William Irwin earned his Ph.D. in Philosophy at the State University of New York at Buffalo, where he was awarded the Perry Prize for Outstanding Dissertations in Philosophy. He has been teaching at King’s College since 1996 and has previously served as Philosophy Department Chair and Director of the Honors Program. Dr. Irwin originated the philosophy and popular culture genre of books in 1999 with Seinfeld and Philosophy. Since then, he has served as Series Editor for Open Court and Wiley-Blackwell, editing more than 100 books. He has also written a number of books and articles, ranging over a variety of topics, for both scholarly and general readers. Dr. Irwin has been interviewed by The New York Times, CNN, NPR, MSNBC, and the BBC.
Education
B.A., Philosophy, summa cum laude, Fordham University, 1992
Ph.D., Philosophy, The State University of New York at Buffalo, 1996
Publications and Presentations
Dr. Irwin’s publications include works of philosophy as well as fiction and poetry. Below is a partial list of books. For a full list of books and articles, see his Curriculum Vitae.
The Free Market Existentialist: Capitalism without Consumerism (Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, 2015).
Intentionalist Interpretation: A Philosophical Explanation and Defense (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, December 1999).
The Meaning of Metallica: Ride the Lyrics (Toronto: ECW, 2022).
God Is a Question, Not an Answer: Finding Common Ground in Our Uncertainty (Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2019).
Critical Thinking: A Student’s Introduction (with G. Bassham, H. Nardone, and J. Wallace), (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2001; 2nd Edition 2005; 3rd Edition 2008; 4th Edition 2011; 5th Edition 2013; 6th Edition 2019; 7th Edition 2023).
Little Siddhartha: A Sequel (Shanti Arts Publishing, 2018).
Free Dakota (Roundfire Books, 2016).
Always Dao (Shanti Arts Publishing, 2021).
Both/And (Wisdom/Work, 2021).
Awards and Designations
Herve A. LeBlanc Distinguished Service Professor
Outstanding Philosophy Alumnus Award from the State University of New York at Buffalo
Perry Prize for Outstanding Dissertations in Philosophy
