Assistant Professor James Messina comes to the Department of Philosophy after a year on the faculty at Southern Utah University. The Horseheads, New York, native is an expert in all things Kant.
He received his Ph.D. from the University of California, San Diego (where he says he spent most of his time snorkeling and lying on the beach) in 2011, and also spent a year studying at Berlin’s Humboldt-Universität as a Fulbright Scholar.
Welcome, James! Tell us about your research.
I am particularly interested in Kant’s views on space, philosophical methodology, knowledge, and the nature of reality. I also work on earlier German philosophers who had a strong influence on Kant (such as Leibniz, Wolff, and Crusius) and later German philosophers who were strongly influenced by Kant (such as Reinhold, Schulze, Fichte, and Hegel).
What courses do you teach?
I am currently teaching history of modern philosophy and a seminar on Kant. Next semester, I will be teaching intro to philosophy and an upper-level course on the development of German philosophy after Kant.
What can students expect in the classroom?
When I am working through a difficult argument or distinction, I can rarely contain my (sometimes perverse) enthusiasm. This often involves gesticulating wildly and speaking a bit too loudly. I also think discussion is really important in a philosophy class.
If you weren't in Philosophy, what would you be doing?
I would probably be a marine biologist, because I am obsessed with sharks. If that didn’t work out, I would be a writer.
If you could ask Kant one question, what would it be?
Whether the one-world or two-world interpretation of his famous doctrine of Transcendental Idealism is correct. I might also ask him if it’s true that he was senile while he was working on what we know today as the Opus Postumum. (This is assuming the Kant I am asking is not still senile.)
What are your interests outside of work?
I enjoy bike riding, playing the bass guitar, reading classic novels, and listening to German podcasts.
What's the best thing you've done in Madison so far?
It’s a tie between having a beer sampler at Great Dane and eating at the Essen Haus. Oh, and swimming in Lake Monona was fun, too.