Nathan Rockwood

I am currently a Visiting Assistant Professor in the philosophy department at Virginia Tech. Prior to this appointment, I received my Ph.D. from UC San Diego (June 2014).

My primary area of research is in early modern philosophy, and my recent research has focused mostly on Locke’s epistemology. In particular, I’m interested in a category of knowledge that Locke calls “real knowledge”, which is his account of how we have knowledge of the real world (including knowledge of the existence of external objects and knowledge of morality). I also have ongoing projects in early modern metaphysics, including Locke and Hume on personal identity, and Descartes on the laws of nature.

I also do research in philosophy of religion (both historical and contemporary). I have given presentations and have ongoing projects on divine foreknowledge and human freedom, the problem of evil, and challenges to the doctrine of hell. With respect to history of philosophy, I am particularly interested in accounts of miracles in the early modern period (especially in Malebranche, Locke, and Hume).

In addition to these research interests, I enjoy reading and talking about most areas of philosophy. In particular, I am interested in ancient Greek philosophy, metaphysics, ethics, and I have a growing interests in medieval.