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Philosophy

Penn fourth-year Vikram Balasubramanian named George J. Mitchell Scholar
Vikram Balasubramanian standing in front of a leafy hedge wearing a suit and tie

Fourth-year Vikram Balasubramanian has been selected as one of 12 in the nation to receive a George J. Mitchell Scholarship, which covers one academic year of graduate study in Ireland or Northern Ireland.

Penn fourth-year Vikram Balasubramanian named George J. Mitchell Scholar

Fourth-year Vikram Balasubramanian, a double-major in statistics and philosophy in the Wharton School and the College of Arts and Sciences, has been selected as one of 12 in the nation to receive a George J. Mitchell Scholarship, which covers one academic year of graduate study in Ireland or Northern Ireland.
Defining neural ‘representation’
A computer screen displays the brain activity of a man with electrodes on his head.

Neuroscientists use the word “represent” to encompass multifaceted relationships between brain activity, behavior, and the environment.

Defining neural ‘representation’

Neuroscientists frequently say that neural activity ‘represents’ certain phenomena, PIK Professor Konrad Kording and postdoc Ben Baker led a study that took a philosophical approach to tease out what the term means.

Marilyn Perkins

Exploring what it means to be curious
Book cover of Curious Minds: The Power of Connection by Perry Zurn and Dani S. Bassett along side image of the two scholars

Exploring what it means to be curious

In a new book “Curious Minds: The Power of Connection,” Penn’s Dani S. Bassett and twin sibling Perry Zurn weave together history, linguistics, network science, neuroscience, and philosophy to unpack the concept of curiosity.

Katherine Unger Baillie

Undergraduate research projects look at migration from multiple angles
art of people walking across a brown expanse carrying suitcases and bundles

For the 2021-2022 academic year, the Wolf Humanities Center explored the topic of migration. Image: The Migration of the Negro, #18: The migration gained in momentum, 1941. Casein tempera on hardboard, 12"x18". Lawrence, Jacob (1917-2000) ©ARS, NY Location: The Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY, U.S.A.

Undergraduate research projects look at migration from multiple angles

The Wolf Undergraduate Humanities forum takes on the topic of migration, with individual research projects ranging from slavery debates within the Jewish Orthodox community to Southeast Asian refugee youth.

Kristina García

Questioning what we know about dementia
An elderly person, seated, holds hands with a caregiver standing over them.

Questioning what we know about dementia

Penn researchers are looking into moments of sudden, clear communication in someone with progressive neurodegenerative disease for a deeper understanding of both brain science and philosophy.

From Penn Memory Center

Protecting a singular ecosystem in the Galápagos
Giant tortoises on the Galápagos Islands.

The Galápagos giant tortoises at the the Charles Darwin Research Station on the Galápagos Islands. (Image: Elias Rovielo)

Protecting a singular ecosystem in the Galápagos

Michael Weisberg, the Bess W. Heyman President's Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, students, and Ecuador's Ambassador to the United States reflect on the momentous expansion of the Galápagos Marine Reserve.

Blake Cole

Pandemic shifts: Oliver Kaplan on outing and education policy
Man in blue jacket on Penn's campus in late afternoon winter light.

Going into Penn, Kaplan thought he would go into law consulting. But when he thought about what would be most beneficial, his career focus shifted to education policy.

Pandemic shifts: Oliver Kaplan on outing and education policy

The pandemic led Oliver Kaplan, a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences, to reconsider his academic path. He changed his major to philosophy and now hopes to shape educational policy for LGBTQ+ students.

Kristina García

The philosophy of visual studies
Three students standing outside

The Class of 2022 has eight visual studies majors, including (from left) Zuqi Fu of Beijing, Eli Ricanati of Santa Monica, California, and Morgan Jones of Albany, New York.

The philosophy of visual studies

Founded 20 years ago, the interdisciplinary major of visual studies creates a bridge for students to combine interests, including philosophy, art history, architecture, fine arts, and psychology.