Education
University of Iowa
Ph.D., Philosophy, 2014.
AOS Philosophy of Mind and Cognitive Science.
AOC History of Modern Philosophy (esp. Early Analytic).
Dissertation: “Remembering Without Storing: Beyond archival models in
the science and philosophy of human memory.”
Advisor David Stern
Readers Carrie Figdor, Gregory Landini, Katarina Perovic, Richard Fumerton
University of Idaho
M.A., Philosophy, 2008.
AOS Philosophy of Logic.
AOC History of Ancient Philosophy.
Advisor Michael O'Rourke
Readers Matthew Slater, Joseph Campbell
University of Minnesota at Morris
B.A., 1999. Major: Philosophy, Minor: Physics.
Emphasis Political Philosophy
Advisor Ishtiyaque Haji
Teaching
2020 - present Associate Professor of Philosophy, Pacific University
2016 – 2020 Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Pacific University
2015 – 2016 Visiting Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Pacific University
2014 – 2015 Instructor of Philosophy, Pacific University
Courses at Pacific: Philosophy of Mind, Philosophy of Science, Artificial Intelligence, Language and Logic, Ancient Philosophy, Research and Dissemination Seminar, Introduction to Philosophy, First Year Seminar, Ethics and Society, Greek Concepts and Culture, Travel Course to Greece
2014 – 2015 Instructor of Philosophy, University of Portland
2013 – 2015 Instructor of Philosophy, Clark College
2011 – 2013 Instructor of Philosophy, Kirkwood College
2009 – 2013 Teaching Assistant, University of Iowa
2008 – 2009 Instructor of Philosophy, Spokane Community College
2008 Instructor of Philosophy, University of Idaho
2006 – 2008 Teaching Assistant, University of Idaho
2001 – 2008 Instructor of Philosophy, North Idaho College
Publications
Journal articles
2019. “The Aesthetics of Theory Selection and the Logics of Art,” with Kate McCallum. Philosophy of Science 86 (2): 325-343.
2013. “Using Bibliometrics to Support the Facilitation of Cross-Disciplinary Communication,” with C.J. Williams, M. O'Rourke, S.D. Eigenbrode, and S. Crowley. In the Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology 64 (9): 1768-1779.
2010. “Metaethics, Cognitive Science, and the Banality of Evil,” with Abraham Graber in Kinesis 37(2): 12-22.
Book chapters
2021. "The Leading Edge of Sense: Coming to Understand in Wittgenstein's Tractatus." In Wittgenstein's Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus, (pp. 124-138). A. Georgallides (ed.). Cambridge Scholars.
2017. "Learning without Storing: Wittgenstein's cognitive science of learning and memory." In A Companion to Wittgenstein on Education: Pedagogical Investigations, (pp. 601-614). M. A. Peters and J. Stickney (eds.). Springer.
2012. “'Man Down!': Aristotle, Epicurus, and The Dude on Friendship and Solidarity,” in Philosophy and the Big Lebowski. Peter Fosl (ed.). Blackwell.
Reviews
2017. “Review: Intuition Pumps and Other Tools for Thinking.” Essays in Philosophy 18(2): 7. https://doi.org/10.7710/1526-0569.1587.
2017. “Review: Memory and Movies: What Films Can Teach Us about Memory.” Memory Studies 10 (1): 93-96.
Conference proceedings
2015. “Neither Noise nor Signal: The Role of Context in Memory Models,” In H. Christiansen, I. Stojanovic, & G. Papadopoulos (Eds.), Modeling and Using Context (Vol. 9405). Springer International Publishing.
2011. “The Persistence of 'Storage': Language and Concepts in Memory Research,” in European Perspectives on Cognitive Science. B. Kokinov, A. Karmiloff-Smith, & N.J. Nersessian (eds.) New Bulgarian Press, Sofia.
2008. “Describing the Unspeakable and Demonstrating the Unprovable: Wittgenstein and Gödel,” in An Anthology of Philosophical Studies, P. Hanna (ed.). Atiner Press.
Presentations
Invited presentations
“Intransitive learning.” Keynote address, 6th annual Philosophy and Logic Associated Teachers of Washington Conference, Vancouver, Washington, March 15th, 2019.
“Science, Knowledge, and Understanding.” Philosophy Colloquium, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho, December 8th, 2018.
Invited symposium on Wittgenstein, memory, and learning. British Wittgenstein Society 10th Annual Conference: Wittgenstein and Education, London, U.K., July 29th – 31st, 2018.
“Remembering, forgetting, and everything in between.” Invited colloquium, University of Alaska Fairbanks department of philosophy, Fairbanks, Alaska, December 14th, 2015.
Selected Conference presentations
“Blind memory.” 3rd International Conference on Philosophy of Mind, Minho, Portugal, October 11th – 12th, 2017.
“Reading and writing memories in artificial and human reasoning.” The 2017 International Conference on Mathematics and Artificial Intelligence, London, U.K., January 19th – 20th, 2017.
“Gestalt and anomaly: the aesthetics of theory selection and the logics of art,” with Katie McCallum. The 3rd Lisbon International Conference on Philosophy of Science, Lisbon, Portugal, December 14th – 16th, 2016.
“Doing mathematics: content and practices in situated abstraction,” with Katie McCallum. The 9th Embodied and Situated Language Processing Conference, Pucón, Chile, October 6th – 9th, 2016.
“Educating human rememberers: The rejection of computationalism in the science of memory and its implications for education.” Philosophy of Education Society of Great Britain, Oxford, UK, April 1st- 3rd, 2016.
“Situated remembering and urban heterogeneity.” Philosophy of the City, Portland, Oregon, November 21st–22nd, 2015.
“Neither noise nor signal: the role of context in memory models.” The Ninth International and Interdisciplinary Conference on Modeling and Using Context, Larnaca, Cyprus, November 2nd–6th, 2015.
“Unraveling amnesia: Wittgenstein and the cognitive science of memory impairment.” Wittgenstein, Philosophy of Mind, & Naturalism, Bergen, Norway, June 12th–13th, 2015; and The 66th Annual Northwest Philosophy Conference, Ellensburg, Washington, November 7th–8th, 2014.
“Better the devil you know: understanding implicit cognitive biases in the 21st century classroom,” with Aila O'Loughlin. The 15th International Conference on Knowledge, Culture, and Change in Organizations, Berkeley, California, February 19th–20th, 2015, and the Gender and Education Association Biennial Interim Conference, Melbourne, Australia, December 9th–11th, 2014.
“Scientific realism is incompatible with reductionism,” with Abraham Graber. The 23rd Meeting of the Philosophy of Science Association, San Diego, California, November 15th–17th, 2012.
“All the world's a stage: skill memory, declarative memory, and the embodied rememberer.” Minds, Bodies and Problems, Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey, June 7th–8th, 2012.
“Language, thought, and episodic memory.” The 2012 Meeting of the Southern Society for Philosophy and Psychology, Savannah, Georgia, March 22nd–24th, 2012.
“The persistence of 'storage': language and concepts in memory research.” The European Conference on Cognitive Science, Sofia, Bulgaria. May 20th–24th; and The 37th Annual Meeting for the Society of Philosophy and Psychology. Montreal, Canada, July 6th–10th, 2011.
