Thomas E. Wartenberg

I recently retired in order to devote myself to writing full-time. I found the demands of teaching made it hard for me to focus on the various writing projects that I had in mind. This decision proved to be very productive. Despite the pandemic, I finished two books: Thinking Through Stories and Thoughtful Images. More is on the way.

For over 30 years, I taught philosophy at Mount Holyoke College. It was, in many ways, a wonderful job but very demanding. I wrote a good deal during my time there, mostly in the areas of the philosophy of film (or what’s now called “film-philosophy”), philosophy for children, and the philosophy of art.

I received two Senior Fulbright Fellowships (most recently to New Zealand) and a National Endowment for the Humanities Research Fellowship and a German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) fellowship as a graduate student. I directed NEH Summer Seminars for School Teachers a number of times and they were very rewarding.

My website, www.teachingchildrenphilosophy.org, receives thousands of visits each month. It, together with my program, "Teaching Children Philosophy," won the 2011 Award for Research and Innovation in Philosophy from the American Philosophical Association and the Philosophy Documentation Center. The Prindle Center at Depauw University has taken over management of the site along with my site museumphilosophy.com, for teaching philosophy through works of art.

Together with the filmmaker Julie Akeret, I have developed a website for middle and high school philosophy that uses clips from popular films to introduce ethical issues: http://whatsthebigideaprogram.com.

Aside from my academic work, I enjoy bicycling, hiking, kayaking, and playing the flute and penny whistle.