The Margaret Wilson Lectures began as an occasional lecture series in 2016, in honor of the first female philosopher to join the Department of Philosophy faculty and the first to be tenured. Margaret Dauler Wilson came to Princeton as an associate professor in 1970 and achieved full professorship five years later, at the age of 36. She was named the Stuart Professor of Philosophy in 1998. An eminent voice on the history of early modern philosophy, Wilson also worked in the areas of philosophy of religion, philosophy of mind and theory of perception. During her 28 years with the department, Wilson came to be known for her genuine interest in the work of her students. The Inaugural Margaret Dauler Wilson Occasional Lecture was fittingly presented by former Wilson student Christia Mercer, the Gustave M. Berne Professor of Philosophy at Columbia University. More information on the life of Margaret Dauler Wilson can be found here.
Upcoming Margaret Wilson Lectures
2025-2026: Béatrice Longuenesse (NYU Emerita). Exact date TBD.
Past Margaret Wilson Lectures
2023-2024: Jasper Reid (King's College): "Anne Conway and Francis Mercury van Helmont on Salvation, Time, Creatures, and Worlds"
2021-2022: Douglas Jesseph (Univ. of South Florida) "Berkeley on Force as a 'Mathematical Hypothesis'"
2019-2020: Lisa Downing (Ohio State University): "Sensible Qualities in Locke, Berkeley, and Wilson"
2017-2018: Catherine Wilson (University of York): "Kant: The Veil of Perception and the Veil of Agency"
2015-2016: Christia Mercer (Columbia University): "Feeling the Way to Truth: The Real Story About How Early Modern Philosophy Developed"