Steven Affeldt

Faculty Co-Director of the Manresa Program

B.A., The University of California, Berkeley; Ph.D., Harvard University

Steven Affeldt's research explores intersections of ethics, social/political philosophy, and aesthetics.  Drawing on a wide range of figures—including Plato, Augustine, Rousseau, Kant, Emerson, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Freud, Heidegger, and Wittgenstein—he works to show how philosophy and philosophical texts may be redemptive: possessed of the power to inspire, inform, and effect liberating transformations of both individuals and societies. He has published highly influential articles on Rousseau, Wittgenstein, and Stanley Cavell and is Faculty Co-Director of The Manresa Program at Le Moyne. He enjoys teaching in virtually any area of philosophy and at all levels.

Recent publications

• “At the Feet of the Familiar: Thoughts on Cavell on Emerson and Wittgenstein.” Conversations: The Journal of Cavellian Studies 7 (2019-20): Acknowledging Stanley Cavell.
• “Impression, Influence, Appreciation.” In Inheriting Stanley Cavell: Memories, Dreams, Reflections. Edited by David LaRocca. Bloomsbury, 2020, 243-60.
• “The Space Between Philosophy and Politics: On Andrew Norris's Becoming Who We Are: Politics and Practical Philosophy in the Work of Stanley Cavell.” Syndicate, October 2018.
• “Metaphysical Emerson.” Nineteenth Century Prose 45, no. 1 (2018): 109-116.

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