Fellow
Paul Nedelisky
Associate Fellow
>> Download c.v. (PDF)
Paul Nedelisky is a Ph.D. student in the department of philosophy at the University of Virginia. Although he studies epistemology and logic, he is chiefly interested in metaphysics. He holds a B.A. in philosophy from Covenant College, and an M.A. in philosophy from the University of Virginia.
Paul’s current research argues that modality—that is, possibility, necessity, essence, and the like—is a fundamental feature of reality. If it is, then modality is independent of human thought and speech. This means that in many cases humankind has no control over what can be, and what must be. Some possibilities and necessities are there regardless of what we choose, think, or desire. This has meaningful implications for understanding what human beings can and can’t change about themselves and society, and therefore, has meaningful implications about who and what humanity is.
Who We Are
The Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture is an interdisciplinary research center and intellectual community at the University of Virginia committed to understanding contemporary cultural change and its individual and social consequences, training young scholars, and providing intellectual leadership in service to the public good.