“Connectionist semantics and the feature processing problem.” Toward a Science of Consciousness, Tucson, Arizona. April 12th–17th. The 5th Annual Conference on Philosophy, Athens, Greece, June 1st–2nd, 2010.
Public talks
“Brains, Minds, and the Science of Addiction.” Invited public talk, In Dialogue Events: Water by the Spoonful, Profile theatre, Portland, Oregon, November 8th, 2017.
“The science of memory.” Invited public talk, In Dialogue Events: Bright Half Life, Profile Theatre, Portland, Oregon, November 10th, 2016.
Distinctions, Grants, Awards
2020-2021. Faculty Development Grant, Pacific University.
2020. Sustainability Designation mini-grant, Pacific University.
2019. Elise Elliott Grant - Traveling with junior seminar students to a regional conference, Pacific University.
2019. Elise Elliott Grant - Inviting the PUUPC keynote, Pacific University.
2018. Writing in the Disciplines Mini-grant and fellowship, Pacific University.
2018. Faculty Development Travel Grant (presenting in London, U.K.), Pacific University.
2017, 2018. Elise Elliott Grant - Traveling with junior seminar students to regional conference, Pacific University.
2017. Faculty Development Travel Grant (presenting in Cambridge, U.K.), Pacific University.
2016, 2017. Elise Elliott Grant - Inviting the PUUPC keynote, Pacific University.
2016. Faculty Development Travel Grant (presenting in Oxford, U.K.), Pacific University.
2015. Faculty Development Travel Grant (presenting in Larnaca, Cyprus), Pacific University.
2014. Faculty Development Travel Grant (presenting in Melbourne, Australia), Clark College.
2013/2014. Seashore Ballard Dissertation Year Fellowship, University of Iowa Graduate College.
2013. Outstanding TA Award (nominated by students, conferred by university), University of Iowa.
2012. Graduate Student Travel Grant (presenting in Ankara, Turkey), University of Iowa.
2012. Graduate Student Travel Award (“Language, Thought, and Episodic Memory”), SSPP.
2011. Invited to give the annual Distinguished Graduate Student Colloquium paper, UI Graduate Society.
2011. Best Student Paper Award (“The Persistence of Storage”), European Conference on Cognitive Science.
2011. Departmental Pre-Comprehensive Exam Summer Research Fellowship, University of Iowa.
2010. International Studies Travel Grant (presenting in Athens, Greece), University of Iowa.
2009/2010. Graduate Fellowship recipient, Department of Philosophy, University of Iowa.
2008. Univ. of Idaho Graduate and Professional Students Travel Grant (to Athens, Greece), University of Idaho.
2007. Kennedy Scholar, Department of Classics, University of Idaho.
2007. Seaman Grant Recipient, University of Idaho.
Erdős Number: ≤6
Professional Affiliations, Activity, Academic and Public Service
Director, Pacific University Undergraduate Philosophy Conference, Fall 2016-present.
General Editor, The annual undergraduate philosophy journal Res Cogitans, 2017-2020.
Chair, Academic Standards Committee, Pacific University, 2018-2020.
Writing in the Disciplines Fellow, Pacific University, 2018-2019.
Reviewer, Linguistics and Philosophy, Cognitive Science, Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology, Philosophia, Lexington Books
Guest Editor (with Sarah K. Robins), Essays in Philosophy vol. 19 issue 2, The Philosophy of Memory.
Expanding Undergraduate Research in the Arts & Humanities Project Leadership Team, 2017-2018.
Pacific University Philosophy Club Faculty Adviser, 2017-present.
Pacific University Academic Standards Committee, 2017-2020.
Behavioral and Brain Sciences Associates. Associate, 2014 – present.
American Philosophical Association. Member, 2014 – present.
Cognitive Science Society. Member, 2012 – present.
Graduate Student Representative for the Department of Philosophy, University of Iowa, 2011-2012.
Society for Philosophy and Psychology. Member, 2011 – present.
Volunteer extra-curricular courses taught (Ancient Greek language), 2009 and 2015.
Graduate Coursework
Thesis Research: Philosophy of Cognitive Science (David Stern, Iowa)
Philosophy of Language (Stern)
Seminar in the Philosophy of Language: Private Language (Stern)
Wittgenstein (Stern)
Philosophical Foundations of Artificial Intelligence (Stern)
Philosophy of Science (Evan Fales, Iowa)
Philosophical Foundations of Cognitive Science (Carrie Figdor, Iowa)
Philosophy of Mind (Figdor)
Seminar in Metaphysics: Complex Systems (Figdor)
Seminar: Wittgenstein (Douglas Lind, Idaho)
Directed Study: Mental Representation (Figdor)
Seminar in Ancient Philosophy: Aristotle's Ethics (James Duerlinger, Iowa)
Aristotle (Duerlinger)
Seminar in the History of Philosophy: Spinoza (David Cunning) Seventeenth Century Philosophy (Cunning)
Directed Study: Ancient Philosophy (Matthew Slater, Idaho) David Hume (Cunning)
Seminar in Medieval Intellectual History (Katherine Tachau, Iowa)
Seminar in Metaphysics: Kant (Aaron Bunch, Washington State)
Directed Study: Philosophy of Logic (Michael O'Rourke, Idaho)
Analytic Ethics (Richard Fumerton, Iowa)
Seminar: Contemporary Ethics (Harry Silverstein, Washington State)
Epistemology (Joseph Campbell, Idaho)
Existentialism and Phenomenology (Ivan Castaneda, Idaho)
Selected Recent Student Evaluations
2022-2023
"Ian is a fantastic professor. He is incredibly knowledgeable, understanding, and engaging. He is simply a good person--who also happens to be pretty smart. He is always available to talk philosophy and enjoys spending time with students."
"Ian is awesome. He goes fast sometimes but keeps class interesting."
"This class helped me find an interest in philosophy."
"For me, the instructor's greatest strength was being able to explain complex things in a digestible way and offering very effective help during office hours. also being very supportive and encouraging."
"Ian is a great teacher."
"This class gave me a greater understanding of not only the philosophical implications of of the ever developing artificial general intelligence, but also of the dilemmas that are to come with it."
"He really seems to enjoy what he is teaching, so he makes a concerned effort to make sure we all understand the topics. He will break something down over and over again if we need him to, which is also supremely helpful."
"Your great teaching strength was that you always listened to your students."
"The feedback that he gives us are great for us to expand more on our papers."
"As someone who hopes to pursue a career in academia, this course has been one of the few classes I've taken at Pacific that has prepared me for my pursuits post-undergrad. The experience working with a team to organize a highly recognized conference is unique to this class. Additionally, the writing portion of this class has been one of my favorite opportunities throughout my time at Pacific. The process of writing the paper has been very valuable. Prof. O'Loughlin's feedback on my work has been thorough, thoughtful, thought-provoking, and I can tell that he cares about my work as much as I do."
"He was very understanding and open to conversation about anything. I think that fosters great philosophical thinking along with a great environment to encourage learning. It did not feel like I was forced to do anything but he made it interesting so that we WANTED to learn. I do not like when teachers force people to do things but in this class it felt like he created a great environment to learn and think."
"For me, the instructor's greatest strength was his passion and charisma. He is very easy to talk to and understands when a student is struggling or needs some support."
