Mark Wrathall (born February 1, 1965) is Professor of

Philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

at the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

and a fellow and tutor at

Corpus Christi College, Oxford Corpus Christi College (formally, Corpus Christi College in the University of Oxford; informally abbreviated as Corpus or CCC) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1517 by Richard Fo ...

. He is considered a leading interpreter of the philosophy of

Martin Heidegger Martin Heidegger (; 26 September 1889 – 26 May 1976) was a German philosopher known for contributions to Phenomenology (philosophy), phenomenology, hermeneutics, and existentialism. His work covers a range of topics including metaphysics, art ...

. Wrathall is featured in

Tao Ruspoli Tao dei Principi Ruspoli ( ; born 7 November 1975) is an Italian and American filmmaker, photographer, musician, and co-founder of The Bombay Beach Biennale. He is the son of Alessandro Ruspoli, 9th Prince of Cerveteri and part of the Papal nob ...

's film ''

Being in the World ''Being in the World'' is a 2010 documentary film directed by Tao Ruspoli. The film is based on Martin Heidegger's philosophy and is inspired by Hubert Dreyfus. It features a number of prominent philosophers. Philosophers such as Hubert Dreyfus, ...

''. According to a reviewer, "Wrathall's writing is clear and comprehensive, ranging across virtually all of Heidegger's collected works.... Wrathall's overall interpretation of Heidegger's work is crystal clear, compelling, and relevant."

Early life, education and career

Mark (Adam) Wrathall was born in

Provo, Utah Provo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Utah County, Utah, United States. It is south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front, and lies between the cities of Orem, Utah, Orem to the north and Springville, Utah, Springville to the south ...

in 1965, and was raised in the towns of

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

and Pittsford in upstate New York. He spent his freshman year of high school at

The Ridings High School The Winterbourne Academy, is a co-educational school in South Gloucestershire. The school is in the village of Winterbourne in South Gloucestershire, on the outskirts of Bristol, England. History The Ridings High School was founded in 1957. It ...

in Winterbourne, England, and graduated from Pittsford Mendon High School in 1983. He received a BA in philosophy at

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU) is a Private education, private research university in Provo, Utah, United States. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is the flagship university of the Church Educational System sponsore ...

in 1988. In 1991, he received both a

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

from

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...

and an MA in philosophy from

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private university, private Catholic Jesuits, Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1863 by the Society of Jesus, a Catholic Religious order (Catholic), religious order, t ...

. After clerking for Cecil F. Poole at the

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (in case citations, 9th Cir.) is the U.S. federal court of appeals that has appellate jurisdiction over the U.S. district courts for the following federal judicial districts: * District ...

, he pursued a Ph.D. in philosophy from the

University of California at Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after the Anglo-Irish philosopher George Berkele ...

, where he was a student of the Heidegger scholar

Hubert Dreyfus Hubert Lederer Dreyfus ( ; October 15, 1929 – April 22, 2017) was an American philosopher and a professor of philosophy at the University of California, Berkeley. His main interests included phenomenology, existentialism and the philosophy of ...

, graduating in 1996, with a disseration on “Unconcealment and Truth”. From 1994 to 1996 he was a teaching fellow at

Stanford Law School Stanford Law School (SLS) is the Law school in the United States, law school of Stanford University, a Private university, private research university near Palo Alto, California. Established in 1893, Stanford Law had an acceptance rate of 6.28% i ...

. Afterwards, he taught at Brigham Young University from 1996 to 2006 (first in the political science department, then from 1999 in the philosophy department); he then joined the University of California, Riverside, where he served as Associate Professor from 2007 to 2009 and Professor of Philosophy from 2009 to 2017. Since 2017, he has been a Fellow and Tutor in Philosophy at Corpus Christi College.

Philosophical work

Wrathall's main interests include

phenomenology Phenomenology may refer to: Art * Phenomenology (architecture), based on the experience of building materials and their sensory properties Philosophy * Phenomenology (Peirce), a branch of philosophy according to Charles Sanders Peirce (1839� ...

existentialism Existentialism is a family of philosophical views and inquiry that explore the human individual's struggle to lead an authentic life despite the apparent absurdity or incomprehensibility of existence. In examining meaning, purpose, and valu ...

, the phenomenology of

religion Religion is a range of social system, social-cultural systems, including designated religious behaviour, behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, religious text, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics in religion, ethics, or ...

, and the philosophy of law, but he is best known for his work on

. Wrathall has also contributed to the philosophy of popular culture, editing a book on the philosophical themes found in the music of U2 and publishing essays on film and philosophy. Wrathall's work on popular culture intersects with his interests in religion. He draws on Heidegger, Kierkegaard, and

Nietzsche Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (15 October 1844 – 25 August 1900) was a German philosopher. He began his career as a classical philologist, turning to philosophy early in his academic career. In 1869, aged 24, Nietzsche became the youngest pro ...

to describe how secularism and technology undermine belief in objective eternal meanings and values. But Wrathall thinks

nihilism Nihilism () encompasses various views that reject certain aspects of existence. There have been different nihilist positions, including the views that Existential nihilism, life is meaningless, that Moral nihilism, moral values are baseless, and ...

also "opens up access to richer and more relevant ways for us to understand creation and for us to encounter the divine and the sacred."

Personal life

He is a member of

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...

Books

*2000
''Heidegger, Coping and Cognitive Science''
(MIT Press) - editor with Jeff Malpas *200
''Heidegger, Authenticity and Modernity''
(MIT Press) - editor with Jeff Malpas *200
''Appropriating Heidegger''
(Cambridge University Press) - editor with James E. Faulconer *2002 ''Heidegger Reexamined'' (Routledge) - editor with

*200
''Religion After Metaphysics''
(Cambridge University Press) - editor *200
''How to Read Heidegger''
(Granta; W. W. Norton) *2005 ''A Companion to Heidegger'' - editor with Hubert Dreyfus *200

(Open Court) - editor *2006 ''A Companion to Phenomenology and Existentialism'' - editor with Hubert Dreyfus *200
''U2 ea Filosofia''
(Madras) - editor *200
''Die Philosophie bei U2''
(Wiley-VCH) - editor *2010 ''Heidegger and Unconcealment: Truth, Language, History'' (Cambridge University Press) *201
''The Cambridge Companion to Heidegger's Being and Time''
(Cambridge University Press) - editor *2020 ''Alma 30 - 63: a brief theological introduction'' (Maxwell Institute) *2020
The Cambridge Heidegger Lexicon
' (Cambridge University Press) - editor

References

External links

* Persona
Homepage

at ''Being in the World'' Movie Website

at UCR Philosophy Department Website {{DEFAULTSORT:Wrathall, Mark 1965 births Living people Phenomenologists American philosophers of law 21st-century American philosophers Heidegger scholars Harvard Law School alumni Brigham Young University alumni Morrissey College of Arts & Sciences alumni UC Berkeley College of Letters and Science alumni Brigham Young University faculty University of California, Riverside faculty