Sanem Soyarslan

Associate Professor

Biography

I am an Associate Professor of Philosophy at NC State University. After receiving my D.S.U. (Diplôme Supérieur d’Université) in political science (2000) from Université Panthéon-Assas (Paris II) and my M.A. in philosophy (2005) from Boğaziçi University in my native Istanbul, I earned my Ph.D. in philosophy (December, 2011) at Duke University. Before arriving in Raleigh in Fall 2013, I taught at Boston University for two years as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Philosophy.

Teaching and Research Interests

I work in the history of early modern philosophy, with a particular emphasis on Spinoza. In addition to early modern philosophy, I have an ongoing interest in ancient ethical theories, especially Aristotle’s. I am also interested in the history of ethics in general, with a comparative emphasis on ancient and modern ethical theories. I work on projects which, broadly construed, lie at the intersection of early modern philosophy and history of ethics. 

Publications

Soyarslan, S. (forthcoming) “From Humility to Envy: Questioning the Usefulness of Sad Passions as a Means towards Virtue in Spinoza’s Ethics,” European Journal of Philosophy

Soyarslan, S. (2019) “Two Ethical Ideals in Spinoza’s Ethics: The Free Man and The Wise Man,” Journal of the American Philosophical Association, 5:3, pp. 357-370.

Soyarslan, S. (2018) “Spinoza’s Critique of Humility in the Ethics, The Southern Journal of Philosophy, https://doi.org/10.1111/sjp.12292                      

Soyarslan, S. (2016) “The Distinction between Reason and Intuitive Knowledge in Spinoza’s Ethics,” European Journal of Philosophy 24 (1), pp. 27-54.

Soyarslan, S. (2014) “The Susceptibility of Intuitive Knowledge to Akrasia in Spinoza’s Ethical Thought,” British Journal for the History of Philosophy 22, pp. 725-747.

Soyarslan, S. (2014) “From Ordinary Life to Blessedness: The Power of Intuitive Knowledge in Spinoza’s Ethics,” in Matthew Kisner and Andrew Youpa (eds.) Essays on Spinoza’s Ethical Theory, Oxford University Press: Oxford, pp. 236-257. 

Translation from French to Turkish: Balibar, Etienne. (2004) Spinoza ve Siyaset (Spinoza et la Politique), Otonom Publishing, Istanbul.

Education

• Ph.D. in Philosophy from Duke University, 2011