"Ian is a great teacher and person."
"Ian is a great professor and has a way of explaining the most complex things in a digestible way. he makes class fun and engaging for everyone. the daily dialogue assignments helped me to review what we talked about in class everyday, and understand it better so i could write a dialogue explaining it"
"The professor's greatest strength was, by far, his knowledge of the topic. He was able to break it down and explain the paradoxes in a couple of ways and was able to meet and challenge everyone's questions and suggestions on them."
"Ian had an excellent personality for making learning enjoyable, as well as a clear passion for the subject."
"I took a lot from this course. Never read philosophy before. When I started reading, it was very interesting and changed me."
"I love philosophy! Before this the only experience I had had with philosophy was the moral philosophy form my education classes and talking about Plato ( and a little Aristotle) in my AP Lang. class in high school. I love that AP Lang. class and I had a lot of fun talking about those topics in that class, so I thought I might enjoy this one, but wow I didn't think I would love it this much. I just find it all fascinating and it's something I definitely want to continue learning about and thinking about."
"I discovered of a lot of philosophical theories that I find really compelling."
"I loved getting to talk with the other students in class. I liked getting to argue for a point or argue against a point and see everyone else's opinions, both similar and different to mine, all from reading the same material."
"Ian is an excellent lecturer and really tries to engage his students in the lesson."
"Ian always made the in-class lectures super fun and the way he explained things really helped my understanding. And the out of class reading was very clear and interesting, it was the only time I ever really looked forward to reading a textbook."
"The way that the course was set up overall was very helpful. I really liked how clear our expectations were, and I felt that the homework assignments were clear, non-stressful, and while they could be hard work at times, this was never a bad thing: the homework assignments were always useful and I felt necessary. The textbook was also helpful, and it is much appreciated that it was a free textbook."
"I think that the professor's teaching style made the assignments more useful, since he would introduce a new idea then be open to questions as we tried to muddle our way through the homework. He made us try to think through stuff on our own before asking for help, and it definitely taught me lots."
"Honestly, there is not a thing that I would change about this course. It was a very interesting and memorable course, and the content all felt relevant and useful."
"I do not think I could point out just one of the teaching strengths of Professor O'Loughlin, as I feel he has so many. He is an excellent educator. He teaches in a very engaging manner, and I was never bored in this class. His passion for philosophy is reflected in the way he teaches. Professor O'Loughlin was very available outside of class, and it even felt encouraged that we reach out outside of class if we had questions. Overall, this class is one that I will remember for a long time, and it is thanks to Professor O'Loughlin."
"He was very passionate about the material and it is known from the immense amount of knowledge he holds and all of the examples he gives students. He is charismatic and definitely tries to understand the students point of view."
"He loved the course content! He seemed genuinely excited for class everyday (even though it was at 8 in the morning) and was always ready to offer help. He was incredibly helpful when reviewing content and was willing to admit when he made a mistake. He made a complicated class incredibly enjoyable."
2021-2022
"For me, the instructor's greatest teaching strength was the passion he has for the subject and the ability to use that to help students grow their own passions."
"Ian does take the time to listen to other students' input on the material and also questions their line of thinking. This makes the class a lot more entertaining especially since he makes sure we are thinking above and beyond just the material given."
"For me, the instructor's greatest teaching strength was his ability to listen/answer whatever question students had ask, and answer it in a manner that always related back to what we were currently discussing."
"Ian opens his lectures to specific questions and important tangents when students bring them up in class. This makes lectures far more engaging and makes students an equal part in their learning experience as opposed to lecturing at us for three hours."
"Ian invited all schools of thought in class. He welcomes different viewpoints and friendly discourse about ethical and philosophical dilemmas and concepts. He is also very friendly, respectful, and understanding to everyone involved in the class, which was especially helpful in our first semester back from completely online learning."
"I really love the way you approached lectures. The stream of consciousness/ tangent supporting style made me feel really engaged with the material. Having that space to deviate from the main topic helped me connect ideas. Very passionate about material. Approachable and accessible."
"Loved this class!"
"All of the group work we did on our papers was awesome!"
"I feel like his enthusiasm and knowledge of and for the material really shined through."
"He was just really passionate about the material and would answer all questions about it. He also made it so we were figuring out a lot of the material ourselves through the use of discussion and problem-solving."
"His lectures were amazing."
"I couldn't recommend the course enough."
"The lectures were very engaging and insightful. Ian helped us all understand concepts that were tough to digest in ways that just opened our understanding to new horizons."
"For me, the instructor's greatest teaching strength was his ability to teach but make it feel so relaxed to be learning."
"For me, the instructor's greatest teaching strength was his ability to lecture on complicated material to students but do it in a way that doesn't seem overwhelming. He is able to break down bits and pieces and describe those. Also great at finding stories that fit each situation we are talking about."
"I really enjoyed this course and would recommend it to other students actually."
"He always answered any question I had to the best of his ability. He was easy to find and reach out for help. He also had some great TA's that were extremely helpful."
"This was a really good class."
"His teaching style is awesome. Give him a raise."
"Philosophy is much more interesting to me now."
"For me, the instructor's greatest teaching strength was his patience and ability to be super clear even with a complex topic."
"For me, the instructor's greatest teaching strength was his willingness to help, passion in the subject, easy to reach, keeps the class entertained. Love this guy."
"For me, the instructor's greatest teaching strength was his ability to explain things in multiple ways and openness to every question."
"He's pretty great all around."
"He is very good at explaining difficult concepts quickly and in terms that everyone can understand."
"For me, the instructor's greatest teaching strength was how good he was at explaining logic and his high energy that kept people interested."
"Ian is an excellent instructor and is very encouraging of and receptive to in class engagement, and is very respectful of his students."
"This is a very interesting class and I feel like everyone should take logic."
"Ian is a great professor and makes complicated concepts easier to understand. He is also obviously insanely smart although I feel like if I said that to him he would kind of laugh and deny it so he is also humble and ready to help everyone."
2020-2021
"The professor is a very good teacher and is willing to help in any way you need to understand the information."
"For me, the instructor's greatest teaching strength was his willingness to explain and explain and explain, in multiple ways, until we were clear on what we were learning."
"This class challenged my thinking and introduced new forms of thought. While some of the concepts were difficult most of the class felt like a large puzzle that was fun and stimulating to solve."
"Truthfully he's a very engaging lecturer who seems open to discussion in the class something which I very much appreciate."
"It's a great course!"
"Although this was the most challenging class I have taken in a while, this class was taught in a very engaging manner that allowed me to stay focused and eager to learn every day."
"Professor O'Loughlin was excellent in respect towards students, adeptness in the content, effective conveying the concepts from the course, and be clear about his expectations."
"Professor O'Loughlin connects with each student and directly addresses individual needs. He has a fluid approach that adjusts based what he observes and hears from students. His feedback on papers is some of the most insightful, detailed, and honest feedback I have received."
"Ian's explanations and feedback were incredibly helpful."
"He was very knowledgeable, accessible, easy going."
"Ian is one of my favorite Professors of all time. He explains stuff in such an accessible way. Whenever I'm in his class, I'm always just so excited to be learning. He treats everyone with respect and kindness, and gives us space to ask questions."
