I am Professor of Philosophy and Chair in the Department of Philosophy at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. My work focuses on epistemological issues that arise in political, social, and scientific contexts. I also have research interests in American Pragmatism, particularly the work of John Dewey. Most recently, I have developed an interest in the moral and social dimensions of business, and am an inaugural member of the Society for Progress.
I started at St. Olaf in the fall of 2010 after spending a year as a Post-Doctoral Fellow at Rutgers University in the Center for Cultural Analysis. I completed my Ph.D. in 2009 in the Columbia Department of Philosophy. For the 2016-17 and 2022-23 academic years, I was a Visiting Professor at the INSEAD Business School in Fontainebleau, France.
I recently wrote a book on democracy and social progress – Experiments in Living Together – which is coming out with Oxford University Press on November 12.
As an undergraduate I completed a dual-degree program at Tufts University and the New England Conservatory of Music, where I studied jazz saxophone. I remain active as a saxophonist and, more recently, as a drummer in the Counterfactuals.
Office: Holland Hall 415
Email: fuerstei@stolaf.edu
Office Hours (Fall 2024): Mondays 1:30-3, Thursdays 9:45-11:15, or by appointment.
Education
Ph.D., Philosophy, Columbia University
B.A., Philosophy, Tufts University
B.M., Jazz Saxophone Performance, New England Conservatory of Music