Michael Bennett McNulty

I am McKnight Land-Grant Professor and Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. My primary research focus is the history and philosophy of science and mathematics. I've worked especially on Immanuel Kant's views on the "improperly so-called" natural sciences—chemistry, psychology, anthropology, and biology. Additionally, I am interested in Margaret Cavendish's philosophy, especially in the context of 17th century transformations in natural philosophy; the history and philosophy of (especially projective) geometry; and 20th century history and philosophy of science (particularly Paul Feyerabend and Thomas Kuhn). In the past, I've also worked on Ernst Cassirer, the philosophy of set theory, and Gottlob Frege's philosophy and logic.

Recently, I've been working on a project on the philosophy of conservation science, which examines the ways in which conservation theories and practices are transformed by the existing and projected realities of climate change. I'm especially interested to understand the values that guide these transformations and the way in which the urgent need and paucity of resources affect the science.

I am also a co-founder of The Center for Canon Expansion and Change, which provides resources and community for instructors seeking to teach philosophy in a more inclusive and equitable fashion. I am affiliated faculty in the Department of German, Nordic, Slavic & Dutch and the Center for Early Modern Studies as well as a resident fellow at the Minnesota Center for Philosophy of Science.