"For me, the instructor's greatest teaching strength was his patience, and willingness to engage students in critical thinking about extremely complex and daunting ideas. Ian is a great teacher with a very strong knowledge base for teaching such complex and interesting ideas ."
"Professor O'Loughlin's greatest strength was how approachable he was for students. He was engaging and knowledgeable and I felt like I could just chat about philosophy with him. I am often too intimidated by professors to just casually speak about the content but this professor made me feel welcomed to do so."
"I struggled with my mental health throughout the semester that was a huge detriment to my class participation, with that said, this instructor was very understanding and kind regarding my situation."
"For me, the instructor's greatest teaching strength was how clearly passionate he was with the subject, and how he treated his students as equals and made it feel like a collaborative conversation between all of us."
2019-2020
"Ian has an ability to make us all feel safe in completely new places. I was terrified to go to Greece where I didn’t speak the language, and didn’t know the streets (I have a terrible sense of direction) but by the end of the trip I was feeling confident and safe to walk around by myself because of the way Ian had supported us while also letting us go off on our own."
"[The professor's greatest strength was] his complete transparency; I never felt like I was being talked down to but rather I was a part of the conversation."
"Ian clearly knew what he was talking about, and was really good at getting people interested and hyped for some thought-provoking discussion."
"I am rearranging my life goals based on this class."
"Ian: Your mind is amazing. Whenever you speak I am always enchanted by the sheer knowledge and wisdom you possess when you speak about philosophy."
"[The professor's greatest strength was] his ability to respond to students thoughtfully even if their comments were not fully applicable to the current discussion."
"The conversational style of lecture helps me not just memorize but actually feel involved and think critically."
"Ian was a great prof. He worked hard to make both science and philosophy majors understand and engage in the discussions and topics."
"In class discussion and debate not only helped me learn and handle the information but also helped broaden my views on things when I was exposed to other opinions."
"[The professor's greatest strength was] his ability to describe and explain things in multiple ways to help everyone understand."
"I particularly enjoyed the lectures because the professor is very knowledgeable about the content and made his teaching engaging."
[Please describe what most helped you learn the course content:] "How passionate Ian is."
"Probably one of the best Instructors I’ve ever had... no matter which student, no matter which question, the instructor always had a clear concise response that left no room for question... strong talker, supporter, and listener."
"I’ve taken Philosophy and I’ve taken Math before, but Language and Logic is probably one of the most bizarre classes I’ve ever taken, I loved it."
"I felt connected to the professor in a sense I could comfortable talk to him about any issues that arose from the topics presented. I think that in turn is what led me to have such a great understanding of the content."
"Ian was very good when it came to explaining the topic and making it so that I could understand. Visual aid as well as reading resources helped a lot as well."
"Clear passion and mastery of the material and a friendly demeanor. The instructor made a difficult class more bearable with his optimism, and he took time to explain things and answer questions."
2018-2019
“Ian is an amazing professor who enjoys what he teaches and it shows. He always comes to each class full of energy and loves to teach. He takes time with each of his students and went in-depth when correcting and providing comments for our papers ."
“Very approachable and effective at communicating content in multiple ways to ensure teaching is effective."
“My favorite professor. Amicable, very clear mastery of the material, obviously concerned for and invested in ensuring students are comfortable with pacing and content ."
“Ian is an amazing professor and he takes his time while he explains what he is teaching. He takes time with each of his students and makes sure they do not fall behind. He is also very understanding when it comes to students' issues and academic needs."
“Ian had a great understanding of the content, and made learning very easy with clear, concise teaching, and by providing a relaxed, nice atmosphere in the classroom."
“Fantastic professor teaching unexpectedly applicable content."
“I gave this course the highest rating because I have enjoyed it the most of any class I have taken here at Pacific so far."
“A subject I thought I was going to dislike became one of my favorite classes.”
“I once accidentally missed a class due to a date confusion and was legitimately upset because it is such a fun course.”
“Ian’s enthusiasm for his discipline is palpable and contagious. The kind of guy I want to share a beer with but who also intimidates me professionally and academically.”
“No matter what argument or question a student puts forth in his class (even if it doesn’t make much sense), O’Loughlin always responds with warmth and enhances the question with his own words so it is clearer and focuses on our topic of interest. This makes his classroom a comfortable, engaging, and fun learning environment where no one is afraid to use their voice. This is extremely important because philosophy at times can be very intimidating.”
“He’s one of the best professors I’ve come across.”
“I would recommend Ian to anybody having to deal with this monster called philosophy.”
“Ian is my favorite professor.”
“I rated this course as excellent because I thought that it was. It challenged me academically and also made me think long and hard about life and what life is.”
“He cares about student success and wants us all to succeed. If you need info or have questions, he is available to you and responds quickly—which is genuinely appreciated.”
“I feel smarter and my worldview/lifeview has definitely changed as a result of taking this course.”
“Ian is by far one of the best professors at Pacific, and every student should try to take a class from him. His lectures are engaging, he lets students lead the direction of class, and he remedies confusion during lectures instead of carrying on.”
“Professor O’Loughlin remains one of the most engaging professors I have ever had. His passion and interest for his class resonates and spreads to the students. He is always patient with questions and confusions, and remains willing to re-explain concepts. He knows when to allow tangents and when to bring the class back to center. He keeps his class engaged with things that are incredibly complex and difficult to grasp. I continue to be challenged and questioned and supported in his classroom—something that can often be missed in academic settings. I have and will continue to recommend Professor O’Loughlin.”
“Engaging instructor, very easy to talk to about all subjects. Knows a lot about his field and can point you to a name or a book that will help you with further studies. He made what can be a mind-bending topic understandable for all, not just the philosophy students, and it was actually kind of fun.”
“Every class is exciting and full of good discussions.”
“I really enjoyed the class and everything that was talked about. The environment encouraged learning and participation without pressure.”
“I was really worried coming in to the term that the material would make this class less than amazing, but I was proven wrong very very quickly.”
“This was a fabulous course, and even more than I hoped for. I feel like I never would have learned most of this (fascinating) information if I had not had the chance to take this class. I think a lot of this is applicable to everyday, modern life.”
“Thought-provoking, eye-opening, intellectually stimulating.”
“Ian is one of my favorite professors. He is able to explain incredible complex ideas in really approachable ways.”
“One of the few classes I’ve taken in which I feel like bringing up the assigned readings in day-to-day contexts is useful.”
“I didn’t know what to expect coming in, but Ian shaped this course into something really cool and something that I looked forward to right away!! Maybe it’s because I’m a very lecture-based learner, but his teaching style rocks.”
“I think everyone should take a class with Ian at some point. He’s one of the best professors at Pacific.”
“Ian is a wonderful professor. I appreciate his relaxed yet highly informative lecture style. He’s easy to talk to and is enthusiastic about the topic, which in turn makes me more excited to learn the material.”
“He puts in a lot of time and effort in order to make this class the best it can be.”
“This professor was very kind and understanding of other points of view. I enjoyed the information not relevant to what the class would be tested on, and I believe this is the basis of learning anyway. The professor would also be very interactive with the class, making me not feel alienated.”
“Professor O’Loughlin takes his time with his students and uses class sessions to have his students engage with the concepts to get a greater understanding of difficult readings. He emphasizes discourse to get to the core concepts of an idea. He has a great sense of humor and connects well with his students.”
