Edward C. Feser (; born April 16, 1968) is an American Catholic philosopher. He is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Pasadena City College in

Pasadena Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

Education

Feser holds a Ph.D. in philosophy from the

University of California at Santa Barbara The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara or UCSB) is a public land-grant research university in Santa Barbara, California with 23,196 undergraduates and 2,983 graduate students enrolled in 2021–2022. It is part of the U ...

, an M.A. in religion from the

Claremont Graduate School The Claremont Graduate University (CGU) is a private, all-graduate research university in Claremont, California. Founded in 1925, CGU is a member of the Claremont Colleges which includes five undergraduate ( Pomona College, Claremont McKenna C ...

, and a B.A. in philosophy and religious studies from the

California State University at Fullerton California State University, Fullerton (CSUF or Cal State Fullerton) is a public university in Fullerton, California. With a total enrollment of more than 41,000, it has the largest student body of the 23-campus California State University (CSU) ...

. His thesis is titled "Russell, Hayek, and the Mind-Body Problem". He also went to Crespi High School in California.

Career

Feser is an associate professor of philosophy at Pasadena City College and has been a visiting assistant professor of philosophy at

Loyola Marymount University Loyola Marymount University (LMU) is a private Jesuit and Marymount research university in Los Angeles, California. It is located on the west side of the city near Playa Vista. LMU is the parent school to Loyola Law School, which is located ...

and a visiting scholar at

Bowling Green State University Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is a public research university in Bowling Green, Ohio. The main academic and residential campus is south of Toledo, Ohio. The university has nationally recognized programs and research facilities in the ...

's Social Philosophy and Policy Center. Called by ''

National Review ''National Review'' is an American conservative editorial magazine, focusing on news and commentary pieces on political, social, and cultural affairs. The magazine was founded by the author William F. Buckley Jr. in 1955. Its editor-in-chief ...

'' "one of the best contemporary writers on philosophy," Feser is the author of ''On Nozick'', ''Philosophy of Mind'', ''Locke'', ''The Last Superstition: A Refutation of the New Atheism'', ''Aquinas'', ''Scholastic Metaphysics: A Contemporary Introduction'', ''Neo-Scholastic Essay'', and ''Five Proofs of the Existence of God'', the co-author of ''By Man Shall His Blood Be Shed: A Catholic Defense of Capital Punishment'', and the editor of ''The Cambridge Companion to Hayek'' and ''Aristotle on Method and Metaphysics''. His primary academic research interests are in

metaphysics Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that studies the fundamental nature of reality, the first principles of being, identity and change, space and time, causality, necessity, and possibility. It includes questions about the nature of conscio ...

, natural theology, the

philosophy of mind Philosophy of mind is a branch of philosophy that studies the ontology and nature of the mind and its relationship with the body. The mind–body problem is a paradigmatic issue in philosophy of mind, although a number of other issues are add ...

, and moral and

political philosophy Political philosophy or political theory is the philosophical study of government, addressing questions about the nature, scope, and legitimacy of public agents and institutions and the relationships between them. Its topics include politics, ...

. Feser writes on politics and culture from a conservative point of view and on religion, from a traditional Roman Catholic perspective. His work has appeared in '' The American'', ''

The American Conservative ''The American Conservative'' (''TAC'') is a magazine published by the American Ideas Institute which was founded in 2002. Originally published twice a month, it was reduced to monthly publication in August 2009, and since February 2013, it has ...

'', ''

Catholic World Report ''The Catholic World Report'' is an international news magazine published by Ignatius Press that covers issues related to the Catholic Church. It was founded by Joseph Fessio in 1991 as a print monthly. Its circulation was approximately 20,000 ...

'', ''

City Journal ''City Journal'' is a public policy magazine and website, published by the conservative Manhattan Institute for Policy Research, that covers a range of topics on urban affairs, such as policing, education, housing, and other issues. The magazine ...

'', '' The Claremont Review of Books'', ''Crisis'', ''

First Things ''First Things'' (''FT'') is an ecumenical and conservative religious journal aimed at "advanc nga religiously informed public philosophy for the ordering of society". The magazine, which focuses on theology, liturgy, church history, religio ...

'', ''Liberty'', ''

'', ''

New Oxford Review The ''New Oxford Review'' is a magazine of Catholic cultural and theological commentary.Ronald Lora, William Henry Longton, ''The conservative press in twentieth-century America'', Greenwood Publishing Group, 1999, p. 20/ref>Mary Jo Weaver, ''Bein ...

'', '' Nova et Vetera'', ''Public Discourse'', ''Reason'', and ''TCS Daily''. Feser's book ''The Last Superstition: A Refutation of the New Atheism'' makes a philosophical argument for the classical Aristotelian-

Thomistic Thomism is the philosophical and theological school that arose as a legacy of the work Work may refer to: * Work (human activity), intentional activity people perform to support themselves, others, or the community ** Manual labour, physica ...

worldview over and against the materialist assumptions, which he sees as scientistic prejudices, of contemporary atheists such as Richard Dawkins, of whom he is particularly critical.

Personal life

Feser lives with his wife and six children in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

Bibliography

* ''On Nozick'' (Thomson-Wadsworth, 2003) * ''The Cambridge Companion to Hayek'' (Cambridge University Press, 2006) * ''Philosophy of Mind (A Beginner's Guide)'' (Oneworld Publications, 2007) * ''Locke'' (Oneworld Publications, 2007) * ''The Last Superstition: A Refutation of the New Atheism'' (St. Augustine's Press, 2008) * ''Aquinas (A Beginner's Guide)'' (Oneworld Publications, 2009) * ''Aristotle on Method and Metaphysics'' (as editor and contributor) (Palgrave Macmillan, 2013) * ''Scholastic Metaphysics: A Contemporary Introduction'' (Editiones Scholasticae, 2014) * ''Neo-Scholastic Essays'' (St. Augustine's Press, 2015) * ''By Man Shall His Blood Be Shed: A Catholic Defense of the Death Penalty'' (with Joseph M. Bessette) (Ignatius Press, 2017) * ''Five Proofs of the Existence of God'' (Ignatius Press, 2017) * ''Aristotle's Revenge: The Metaphysical Foundations of Physical and Biological Science'' (Editiones Scholasticae, 2019) * ''All One in Christ: A Catholic Critique of Racism and Critical Race Theory'' (Ignatius Press, 2022)

References

External links

Official website

Edward Feser's blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Feser, Edward C Living people 1968 births 21st-century American philosophers American philosophy academics Pasadena City College faculty University of California, Santa Barbara alumni Critics of atheism Converts to Roman Catholicism from atheism or agnosticism Philosophers of religion Catholic philosophers Thomists American male writers Catholics from California American traditionalist Catholics Traditionalist Catholic writers