Info

My name is Evan Welchance. I am currently pursuing my PhD in philosophy at the University of Virginia. I received my BA in philosophy and BS in mathematics at Middle Tennessee State University, and my MA in philosophy at Brandeis University.

My current research interests are at the intersection of metaphysics, philosophy of mind, and philosophy of language. Right now, I’m using perception to motivate metaphysical realism about ordinary objects.

In addition to my research interests, I enjoy teaching classes in social and political philosophy. Look below for more information about my current courses.

Here is my CV. You can also check me out on PhilPeople.

Current Classes

Themes in Justice: Economic and Social Justice – Summer Session III (July 18 – August 11)

Description: In this course, we’ll examine foundational philosophical questions concerning justice. These include: What is justice? What’s the best form of political organization if we want to maximize just outcomes? How have social identities like race, class, and gender served to perpetuate injustice? How does injustice extend across generations? And what do we owe to the people who’ve been harmed in the past? By looking at these questions, we’ll engage with key issues in moral and political philosophy.

If you’re interested, here’s the syllabus.

Papers/Talks

Publications

Against Philosophical Proofs Against Common Sense. Analysis (2021). (with Louis Doulas)

Drafts (comments welcome!)

[On the theoretical virtues of metaphysical infinitism]

[On the perceptual justification of persistence claims]

Talks

Perceiving persistence conditions: Georgia Philosophical Society (June 2022), Eastern APA (upcoming)

Acquaintability and ordinary ontology: Columbia-NYU Graduate Conference in Philosophy (April 2022)

Attention and cognitive phenomenology: Morven Retreat for the UVA Philosophy Department (September 2021), Tennessee Philosophical Association (November 2021)

Vagueness is unitary: Graduate Philosophy Conference at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (April 2021)

Ordinary objects are a priori-ty: Mark L. Shapiro Graduate Philosophy Conference at Brown University (March 2021)

Against Philosophical Proofs Against Common Sense: Florida Philosophical Association (February 2021, with Louis Doulas)

The functional conception of laws: Mathematical and Numerical Inspirations in Philosophy at Stanford University (April 2020), Wisconsin Philosophical Association (August 2020), South Carolina Society for Philosophy (April 2021)