“This is my seventh course with Ian, and he remains one of my favorite professors at Pacific.”
“Wildly intelligent. Inordinately knowledgeable. Surprisingly relatable. There is no better candidate to teach Philosophy than Ian O’Loughlin.”
“This class has ignited a passion for philosophy that I think has always been inside of me.”
2017-2018
“Ian is part of what makes learning philosophy so enjoyable, and I’m always impressed by how simply he is able to explain difficult concepts. He has made me a more critical thinker and a better person because of it.”
“This course was the absolute best course I’ve ever taken.”
“Ian is such a fantastic instructor!! The way he involves his students, and teaches the class, always keeps me interested.”
“Clearly cares about his students.”
“Ian is hilarious in this very specific and quirky way. He clearly makes an effort to relate to his students by making examples interesting and engaging, even if they seem silly at first. He’s approachable and easy to talk to if you’re struggling with a concept.”
“This was the single most fulfilling class I’ve ever taken and it would not have been possible without the dedication and commitment from the two wonderful instructors! In my experience, Professor O’Loughlin especially went above and beyond to make sure students were able to understand and conceptualize Ancient Greek history, culture, and its relation to philosophy.”
“Very intelligent and kind.”
“I think I’ve already recommended Ian to about seven other people.”
“Ian does a good job addressing students’ questions. He rarely forgets a question if he says he’ll come back to it and it is easy to tell he is always present because he can remember what was said earlier in a conversation and exactly who said it.”
“Ian is fantastic. I make it a point to take all of the philosophy classes from him that I can. He is extremely knowledgeable, and I appreciate his ability to share his knowledge with his students in a way that is memorable and gets the concept across, even (and especially) if it’s a complex concept.”
“Ian is one of the best professors I’ve ever had. His passion in his classes inspires me every day to get to the point where I can someday talk about things the way he does.”
“Professor O’Loughlin is very open and friendly, making it easy for students to approach him with any questions they might have. He is very engaging in class, and he is very knowledgeable when it comes to the subject. He does a good job of not only helping students understand the material, but also helping them to figure out what their own stance might be in regards to different philosophical debates.”
2016-2017
“Ian teaches about what he is passionate about and his students can feel that. He has an incredible ability to explain very complex concepts in a way that I feel is incredibly accessible. He is always willing to hear a question or a counterpoint and debate anything necessary. He is also very accommodating to his students and works hard to be the best professor he can be.”
“Ian O'Loughlin is an incredible professor and his students are able to see he really cares about the field of philosophy. He is more than willing to give students extra help and genuinely cares if they understand the material. Class discussions are super fun and interesting thanks to Ian. It was an extremely interesting class and I feel like my understanding of the subject has grown tenfold thanks to his teaching!”
“Ian is probably the best professor I've ever had. He is both brilliant and in touch with the students enough to make the complex ideas of the course be approachable.”
“Professor O'Loughlin is a great professor who loves what he teaches and genuinely cares about his classes, and knows what he is talking about.”
“I've never worked so hard on genuinely developing an essay as I have in this course.”
“While it at times was frustrating and seemed impossible to achieve high marks, my graded coursework and exams have somehow proved otherwise, which contradicts the feeling of lack of understanding. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed...maybe even loved this course.”
“From the first day of class Ian has held the class’s attention with his humor, intelligence and approachability. He effortless makes the most complex of concepts simple and comprehensible through extensive examples and a willingness to answer any and all questions throughout the class period. His passion for philosophy, teaching and his students is easy to see throughout the course. He is incredibly persuasive and understands the right questions to ask the class to gauge their understanding of whatever material he has introduced that day. Truly one of the most oddly inspiring professors.”
“I now look at life through a different perspective than I had previously. I've become a much more critical thinker, and I find it interesting how I will subconsciously use the things that we've learned (quite literally everything that we had learned!) to understand my present situation! It's a very real class.”
2015-2016
“One of the best courses I've taken, extremely interesting and varied. Excellent introductory class with plenty to learn whether you had a small interest or are looking for a great major starting point. (Made me want to major in Philosophy).”
“Ian has an ability to explain logic perfectly to fit fast and slow learners. He never overlooks a question, and takes time with each student so that they can reach the right level of understanding. I would not have been half as good at logic without him as the instructor.”
“Ian is fantastic. The level of understanding of the material he teaches is phenomenal and he is so enthusiastic about his classes. He so effectively argues both sides of arguments that you can't determine where he stands. Ian makes it a personal goal to change the beliefs of students and does so well. I have taken multiple classes with Ian and I so often walk out of his classes feeling as if my worldview has changed. He is a fantastic professor and I have no complaints.”
“Professor O'Loughlin's wealth of knowledge and the energy he brought to this class pretty much made the difference between it being a difficult, overly technical mess and a fun, yet deeply enriching experience. Professor O'Loughlin has the rare skill of being able to take the most daunting of concepts and explaining them in a way that almost anyone can understand, without sacrificing any precision on his part.”
“Ian is a very insightful thinker that allows me to really think outside of the box during every class time. What I really appreciate about him as a professor is challenging my thinking and have a view of things that I usually don't have.”
“Great course! I never knew I would like philosophy so much!”
2014-2015:
“I really do mean this excellent rating. I've heard that sometimes a top mark for a professor isn't taken seriously, as those who read these belief that the student is over exaggerating. Professor O'Loughlin is by far the best educator I have had during my entire academic history, and I have had some very good instructors. Professor O'Loughlin is the reason why I now want to continue my education to the graduate level.”
“Beyond a shadow of a doubt I learned more in this course than any other this semester. The amount of information you are introduced to is staggering and invigorating.”
“Ian brings great energy to the classroom and establishes great rapport with the students. You feel involved in the class at all times and are given opportunities to voice your opinions and also to gain insights as to what may be unclear.”
“Passionate, mindful, and willing to get personal with students if they need it, as well as a great public speaker, it's just about everything you could ask from a professor in an upper division course.”
“He has a way of inspiring students to not only work hard in his class, but to also enjoy doing it. He explains complex theories in simple ways and makes class fun to go to. It is also clear that he really cares about his students and how much they are learning.”
“Very engaging lecturer and thrilled about his subject. Good methods of encouraging participation, feel very comfortable in talking beyond class.”
“Professor O'Loughlin is one of the best teachers I have had the pleasure of meeting. He is highly knowledgeable about the course material and can make even the most dense theoretical text seem transparent and easy to grasp. Most of all, he draws from a wide base of subjects to demonstrate how philosophy connects to other parts of our lives and histories.”
University of Iowa
Ph.D., Philosophy, 2014.
AOS Philosophy of Mind and Cognitive Science.
AOC History of Modern Philosophy (esp. Early Analytic).
Dissertation: “Remembering Without Storing: Beyond archival models in
the science and philosophy of human memory.”
Advisor David Stern
Readers Carrie Figdor, Gregory Landini, Katarina Perovic, Richard Fumerton
University of Idaho
M.A., Philosophy, 2008.
AOS Philosophy of Logic.
AOC History of Ancient Philosophy.
Advisor Michael O'Rourke
Readers Matthew Slater, Joseph Campbell
University of Minnesota at Morris
B.A., 1999. Major: Philosophy, Minor: Physics.
