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Department of Philosophy

Philosophy Professor David Boutillier makes a point during class

The world is complex, and the Department of Philosophy uses the tools of logic and reason to analyze the ways humans experience the world. 

Associate of Arts, Philosophy Emphasis

Associate of Arts, Philosophy, Politics and Economics Emphasis

Courses

The department offers a range of courses covering philosophical topics covering ethics, contemporary moral issues and logic.

Faculty 

Dr. David Boutillier

Philosophy - Chair
Office: B Building 123
Campus: Kelowna
Phone: 250-762-5445 ext. 6316
Philosophy instructor David Boutillier

David Boutillier's research is in the history of analytic philosophy and the philosophy of science, focusing on the interaction between philosophy and science from Kant through to the logical empiricists. He also has interests in normative and applied ethics, political philosophy, and philosophical logic. His primary goal, as a teacher, is to prepare students for rewarding careers that require rigorous critical thinking, creative problem-solving, and an appetite for self-directed learning. He is passionate about introducing students to the tools and techniques of philosophy that make up part of what the psychologist Daniel Kahneman calls "system 2" thinking.

Dr. Nicholas Dunn

Philosophy
Office: C Building 279
Campus: Kelowna
Phone: 250-762-5445 ext. 4865

I came to ÐãÉ«ÊÓƵ in 2024. My research focuses on the nature of judgment as a capacity of the mind across the various spheres of human life—drawing on Kant and the Kantian tradition. My work has been published in Inquiry: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Philosophy, Kant-Studien, Kantian Review, The Southern Journal of Philosophy, and Constellations: An International Journal of Critical and Democratic Theory. I am the editor of a forthcoming volume on Hannah Arendt’s Lectures on Kant’s Political Philosophy (De Gruyter). I am also working on a monograph, which will be the first comprehensive account of Kant’s theory of judgment. Prior to coming to ÐãÉ«ÊÓƵ, I was the Klemens von Klemperer Postdoctoral Fellow in the Hannah Arendt Center for Politics and Humanities at Bard College, where I also taught in the Bard Prison Initiative (BPI). When not doing philosophy, I enjoy hiking, baking, and spending time with my two cats.

Credentials:
PhD, Philosophy, McGill University (2020)

Dr. Bruce Howes

Philosophy
Office: B Building 224
Campus: Kelowna
Phone: 250-762-5445 ext. 4264
Philosophy instructor Bruce Howes

I came to ÐãÉ«ÊÓƵ in 2005. I teach a range of philosophy courses including Knowledge & Reality, Logic & Critical Thinking, Ethics, as well as courses in applied Ethics. My research interests are Wittgenstein, Epistemology, Ethics, and the History of Philosophy. When neither teaching nor researching, I enjoy watching animated films about princesses and magic. Sometimes my seven year old daughter joins me.

Credentials:
PhD, Philosophy, University of Ottawa

Dr. Ruth Lowe-Walker

Philosophy
Office: C Building 279
Campus: Kelowna
Phone: 250-762-5445 ext. 4392
Lowe-Walker, Ruth photo

I began teaching at ÐãÉ«ÊÓƵ in 2016. I have a background in moral theory and teach variety of courses in applied ethics – Business Ethics, Computer Ethics, Bio Ethics, Environmental Ethics and Professional Ethics. I also teach courses in Logic, Cosmopolitanism, Social and Political Philosophy. Current research focuses on the challenges of pluralism in liberal democracies involving the intersecting fields of multiculturalism, minority rights, deliberative democracy and legal theory.

Credentials:
PhD, Philosophy University of St. Andrews
MA, Arts, Queen’s University
BH, Arts, University of Winnipeg

Rita Risser

Philosophy
Office: Sunoka Building C01
Campus: Penticton
Phone: 250-492-4305 ext. 3329

Dr. Rod Watkins

Philosophy
Office: Salmon Arm Building 113
Campus: Salmon Arm
Phone: 250-762-5445 ext. 2339
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Credentials:
PhD, Philosophy, University of Toronto

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