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Philosophy

Edward Pols House Directory

Matthew Stuart

Affiliation: Philosophy
Professor of Philosophy

My research is in early modern philosophy. For many years, I focused on metaphysical and epistemological topics in the work of the 17th century English philosopher John Locke. Recently I’ve begun to turn my attention to the 18th century Scottish philosopher Thomas Reid. Reid admired some things about Locke, but was critical of others. I am interested in what he has to say about agency and free will, about sense perception, and about Locke’s theory of ideas. I teach classes about these early modern philosophers and others (e.g., Descartes, Hume, Kant). I also teach non-historical classes on a variety of topics, including death, personal identity, 20th century analytic philosophy, metaphysics, and the ethics of our treatment of animals.

Curriculum Vitae

Matthew Stuart Headshot

Education

  • PhD, Cornell University
  • MA, Cornell University
  • BA, University of Vermont
255 Maine Street
Brunswick, Maine 04011
(207) 725-3000