Emphasis Political Philosophy
Advisor Ishtiyaque Haji
Teaching
2020 - present Associate Professor of Philosophy, Pacific University
2016 – 2020 Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Pacific University
2015 – 2016 Visiting Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Pacific University
2014 – 2015 Instructor of Philosophy, Pacific University
Courses at Pacific: Philosophy of Mind, Philosophy of Science, Artificial Intelligence, Language and Logic, Ancient Philosophy, Research and Dissemination Seminar, Introduction to Philosophy, First Year Seminar, Ethics and Society, Greek Concepts and Culture, Travel Course to Greece
2014 – 2015 Instructor of Philosophy, University of Portland
2013 – 2015 Instructor of Philosophy, Clark College
2011 – 2013 Instructor of Philosophy, Kirkwood College
2009 – 2013 Teaching Assistant, University of Iowa
2008 – 2009 Instructor of Philosophy, Spokane Community College
2008 Instructor of Philosophy, University of Idaho
2006 – 2008 Teaching Assistant, University of Idaho
2001 – 2008 Instructor of Philosophy, North Idaho College
Publications
Journal articles
2019. “The Aesthetics of Theory Selection and the Logics of Art,” with Kate McCallum. Philosophy of Science 86 (2): 325-343.
2013. “Using Bibliometrics to Support the Facilitation of Cross-Disciplinary Communication,” with C.J. Williams, M. O'Rourke, S.D. Eigenbrode, and S. Crowley. In the Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology 64 (9): 1768-1779.
2010. “Metaethics, Cognitive Science, and the Banality of Evil,” with Abraham Graber in Kinesis 37(2): 12-22.
Book chapters
2021. "The Leading Edge of Sense: Coming to Understand in Wittgenstein's Tractatus." In Wittgenstein's Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus, (pp. 124-138). A. Georgallides (ed.). Cambridge Scholars.
2017. "Learning without Storing: Wittgenstein's cognitive science of learning and memory." In A Companion to Wittgenstein on Education: Pedagogical Investigations, (pp. 601-614). M. A. Peters and J. Stickney (eds.). Springer.
2012. “'Man Down!': Aristotle, Epicurus, and The Dude on Friendship and Solidarity,” in Philosophy and the Big Lebowski. Peter Fosl (ed.). Blackwell.
Reviews
2017. “Review: Intuition Pumps and Other Tools for Thinking.” Essays in Philosophy 18(2): 7. https://doi.org/10.7710/1526-0569.1587.
2017. “Review: Memory and Movies: What Films Can Teach Us about Memory.” Memory Studies 10 (1): 93-96.
Conference proceedings
2015. “Neither Noise nor Signal: The Role of Context in Memory Models,” In H. Christiansen, I. Stojanovic, & G. Papadopoulos (Eds.), Modeling and Using Context (Vol. 9405). Springer International Publishing.
2011. “The Persistence of 'Storage': Language and Concepts in Memory Research,” in European Perspectives on Cognitive Science. B. Kokinov, A. Karmiloff-Smith, & N.J. Nersessian (eds.) New Bulgarian Press, Sofia.
2008. “Describing the Unspeakable and Demonstrating the Unprovable: Wittgenstein and Gödel,” in An Anthology of Philosophical Studies, P. Hanna (ed.). Atiner Press.
Presentations
Invited presentations
“Intransitive learning.” Keynote address, 6th annual Philosophy and Logic Associated Teachers of Washington Conference, Vancouver, Washington, March 15th, 2019.
“Science, Knowledge, and Understanding.” Philosophy Colloquium, Boise State University, Boise, Idaho, December 8th, 2018.
Invited symposium on Wittgenstein, memory, and learning. British Wittgenstein Society 10th Annual Conference: Wittgenstein and Education, London, U.K., July 29th – 31st, 2018.
“Remembering, forgetting, and everything in between.” Invited colloquium, University of Alaska Fairbanks department of philosophy, Fairbanks, Alaska, December 14th, 2015.
Selected Conference presentations
“Blind memory.” 3rd International Conference on Philosophy of Mind, Minho, Portugal, October 11th – 12th, 2017.
“Reading and writing memories in artificial and human reasoning.” The 2017 International Conference on Mathematics and Artificial Intelligence, London, U.K., January 19th – 20th, 2017.
“Gestalt and anomaly: the aesthetics of theory selection and the logics of art,” with Katie McCallum. The 3rd Lisbon International Conference on Philosophy of Science, Lisbon, Portugal, December 14th – 16th, 2016.
“Doing mathematics: content and practices in situated abstraction,” with Katie McCallum. The 9th Embodied and Situated Language Processing Conference, Pucón, Chile, October 6th – 9th, 2016.
“Educating human rememberers: The rejection of computationalism in the science of memory and its implications for education.” Philosophy of Education Society of Great Britain, Oxford, UK, April 1st- 3rd, 2016.
“Situated remembering and urban heterogeneity.” Philosophy of the City, Portland, Oregon, November 21st–22nd, 2015.
“Neither noise nor signal: the role of context in memory models.” The Ninth International and Interdisciplinary Conference on Modeling and Using Context, Larnaca, Cyprus, November 2nd–6th, 2015.
“Unraveling amnesia: Wittgenstein and the cognitive science of memory impairment.” Wittgenstein, Philosophy of Mind, & Naturalism, Bergen, Norway, June 12th–13th, 2015; and The 66th Annual Northwest Philosophy Conference, Ellensburg, Washington, November 7th–8th, 2014.
“Better the devil you know: understanding implicit cognitive biases in the 21st century classroom,” with Aila O'Loughlin. The 15th International Conference on Knowledge, Culture, and Change in Organizations, Berkeley, California, February 19th–20th, 2015, and the Gender and Education Association Biennial Interim Conference, Melbourne, Australia, December 9th–11th, 2014.
“Scientific realism is incompatible with reductionism,” with Abraham Graber. The 23rd Meeting of the Philosophy of Science Association, San Diego, California, November 15th–17th, 2012.
“All the world's a stage: skill memory, declarative memory, and the embodied rememberer.” Minds, Bodies and Problems, Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey, June 7th–8th, 2012.
“Language, thought, and episodic memory.” The 2012 Meeting of the Southern Society for Philosophy and Psychology, Savannah, Georgia, March 22nd–24th, 2012.
“The persistence of 'storage': language and concepts in memory research.” The European Conference on Cognitive Science, Sofia, Bulgaria. May 20th–24th; and The 37th Annual Meeting for the Society of Philosophy and Psychology. Montreal, Canada, July 6th–10th, 2011.
“Connectionist semantics and the feature processing problem.” Toward a Science of Consciousness, Tucson, Arizona. April 12th–17th. The 5th Annual Conference on Philosophy, Athens, Greece, June 1st–2nd, 2010.
Public talks
“Brains, Minds, and the Science of Addiction.” Invited public talk, In Dialogue Events: Water by the Spoonful, Profile theatre, Portland, Oregon, November 8th, 2017.
“The science of memory.” Invited public talk, In Dialogue Events: Bright Half Life, Profile Theatre, Portland, Oregon, November 10th, 2016.
Distinctions, Grants, Awards
2020-2021. Faculty Development Grant, Pacific University.
