Andrew Song
Andrew Song
Contact
Email: songaj@bc.edu
Education
- B.A., Moody Bible Institute
- M.A., University of Bonn
- M.A.T.S., Princeton Theological Seminary
- M.R., Western Sydney University
Courses
Philosophy of the Person I & II
Research Interests
Modern Philosophy
Philosophy of History
Kant
Phenomenology (Arendt)
Department
Biography
I am currently a fifth year doctoral student. I specialize in Kant, the history of modern philosophy, and the philosophy of history (18th century). I have a background in theological studies with a strong emphasis on biblical languages and political theology.
My dissertation explores the development of Kant's philosophy of culture and history from the 1770s to the 1780s. I pay close attention to the historical context at the time and investigate Kant's engagement with the debates on the purpose of the human species that were underway in the German speaking lands of the Prussian Empire. Pursuant to this end, I consult the student lecture notes prior to 1784 and establish a continuing thread in Kant's work on the role of culture in the historical progress of the life of the species. On the whole, I am interested in situating Kant within the broader network of Enlightenment thinkers and elaborating on their influence on Kant's changing ideas throughout his academic career. My research contributes, accordingly, to a historical-contextual understanding of Kant's philosophy.
My second line of research assesses the formation of Arendt's thought about the will. In two published articles, I relied on archival material to determine the major influences that inspired Arendt to formulate her theory of the will, especially as it was expressed in the her final lecture on "Willing," delivered in 1974 for the Gifford lecture series. My interest here lies in clarifying her engagement with phenomenological ideas.
PUBLICATIONS
“Love without desire: amo volo ut sis in Arendt’s ‘Willing.'" Philosophy Today. (2022).
“Understanding and Truth in Hannah Arendt: The Critical Reception of the Eichmann Trial and the Will.” Southern Journal of Philosophy. Forthcoming.