John Holder
Professor of PhilosophyB.A., Dickinson College
M.A., University of Illinois at Chicago
Ph.D., Southern Illinois University
Programs: Philosophy, American Studies
My primary area of research is comparative philosophy, in particular, the comparison of early Buddhism and John Dewey's pragmatism. I am currently working on a naturalistic conception of religious experience that draws on key elements in both of these philosophical traditions.
As an instructor of philosophy, I try to encourage students to do philosophy rather than merely study what important philosophers have written on the subject. My publications include a Hackett textbook Early Buddhist Discourses that contains translations of and introductions to 20 discourses from the Pali Canon (the earliest Buddhist scriptures).
I am an active member of the Society for the Advancement of American Philosophy and the Society for Asian and Comparative Philosophy (where I have served as program chair).
Courses
PHIL 120 Philosophy of Human Nature
PHIL 210 Logic
PHIL 305/AMER 305 American Philosophy
PHIL 342 Asian Philosophy and Religion
PHIL 365 Twentieth-Century Philosophy
