CEU Philosophy Department

In July, Professor Emeritus, Howard Robinson, joined Nathan Hawkins to discuss famous 'Mary argument' against physicalism (originally by Frank Jackson) and related issues in philosophy of mind.

👀 Watch the discussion here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9T60xaPd4LY

The famous Mary argument against materialism explained (with Prof Howard Robinson) 👉 I have started a Patreon page with a philosophy community, exclus...

Alumni News!
Our alumnus Pranav Ambardekar shares his career path.
I graduated from CEU in 2018, completing the two-year MA program in philosophy. I wrote my master’s thesis on Wittgenstein’s epistemology, under the supervision of Prof. Hanoch Ben-Yami.

My time at CEU philosophy gave me an excellent grounding in analytic philosophy, and my work on Wittgensteinian epistemology spurred many intellectual projects during my PhD at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio.

In 2024, I defended my PhD dissertation, titled “The Epistemology of Reflection, ” with Prof. Declan Smithies as chair, and professors Hilary Kornblith, Tristram McPherson, and Abraham Roth in my committee. Right after finishing my PhD, I accepted the position of Assistant Professor of Philosophy & Critical Thinking at FLAME University, Pune—the pioneer of liberal education in India. I began my journey in philosophy as an undergrad in Pune, which is also my hometown. It’s great to be back as a professor!

At FLAME, I teach two foundation core courses for undergraduates: Applied Ethics & Critical Reasoning. Additionally, I teach courses for the Philosophy Minor, like Epistemology. I am also involved in research mentoring, as part of FLAME’s flagship “Discover India Program”.

My current philosophical research is in three areas. In analytic epistemology, I am working on the epistemic value of reflection, the possibility of epistemic agency, and on a theory of discursive responsibility. In cross-cultural philosophy, I am working on the connection between reflection and wisdom. In Indian philosophy, I am working on underexplored views of divine incarnation, like the mystical view of divine incarnation.

You can find some of my published work on my PhilPapers page. https://philpeople.org/profiles/pranav-ambardekar

Looking back on Graduation Day 2026!
Congratulations to all our MA students who graduated this year! We look forward to seeing where you go next!

If you're thinking about starting an MA in philosophy, find out more about our 1- or 2-year program on the CEU website: https://www.ceu.edu/academics/degrees/ma-philosophy

Applications open in September and first round closes October 15!

In November last year, Howard Robinson, professor emeritus, joined a panel discussion ‘Who will emerge as the next world powers?’ with David Jones, former UK Secretary of State for Wales; Prof. Daniel Nexon, Georgetown & School of Foreign Service; and Chunjuan Nancy Wei, Wenzhou-Kean University, China.

Watch the discussion below 👇️

Who Will Emerge As The Next World Powers? In an era of deep polarization and unpredictability, how will these countries influence international diplomacy? Should the West be concerned as China, India, and other rising powers form new economic and security partnerships?

Our alumnus Vladimir Lazurca (PhD 2025) has recently been awarded the Post-DocTrack Fellowship (5 months, 06/26 – 11/26) by the Austrian Academy of Sciences (OeAW). The Fellowship is awarded to outstanding young scholars working in the humanities and social sciences and supports the completion of publications resulting from the dissertation.

Vladimir is currently working on a monograph project based on his dissertation Transcendental Hermeneutics. Grounding Interpretation in the Hermeneutical Circle.

To access Vladimir's doctoral dissertation, go to the CEU library catalog.
https://library.ceu.edu/electronic-theses-dissertations-etd

If you are interested in studying philosophy with us, visit our department page to find out more about our courses offered and programs of study from 1- & 2 year MA, or a PhD! https://www.ceu.edu/departments/philosophy

🎓 Our 1- and 2-year MA Philosophy students have graduated, and we couldn't be prouder!

We commend you for the hard work and engagement you've all shown throughout your studies with us! Every late-night reading, seminar debate, question asked and each draft of your thesis brought you here. You should be proud of what you've accomplished.

We can't wait to see where you go next!

Congratulations, Class of 2026! 👏

To find out more about our MA course program visit our website https://www.ceu.edu/academics/degrees/ma-philosophy

🔥 Three of our Philosophy MA Students Receive Outstanding Academic Achievement Award !

Each year, CEU recognizes graduating master’s and bachelor’s students from every program and department who have achieved the highest grade point average based on their coursework performance.

👏 Congratulations to Klara Hulikova, Ilgar Gapagov, and Tomas Muller for receiving this year's Outstanding Achievement Award in philosophy!

Read more about each student and their MA theses. https://www.ceu.edu/news/2026-06/philosophy-ma-students-receive-outstanding-academic-achievement-award

To find out more about our MA Philosophy program visit our program page! https://www.ceu.edu/academics/degrees/ma-philosophy

🏆 2 honourable mentions for our faculty at the CEU Awards 2026!

Katalin Farkas & Asya Passinsky placed 3rd and 4th respectively for 'Best Instructor in the Undergrad program'!
👏 Congratulations to you both!!

Their achievements continue a proud streak, following Camilo Martinez (3rd) & Tim Crane (4th) in 2025!

🎉 Big news from our department: Professor Katalin Farkas, has been appointed as an editor at Noûs — one of philosophy's most prestigious journals.

This is a fantastic milestone, and we couldn't be prouder. Here's to the great work ahead in this new chapter!

👏 Congratulations, Katalin!

👏 CONGRATULATIONS!

Our alumnus Henrique Mendes Gonçalves (PhD 2025) has been awarded a one-year postdoctoral fellowship through the Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships program. He will be based at the Institut de Philosophie - Université de Neuchâtel in Switzerland starting from September 2026.

His postdoctoral project, “Foundations of Philosophical Grammar: Objecthood,” examines the hypothesis that many philosophical puzzles about abstract objects arise from the tacit projection of features associated with concrete physical objects, the prototypical members of the conceptual category “object,” onto more peripheral members of that category. Bringing together ordinary language philosophy, prototype theory, and cognitive semantics, the project aims to identify and diagnose these patterns in philosophical discourse.

Wishing Henrique all the best in his new position in Switzerland!