2020. Sustainability Designation mini-grant, Pacific University.
2019. Elise Elliott Grant - Traveling with junior seminar students to a regional conference, Pacific University.
2019. Elise Elliott Grant - Inviting the PUUPC keynote, Pacific University.
2018. Writing in the Disciplines Mini-grant and fellowship, Pacific University.
2018. Faculty Development Travel Grant (presenting in London, U.K.), Pacific University.
2017, 2018. Elise Elliott Grant - Traveling with junior seminar students to regional conference, Pacific University.
2017. Faculty Development Travel Grant (presenting in Cambridge, U.K.), Pacific University.
2016, 2017. Elise Elliott Grant - Inviting the PUUPC keynote, Pacific University.
2016. Faculty Development Travel Grant (presenting in Oxford, U.K.), Pacific University.
2015. Faculty Development Travel Grant (presenting in Larnaca, Cyprus), Pacific University.
2014. Faculty Development Travel Grant (presenting in Melbourne, Australia), Clark College.
2013/2014. Seashore Ballard Dissertation Year Fellowship, University of Iowa Graduate College.
2013. Outstanding TA Award (nominated by students, conferred by university), University of Iowa.
2012. Graduate Student Travel Grant (presenting in Ankara, Turkey), University of Iowa.
2012. Graduate Student Travel Award (“Language, Thought, and Episodic Memory”), SSPP.
2011. Invited to give the annual Distinguished Graduate Student Colloquium paper, UI Graduate Society.
2011. Best Student Paper Award (“The Persistence of Storage”), European Conference on Cognitive Science.
2011. Departmental Pre-Comprehensive Exam Summer Research Fellowship, University of Iowa.
2010. International Studies Travel Grant (presenting in Athens, Greece), University of Iowa.
2009/2010. Graduate Fellowship recipient, Department of Philosophy, University of Iowa.
2008. Univ. of Idaho Graduate and Professional Students Travel Grant (to Athens, Greece), University of Idaho.
2007. Kennedy Scholar, Department of Classics, University of Idaho.
2007. Seaman Grant Recipient, University of Idaho.
Erdős Number: ≤6
Professional Affiliations, Activity, Academic and Public Service
Director, Pacific University Undergraduate Philosophy Conference, Fall 2016-present.
General Editor, The annual undergraduate philosophy journal Res Cogitans, 2017-2020.
Chair, Academic Standards Committee, Pacific University, 2018-2020.
Writing in the Disciplines Fellow, Pacific University, 2018-2019.
Reviewer, Linguistics and Philosophy, Cognitive Science, Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology, Philosophia, Lexington Books
Guest Editor (with Sarah K. Robins), Essays in Philosophy vol. 19 issue 2, The Philosophy of Memory.
Expanding Undergraduate Research in the Arts & Humanities Project Leadership Team, 2017-2018.
Pacific University Philosophy Club Faculty Adviser, 2017-present.
Pacific University Academic Standards Committee, 2017-2020.
Behavioral and Brain Sciences Associates. Associate, 2014 – present.
American Philosophical Association. Member, 2014 – present.
Cognitive Science Society. Member, 2012 – present.
Graduate Student Representative for the Department of Philosophy, University of Iowa, 2011-2012.
Society for Philosophy and Psychology. Member, 2011 – present.
Volunteer extra-curricular courses taught (Ancient Greek language), 2009 and 2015.
Graduate Coursework
Thesis Research: Philosophy of Cognitive Science (David Stern, Iowa)
Philosophy of Language (Stern)
Seminar in the Philosophy of Language: Private Language (Stern)
Wittgenstein (Stern)
Philosophical Foundations of Artificial Intelligence (Stern)
Philosophy of Science (Evan Fales, Iowa)
Philosophical Foundations of Cognitive Science (Carrie Figdor, Iowa)
Philosophy of Mind (Figdor)
Seminar in Metaphysics: Complex Systems (Figdor)
Seminar: Wittgenstein (Douglas Lind, Idaho)
Directed Study: Mental Representation (Figdor)
Seminar in Ancient Philosophy: Aristotle's Ethics (James Duerlinger, Iowa)
Aristotle (Duerlinger)
Seminar in the History of Philosophy: Spinoza (David Cunning) Seventeenth Century Philosophy (Cunning)
Directed Study: Ancient Philosophy (Matthew Slater, Idaho) David Hume (Cunning)
Seminar in Medieval Intellectual History (Katherine Tachau, Iowa)
Seminar in Metaphysics: Kant (Aaron Bunch, Washington State)
Directed Study: Philosophy of Logic (Michael O'Rourke, Idaho)
Analytic Ethics (Richard Fumerton, Iowa)
Seminar: Contemporary Ethics (Harry Silverstein, Washington State)
Epistemology (Joseph Campbell, Idaho)
Existentialism and Phenomenology (Ivan Castaneda, Idaho)
Selected Recent Student Evaluations
2022-2023
"Ian is a fantastic professor. He is incredibly knowledgeable, understanding, and engaging. He is simply a good person--who also happens to be pretty smart. He is always available to talk philosophy and enjoys spending time with students."
"Ian is awesome. He goes fast sometimes but keeps class interesting."
"This class helped me find an interest in philosophy."
"For me, the instructor's greatest strength was being able to explain complex things in a digestible way and offering very effective help during office hours. also being very supportive and encouraging."
"Ian is a great teacher."
"This class gave me a greater understanding of not only the philosophical implications of of the ever developing artificial general intelligence, but also of the dilemmas that are to come with it."
"He really seems to enjoy what he is teaching, so he makes a concerned effort to make sure we all understand the topics. He will break something down over and over again if we need him to, which is also supremely helpful."
"Your great teaching strength was that you always listened to your students."
"The feedback that he gives us are great for us to expand more on our papers."
"As someone who hopes to pursue a career in academia, this course has been one of the few classes I've taken at Pacific that has prepared me for my pursuits post-undergrad. The experience working with a team to organize a highly recognized conference is unique to this class. Additionally, the writing portion of this class has been one of my favorite opportunities throughout my time at Pacific. The process of writing the paper has been very valuable. Prof. O'Loughlin's feedback on my work has been thorough, thoughtful, thought-provoking, and I can tell that he cares about my work as much as I do."
"He was very understanding and open to conversation about anything. I think that fosters great philosophical thinking along with a great environment to encourage learning. It did not feel like I was forced to do anything but he made it interesting so that we WANTED to learn. I do not like when teachers force people to do things but in this class it felt like he created a great environment to learn and think."
"For me, the instructor's greatest strength was his passion and charisma. He is very easy to talk to and understands when a student is struggling or needs some support."
"Ian is a great teacher and person."
"Ian is a great professor and has a way of explaining the most complex things in a digestible way. he makes class fun and engaging for everyone. the daily dialogue assignments helped me to review what we talked about in class everyday, and understand it better so i could write a dialogue explaining it"
"The professor's greatest strength was, by far, his knowledge of the topic. He was able to break it down and explain the paradoxes in a couple of ways and was able to meet and challenge everyone's questions and suggestions on them."
"Ian had an excellent personality for making learning enjoyable, as well as a clear passion for the subject."
"I took a lot from this course. Never read philosophy before. When I started reading, it was very interesting and changed me."
