ABOUT MEHi, my name is Shawn Simpson. I'm a Visiting Lecturer in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Pittsburgh. Before that, I was a Lecturer in Philosophy at Mississippi State University. I received my PhD (2021), MPhil, and MA in Philosophy from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. I received my BA (with a certificate in history and philosophy of science) from Arizona State University. In the summer of 2022, I was a visiting researcher at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras, and in the summer of 2024, I was a visiting scholar at the Arché Philosophical Research Centre at the University of St Andrews. Most of my research has focused on communication - its evolution and its many forms - on art, on issues in biology, and on ethics. I'm also interested in certain issues in the philosophy mind, social & political philosophy, decision & game theory, and logic. The history of philosophy (especially Pragmatism) and meta-philosophy are also keen interests of mine. Lately, I've been learning more Indigenous and non-Western philosophy. I aim to address “big questions” in philosophy and to show how the various specialties tie together. I am inspired in this respect by the systematic oeuvres of philosophers such as William James, John Dewey, and Rudolf Carnap. At present, I'm working on projects in art, ethics, language, and logic - all with an emphasis on how these issues look from a scientific (especially biological) point of view. My first book - Art as Communication: Aesthetics, Evolution, and Signaling - is now available from Lexington Books (an imprint of Rowman & Littlefield). Outside of teaching, I spend most of my time creating art and exploring the outdoors. Once upon a time, I was a wilderness ranger (non-law enforcement) and EMT for the US Forest Service and the National Park Service. You can sometimes find me walking around art museums or exploring wherever it is that I'm currently living. Here is a link to an interview that I did for the American Philosophical Association. Instagram: @shawnmichaelsimpson Pronouns: he/him/his |
Pittsburgh, PA. April 2024. |
Top photo taken in Bishop, California, where I worked for a summer as an apprentice horse and mule packer for the US Forest Service.