beliefs in relation to the world [...] and then there are legal norms that tell us, for example, that no one should be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law.
"Is Fat Female? Evolution, Feminism, and Getting the Story Right” takes place in person March 5; a virtual conversation between the two will be livestreamed March 6.
Wednesday's executive order prohibiting transgender women and girls from competing in female sports discriminates not only against transgender people, but also against women, says philosophy professor Kate Manne.
The darker-than-darkly humorous comments and the horrified responses to them are compatible forms of righteous blame, says David Shoemaker, a professor in ethics and public life.
Philosopher David Shoemaker examines the complicated nature of both modes of response, teasing out their many varieties while defending a general symmetry between them.
The results of the 2024 U.S. presidential election aren’t due to a simple dislike or distrust of women, but a reflection of America’s violent indifference to women.
Following former President Trump’s campaign rally at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, Cornell experts comment on the event's speeches and on Democrats' responses.
Six fellows from a broad swath of humanities fields will present their projects in progress during the annual Fall Fellows’ conference, on Friday, Oct. 25.
Kate Manne is one of twenty-five finalists to contend for National Book Awards in the categories of Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Translated Literature, and Young People’s Literature.
Toni Alimi, Philosophy
Justin Steinberg, Philosophy
"Cornell alumni are generous with their time and efforts to assist students, to answer questions from students, or connect them to people and places."
Peter John Loewen says he's excited to support faculty in their research, meet students and showcase the value of a liberal arts education.
Directed by College of Arts and Sciences (A&S) faculty in psychology and philosophy, the NEH-funded institute featured presentations from many leading figures in moral psychology, which studies human thought and behavior in ethical contexts
Assistant professor Toni Alimi traces the connections between Augustine’s understanding of slavery and his broader thoughts.
As Vice President Kamala Harris garners crucial support for her presidential campaign, Cornell University experts discuss the potential implications and challenges she might face.
Arundhati Singh approached the task using game theory and logic, to “strategize how women can go forward in this economic game that we seem to be stuck with."
With these new appointments, the number of A&S faculty appointed to endowed professorships since fall 2018 has reached 76.
Many generations of Sage professors have established a lasting legacy in Cornell’s history and have deeply influenced the study of philosophy and psychology worldwide.
Vonnegut, the grandson of author Kurt Vonnegut, is a rising senior at Tufts University.