Brian Mondy, Ph.D.

Education

B.A., Philosophy, Bethel College

M.A., Philosophy, University of Miami, Florida

Ph.D., Philosophy, University of Miami, Florida

Teaching at UMR
I aim to get students to see the relevance of philosophy to real world problems and their everyday lives. In my classes students look at real world examples to understand and evaluate philosophical views.  Not only are philosophical questions relevant to the real world, but the methods of answering those questions via reflection and argument are also important real world skills.  Thus, students in my courses learn by writing both reflective and argumentative papers.

Research
When we ask a question, or pursue research, what constitutes a good answer?  My dissertation defended an account of the aims of inquiry, and used that account to shed light on more traditional epistemic questions about the nature and value of knowledge and understanding. Though I remain interested in epistemology, recently I have begun focusing on humor and its evaluation. What makes something funny? What makes a joke immoral?  Are these related? Some of my research on these questions is reflected in my paper, "This Isn't Funny: It's Serious" in the edited collection, The Moral Psychology of Emotion. I have also become more interested in questions about meaning in life, and how philosophical questions have been pursued in different cultures.

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