James C. Klagge
I'm a professor of philosophy, Wittgenstein aficionado, activist, and lover of books and music.
I'm a professor of philosophy, Wittgenstein aficionado, activist, and lover of books and music.
Wittgenstein's Artillery was selected by Choice Reviews as one of 5 "Outstanding Academic Titles" in Philosophy for 2022. We have just published an affordable paperback edition of the English translation of Wittgenstein's diaries from 1930-32 and 1936-37 (MS 183), with a new Preface by Ray Monk. The Philosophy Bites Podcast recently posted an interview of me about Wittgenstein and the Tractatus. For my next book project I am editing a lengthy memoir by Wasfi Hijab, Wittgenstein's last student.
Read more recent research →I was part of a group of eight activists from Blacksburg that went to Charlottesville in August 2017 to counter-protest the alt-right rally held there. More recently I was part of the Poor People's Assembly and Moral March on Washington DC in June 2022. Virginia has had a rash of counties declaring themselves "2nd Amendment Sanctuaries." In November 2019 I spoke before our local Board of Supervisors on this issue. My comments are posted here. I am a member of the local NAACP, and a member of Asbury United Methodist Church in Christiansburg, VA.
See what I've been up to →In 2017 I developed a course on Ethics and Autonomous Vehicles. It has now been approved as a new course: PHIL 3334-Ethical Perspectives on Artificial Intelligence. I have been teaching a lot of Ancient Greek Philosophy, which I love. Recently I taught a seminar on Aristotle and Contemporary Virtue Theory. Among other things we read this joint biography of four Oxford women who resurrected virtue ethics in the 20th Century: Anscombe, Foot, Murdoch and Midgley. In fact, Philippa Foot was one of my professors in graduate school.
Learn more about my interests →