Stephen Colbert and Philosophy - Aaron Allen Schiller [134]
ETHAN MILLS is a PhD student in the Department of Philosophy at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, where he lives with his wife, Beth, and cat, Elsie. His interests include epistemology (especially skepticism), Indian philosophy, cross-cultural philosophy, feminist philosophy, philosophy of science, ethics, metaphilosophy and translating The Colbert Report into Sanskrit (“truthiness” = “satyavattvam”). He will soon begin the next segment of his academic career entitled, “Better Know a Dissertation: A Seemingly-Infinite Part Series.”
MICHAEL F. PATTON, JR. is proud to have his co-author Samantha Webb as his official Canadian friend. He had to do a lot of work to keep her parts from being too thinky and snooty, but in the end, his gut tells him that the finished product is both grippy and full of truthiness. Michael teaches Philosophy at the University of Montevallo in Alabama, where he lives and loves with his wife Cheryl and their cats.
MATTHEW PIERLOTT is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at West Chester University of Pennsylvania, located in Pennsylvania’s Sixteenth Congressional District (the fighting Rams!). He received his PhD in Philosophy from Marquette University. His area of specialization is in the philosophy of freedom, because he’s an American… . ’nuff said. Matt is starting a campaign to remove the polar bears from the Philadelphia Zoo, not just because they are a monstrous danger to our community, but also because their kind has been complicit with liberals in perpetuating the hoax of global warming. For the children’s sake, we must fight to keep our zoos politically neutral! He enjoys listening to NPR, because you have to know what the enemy is thinking.
MARK RALKOWSKI has published in ancient philosophy and twentieth-century Continental philosophy. He currently teaches at the University of New Mexico, where he has his students discuss one question all semester, every semester: who would win if Jesus were to fight America? “Stephen Colbert could answer it,” he tells his class, “or could he?” Can you, Stephen? You can tell Ralkowski when (not if) you have him on your show to discuss his forthcoming book, Heidegger’s Platonism. In fact, Ralkowski is so touched by the invitation you will offer him to be on your show, he would like you to write the foreword for his book. No need to thank him. You are welcome in advance.
KORY SCHAFF is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Occidental College in Los Angeles (whose noteworthy alumni include Terry Gilliam and Barack Obama). He received his BA at North Central College, his MA at Loyola University Chicago, and his PhD at the University of California, San Diego. He has edited a volume titled Philosophy and the Problems of Work: A Reader (2001), and has published essays on various topics in social, political, and legal philosophy. Most of the time while watching The Colbert Report he’s of two minds about whether to laugh or cry.
AARON ALLEN SCHILLER is currently a Visiting Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee, where he lives with his wife, Denise, and their two cats, Taco and Pickle. He received his BA in Philosophy from the University of California, Berkeley, and his PhD in Philosophy from the University of California, San Diego. He researches what he calls (with all gravitas) the Philosophy of Content, and has published in the Philosophy of Mind. He considers himself an it-getter.
KURT SMITH earned his BA in Philosophy at UC Irvine, and MA and PhD in Philosophy at Claremont Graduate University. As if this isn’t awesome enough, among those who contributed to this volume Smith is the one who looks most like Stephen. In fact,