Carolyn Culbertson's Profile

• PhD, Philosophy, University of Oregon
• MA, Philosophy, University of Oregon
• BA, Philosophy, Oglethorpe University

• Continental Philosophy (esp. Phenomenology and Hermeneutics)
• Philosophy of Language
• Feminist Philosophy
• Social Epistemology

My passion is thinking about the nature of understanding and, in particular, about the kind of understanding that arises in situations where it seems especially difficult to achieve. I study the ways in which language, dialogue, and critical self-reflection play an important role in such situations. My work on these topics is grounded in a deep appreciation of the history of philosophy (careful analysis of texts is a core part of my research) as well as a concern about the problems created when knowing and understanding are conceived of in a reductive way. In my most recent book, Gadamer and the Social Turn in Epistemology (SUNY Press, 2024), I interpret the work of Hans-Georg Gadamer as offering a valuable reflection on the social and historical dimensions of understanding—one that is deeply resonant with the recent social turn in epistemology and that sheds light on debates about the normative potential of epistemological investigations after this turn. As a teacher, I am committed to a pedagogical practice that puts students into meaningful dialogue with texts from past and present and with other students in the classroom. I bring this approach to every class that I teach, be it Ancient Philosophy or Feminist Philosophy.

Dr. Culbertson regularly teaches courses in Ancient Philosophy, Philosophy of Human Communication, Feminist Philosophy, Self in Eastern Philosophy, and Introduction to Philosophy. She has also taught Major Figures courses on philosophers like Plato, Hans-Georg Gadamer, and Judith Butler and Special Topics courses on themes like The Ethics of Memory.

1. Culbertson, Carolyn. Gadamer and the Social Turn in Epistemology. Albany: State University of New York Press, 2024. [Link here]

2. Culbertson, Carolyn. Words Underway: Continental Philosophy of Language. London: Rowman Littlefield International, 2019. [Link here]

3. Culbertson, Carolyn. “Testimonial Justice Beyond Belief: Gert-Jan Van der Heiden’s Philosophy of Testimony.” Epoché: A Journal for the History of Philosophy 27, no. 2 (2023).

4. Culbertson, Carolyn. “The Historical Situation of Thought as a Hermeneutic Principle.” In Truth and Method: A Polyphonic Commentary, ed. Cynthia Nielsen and Greg Lynch. Rowman and Littlefield International (2022).

5. Culbertson, Carolyn. “Gadamer’s Concept of Language.” In The Gadamerian Mind, ed. Theodore George and Gert-Jan van der Heiden. New York: Routledge, 2021.

6. Culbertson, Carolyn. “Play in Conversation: The Cognitive Import of Gadamer’s Theory of Play.” In Language and Phenomenology, ed. Chad Engelland. New York: Routledge, 2020.

7. Culbertson, Carolyn. “The Genuine Possibility of Being-with: Watsuji, Heidegger, and the Primacy of Betweenness.” Comparative and Continental Philosophy 11, no. 1 (2019).

8. Culbertson, Carolyn. “Losing the Measure of Health: Phenomenological Reflections on the Role of Technē in Health Care Today.” In Existential Medicine, Edited by Kevin Aho. London: Rowman and Littlefield International, 2018.

9. Culbertson, Carolyn. “My Language Which Is Not My Own: Heidegger and Derrida on the Ambiguity of Linguistic Life.” Southwest Philosophy Review 32, no. 2 (2016).

10. Culbertson, Carolyn. “The Omnipotent Word of Medical Diagnosis and the Silence of Depression: An Argument for Kristeva’s Therapeutic Approach.” IJFAB: International Journal of Feminist Approaches to Bioethics 9, no.2 (2016).

11. Culbertson, Carolyn. “The Ethics of Relationality: Judith Butler and Social Critique.” Continental Philosophy Review 46, no. 3 (2013).