Kenneth Knies, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Philosophy

I was born and raised in New York City, and did my undergraduate work at Brown University. After a yearlong stint in the Social and Political Thought program at Sussex University in England, I decided to pursue a doctorate in philosophy, which I received from Stony Brook University in 2010. Before joining the Sacred Heart faculty in 2011, I spent several years between Cologne, Germany and Leuven, Belgium tracking down Edmund Husserl’s philosophy (and enjoying all the beer, waffles and sausages my research-stipends would allow). I now do most of my thinking on I-95 and the Merritt, between New Haven and Fairfield, and, yes, I try to keep my eyes on the road.

My primary research focus is phenomenology. I am currently working on a book-length study of the relationship between transcendental and historical reflection in Husserl’s Crisis, as well as a shorter study on the nature of presuppositions. I also have interests in ancient philosophy and the differing approaches to transcendental subjectivity in the modern tradition. Two recent publications of mine are: “Three Views of the One True World and What They Make of Mere Worldviews: A Husserlian Perspective on Weltanschauung.” Humana.Mente: Journal of Philosophical Studies, Vol. 18 (Oct., 2011), 39-54; and “The Practical Obscurity of Philosophy: Husserl’s Arbeit der Probleme der letzten Veraussetzungen.” Husserl Studies, Vol. 27, No. 2, (Feb., 2011), 83-104.

My courses focus on the close reading of canonical texts in the history of philosophy. I hope my students will discover that the familiar thing we call “life” is an inexhaustible source of questions that deserve our careful attention. Courses that I will regularly offer include: Introduction to Philosophical Problems, Introduction to Phenomenology, Existentialism, and Philosophy of Knowledge.

Previous Page    Back to Faculty & Staff    Next Page