Christopher Hauser

Chris is currently finishing his PhD at Rutgers University.  He has research and teaching interests in metaphysics, ancient philosophy, medieval philosophy, and philosophy of religion.  Chris’s research deals with some of the central themes in the Aristotelian tradition, e.g., substance, essence, form, soul, and person.  For example, one strand of his research aims to explicate Aristotle’s concept of essence and answer a neglected epistemological question, viz., how do we come to know what something’s essence is?  Another strand of his research focuses on clarifying the Aristotelian’s account of form and the relationship of a substance to its form, especially in the special case of a human person and her soul.  Chris has applied his work on these issues to discussions in the philosophy of religion, such as the discussion of the nature and possibility of an afterlife and the debate as to whether the Christian doctrine of the Incarnation is coherent.  In addition to pursuing the historical project of explicating the views of Aristotle and later Aristotelians, Chris also aims to contribute to contemporary metaphysical discussions, including in particular discussion of the question ‘what kind of thing are we?’.

Chris loves teaching philosophy.  He especially enjoys guiding, challenging, and encouraging students as they grapple with big questions about what kind of thing we are, what our place in the universe is, what makes for a good life, and what we owe to each other.  His youngest student is his two year old daughter, who is currently working on acquiring the first actuality and second potentiality known as literacy.  A is for Aristotle…