Adele Watkins
Assistant Professor of Philosophy
Primarily interested in ancient Greek and Roman philosophy and philosophy of race.
I am primarily interested in ancient Greek and Roman philosophy and philosophy of race; I also have a strong interest in social epistemology. I earned my Ph.D. in 2023 from Princeton University. Prior to Princeton, I completed my undergraduate work at Wellesley College, at which I participated in the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship program.
In my free time, I enjoy doting on my two cats and terrier mix, walking long distances, and vegetarian cooking.
Education
- B.A., Wellesley College
- M.A., Princeton University
- Ph.D., Princeton University
Current and upcoming courses
Introduction to Social Philosophy
PHIL107
In this course we will explore the philosophical underpinnings and ramifications of the social structures which shape our lives. Among the topics we will consider are racism, gender, disability, and incarceration and prisons. For each topic, we will investigate different accounts of what the phenomenon at issue is. Among the thinkers we will engage are Sally Haslanger, Charles Mills, and Robin Dembroff. Questions for discussion include: What are the implications of endorsing one account of an oppressive structure over another? How are oppressive social structures, e.g. ableism, transphobia, etc., mutually reinforcing? Does oppression manifest differently in different contexts? If so, how? When are the oppressed unduly burdened with explaining or combatting their oppression?
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Seminar: Mortality and Immortality
PHIL301
This course will examine some fundamental philosophical questions that arise about death. After comparing differing conceptions of death and differing views about whether we continue to exist after we die, we will consider whether death is bad for the person who dies. We intuitively think that our deaths are bad for us, but, as Lucretius famously points out, most of us do not lament that we were not born sooner. Is it problematic that we tend to hold inconsistent attitudes towards prenatal versus postmortem nonexistence? Is immortality desirable or valuable? How might our thinking about these issues surrounding mortality and immortality inform our thinking about the value of human existence and what makes a life worth living?