Joseph H. Shieber

I am the James Renwick Hogg Professor of Mental and Moral Philosophy at Lafayette College.

My research interests include epistemology, philosophy of language, the history of modern philosophy, and the history of 20th century analytic philosophy.

I have been a regular Monday columnist at 3Quarksdaily since 2018.

Professor of Philosophy

Drawing courtesy of drawyourprofesor.com

I pursued my studies in philosophy at Brown University from 1997 - 2003, where I received my A.M. in 1999 and my Ph.D. in 2003 for a thesis on the epistemology of testimony.  I wrote my dissertation, entitled "The Reasons Others Give Us: The Norms of Assertion Account of the Epistemic Status of Testimony," under the direction of Ernest Sosa (advisor), Jaegwon Kim, and James Van Cleve.  

Early Background

In 1991 I earned my B.A. in literature from Yale University, where I was a member of the Whiffenpoofs of 1991. From 1993 - 1997 I was enrolled in a double-degree program in mathematics and philosophy, with minors in psychology and sociology, at the Freie Universität Berlin, serving as a graduate teaching assistant for Professor Albrecht Wellmer.  ​

Professional History

I have been a member of the Department of Philosophy at Lafayette College since 2003, received tenure as an Associate Professor in 2010, was appointed to full Professor in 2021, and was named the Hogg Professor in 2023.  Before arriving at Lafayette, I taught philosophy at Brown University, Connecticut College, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.