Philosophy Department

Karen Frost-Arnold To Speak At Louden Family Lecture Series Event

Thursday, October 23, 2025, 12:30-1:45 PM

What will it take to fix social media? Professor of Philosophy Karen Frost-Arnold of Hobart & William Smith Colleges, will discuss social media problems of disinformation, harassment, censorship, and digital colonialism. This event is free to attend. Please check signage for parking information and fees.

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A picture of the journal Learning Media and Technology

**Professors Ebben and Murphy Edit Learning, Media and Technology Volume**

Professors Ebben (Communication and Media Studies) and Murphy (Philosophy) co-edited The Future of Generative AI in Higher Education, a special issue of Learning, Media, and Technology (Taylor & Francis) that examines how generative AI is transforming higher education.

Additionally, Professor Ebben has an article in the publication entitled “Theorizing the Future of Generative AI in Education”.

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“This, I believe, is the greatest gift given to me by the philosophy department at USM: providing me the opportunity to put my deepest and most fundamental beliefs to the test of argumentation and to emerge with a clearer understanding of myself and the world around me.”

— William Harper, Philosophy Alum

Read about William’s experience taking the optional senior thesis course.

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William Harper, photo provided by William

Meet the 2023 Mackensen Award in Philosophy Recipient

Congratulations to Zaid Shaikh, who was chosen for the Mackensen Award in Philosophy. The award is given to an outstanding senior student, based on academic excellence, outstanding service, and quality of philosophical writing. Read about Zaid’s journey in philosophy through the link below.

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a circle chart that foregrounds environmental Gen AI Awarness

Professors Murphy and Ebben on Pedagogy and Environmental GenAI Awarness

Professor of Philosophy, Julien Murphy, and Associate Professor of Communication, Maureen Ebben, published an article for Geneva Graduate Institute’s NORRAG Global Education Centre’s Policy Insights AI and Digital Inequities.

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Robert Louden Round Table Baselow Video Stills

Johann Bernhard Basedow and the Transformation of Modern Education

Professor Louden’s book, Johann Bernhard Basedow and the Transformation of Modern Education, is discussed in this international Zoom roundtable.

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“We cannot learn philosophy; for where is it, who is in possession of it, and how shall we recognize it? We can only learn to philosophize, that is, to exercise the talent of reason, in accordance with its universal principles, on certain actually existing attempts at philosophy, always, however, reserving the right of reason to investigate, to confirm, or to reject these principles in their very sources..”

— Immanuel Kant (1724-1804), Critique of Pure Reason (1781)

Looking ahead to Law School?

Our Accelerated Graduate Pathway to the University of Maine School of Law can save you time and money in earning your JD.

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