WILLIAM GRANT RAY
PHD CANDIDATE IN PHILOSOPHY | STANFORD UNIVERSITY
About
I am a late-stage PhD in Philosophy at Stanford University. I'm trying my best not to specialize, as I think that philosophy at its best comes from the generalist spirit. Whether or not it's realized, it's at least an aspiration, a desire to take seriously Sellars' suggestion that the philosopher is one who ought to "know one's way around." Most of what I've written in recent years pertains to practical philosophy, broadly construed. And my recent projects all seem to come back, in one way or another, to the idea of the 'person', to a certain conception of what personhood is, and what it means for our thinking about morality and politics.
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I got my undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan, double-majoring in Philosophy and Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. My thesis was awarded highest honors, as advised by Elizabeth Anderson. At Stanford, I primarily work with Leif Wenar, Debra Satz, Lanier Anderson, David Hills, and Allen Wood.
Academic Publications
Parents & Peers: A Kantian Moral Development
Forthcoming at JESP
Peoples as Persons: Rousseau, Democracy, and the Moral Personhood of the State
R&R at Mind
Lying as Betrayal
Draft Available
The Refuge of Trust, an Essay on Sexual Morality
Under Review, Draft Available
Academic
Service & Leadership
Stanford Philosophy & Literature Initiative
Co-Chair
For the last few years, alongside Lanier Anderson, Joshua Landy, and Korinne Hensley, I've been a co-chair of the Philosophy & Literature initiative at Stanford. There, I've taken part in organizing a dozen or so guest lectures, as well as two conferences.
German Philosophy Group
Founder/Lead Organizer
Two years ago, I started a group dedicated to the study and discussion of German philosophy, broadly construed. The inaugural lecture was given by Robert Pippin, and we've since hosted James Conant, Nick Stang, W. Clark Wolff, among others. We also hosted a conference last year.