Hi! I'm
Philip Bold

I'm a Lecturer in the Department of Philosophy at
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.

 

My research examines why certain concepts—like number, knowledge, or mind—appear to demand deeper, more general definitions than those found in everyday life. Drawing on Wittgenstein's later philosophy, I explore how this appearance arises from misleading analogies, metaphorical pictures in our discourse, and the persistent assumption that meanings lie hidden beneath the uses of our words. Rather than offering traditional answers, my work aims to clarify how our linguistic practices generate philosophical questions and to dissolve them by revealing their sources to be illusory. This ongoing project is situated at the intersection of history of analytic philosophy, metaphysics, and the philosophy of language.​

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I completed my PhD at UNC, Chapel Hill under the supervision of Alan Nelson, Ram Neta, and Markus Kohl. I earned my B.A. in Philosophy (magna cum laude) at Brown University in 2015.

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In 2019, I won the Tanner Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching at UNC, Chapel Hill.

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Outside philosophy, I spend most of my time rock climbing, writing poetry, and will someday return to punk/metal/hard rock drumming...

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Download my CV here.

 

Email me at philipjbold [AT] gmail [DOT] com.

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Follow me on PhilPapers here.​