"I love philosophy! Before this the only experience I had had with philosophy was the moral philosophy form my education classes and talking about Plato ( and a little Aristotle) in my AP Lang. class in high school. I love that AP Lang. class and I had a lot of fun talking about those topics in that class, so I thought I might enjoy this one, but wow I didn't think I would love it this much. I just find it all fascinating and it's something I definitely want to continue learning about and thinking about."
"I discovered of a lot of philosophical theories that I find really compelling."
"I loved getting to talk with the other students in class. I liked getting to argue for a point or argue against a point and see everyone else's opinions, both similar and different to mine, all from reading the same material."
"Ian is an excellent lecturer and really tries to engage his students in the lesson."
"Ian always made the in-class lectures super fun and the way he explained things really helped my understanding. And the out of class reading was very clear and interesting, it was the only time I ever really looked forward to reading a textbook."
"The way that the course was set up overall was very helpful. I really liked how clear our expectations were, and I felt that the homework assignments were clear, non-stressful, and while they could be hard work at times, this was never a bad thing: the homework assignments were always useful and I felt necessary. The textbook was also helpful, and it is much appreciated that it was a free textbook."
"I think that the professor's teaching style made the assignments more useful, since he would introduce a new idea then be open to questions as we tried to muddle our way through the homework. He made us try to think through stuff on our own before asking for help, and it definitely taught me lots."
"Honestly, there is not a thing that I would change about this course. It was a very interesting and memorable course, and the content all felt relevant and useful."
"I do not think I could point out just one of the teaching strengths of Professor O'Loughlin, as I feel he has so many. He is an excellent educator. He teaches in a very engaging manner, and I was never bored in this class. His passion for philosophy is reflected in the way he teaches. Professor O'Loughlin was very available outside of class, and it even felt encouraged that we reach out outside of class if we had questions. Overall, this class is one that I will remember for a long time, and it is thanks to Professor O'Loughlin."
"He was very passionate about the material and it is known from the immense amount of knowledge he holds and all of the examples he gives students. He is charismatic and definitely tries to understand the students point of view."
"He loved the course content! He seemed genuinely excited for class everyday (even though it was at 8 in the morning) and was always ready to offer help. He was incredibly helpful when reviewing content and was willing to admit when he made a mistake. He made a complicated class incredibly enjoyable."
2021-2022
"For me, the instructor's greatest teaching strength was the passion he has for the subject and the ability to use that to help students grow their own passions."
"Ian does take the time to listen to other students' input on the material and also questions their line of thinking. This makes the class a lot more entertaining especially since he makes sure we are thinking above and beyond just the material given."
"For me, the instructor's greatest teaching strength was his ability to listen/answer whatever question students had ask, and answer it in a manner that always related back to what we were currently discussing."
"Ian opens his lectures to specific questions and important tangents when students bring them up in class. This makes lectures far more engaging and makes students an equal part in their learning experience as opposed to lecturing at us for three hours."
"Ian invited all schools of thought in class. He welcomes different viewpoints and friendly discourse about ethical and philosophical dilemmas and concepts. He is also very friendly, respectful, and understanding to everyone involved in the class, which was especially helpful in our first semester back from completely online learning."
"I really love the way you approached lectures. The stream of consciousness/ tangent supporting style made me feel really engaged with the material. Having that space to deviate from the main topic helped me connect ideas. Very passionate about material. Approachable and accessible."
"Loved this class!"
"All of the group work we did on our papers was awesome!"
"I feel like his enthusiasm and knowledge of and for the material really shined through."
"He was just really passionate about the material and would answer all questions about it. He also made it so we were figuring out a lot of the material ourselves through the use of discussion and problem-solving."
"His lectures were amazing."
"I couldn't recommend the course enough."
"The lectures were very engaging and insightful. Ian helped us all understand concepts that were tough to digest in ways that just opened our understanding to new horizons."
"For me, the instructor's greatest teaching strength was his ability to teach but make it feel so relaxed to be learning."
"For me, the instructor's greatest teaching strength was his ability to lecture on complicated material to students but do it in a way that doesn't seem overwhelming. He is able to break down bits and pieces and describe those. Also great at finding stories that fit each situation we are talking about."
"I really enjoyed this course and would recommend it to other students actually."
"He always answered any question I had to the best of his ability. He was easy to find and reach out for help. He also had some great TA's that were extremely helpful."
"This was a really good class."
"His teaching style is awesome. Give him a raise."
"Philosophy is much more interesting to me now."
"For me, the instructor's greatest teaching strength was his patience and ability to be super clear even with a complex topic."
"For me, the instructor's greatest teaching strength was his willingness to help, passion in the subject, easy to reach, keeps the class entertained. Love this guy."
"For me, the instructor's greatest teaching strength was his ability to explain things in multiple ways and openness to every question."
"He's pretty great all around."
"He is very good at explaining difficult concepts quickly and in terms that everyone can understand."
"For me, the instructor's greatest teaching strength was how good he was at explaining logic and his high energy that kept people interested."
"Ian is an excellent instructor and is very encouraging of and receptive to in class engagement, and is very respectful of his students."
"This is a very interesting class and I feel like everyone should take logic."
"Ian is a great professor and makes complicated concepts easier to understand. He is also obviously insanely smart although I feel like if I said that to him he would kind of laugh and deny it so he is also humble and ready to help everyone."
2020-2021
"The professor is a very good teacher and is willing to help in any way you need to understand the information."
"For me, the instructor's greatest teaching strength was his willingness to explain and explain and explain, in multiple ways, until we were clear on what we were learning."
"This class challenged my thinking and introduced new forms of thought. While some of the concepts were difficult most of the class felt like a large puzzle that was fun and stimulating to solve."
"Truthfully he's a very engaging lecturer who seems open to discussion in the class something which I very much appreciate."
"It's a great course!"
"Although this was the most challenging class I have taken in a while, this class was taught in a very engaging manner that allowed me to stay focused and eager to learn every day."
"Professor O'Loughlin was excellent in respect towards students, adeptness in the content, effective conveying the concepts from the course, and be clear about his expectations."
"Professor O'Loughlin connects with each student and directly addresses individual needs. He has a fluid approach that adjusts based what he observes and hears from students. His feedback on papers is some of the most insightful, detailed, and honest feedback I have received."
"Ian's explanations and feedback were incredibly helpful."
"He was very knowledgeable, accessible, easy going."
"Ian is one of my favorite Professors of all time. He explains stuff in such an accessible way. Whenever I'm in his class, I'm always just so excited to be learning. He treats everyone with respect and kindness, and gives us space to ask questions."
"For me, the instructor's greatest teaching strength was his patience, and willingness to engage students in critical thinking about extremely complex and daunting ideas. Ian is a great teacher with a very strong knowledge base for teaching such complex and interesting ideas ."
"Professor O'Loughlin's greatest strength was how approachable he was for students. He was engaging and knowledgeable and I felt like I could just chat about philosophy with him. I am often too intimidated by professors to just casually speak about the content but this professor made me feel welcomed to do so."
"I struggled with my mental health throughout the semester that was a huge detriment to my class participation, with that said, this instructor was very understanding and kind regarding my situation."
"For me, the instructor's greatest teaching strength was how clearly passionate he was with the subject, and how he treated his students as equals and made it feel like a collaborative conversation between all of us."
2019-2020
"Ian has an ability to make us all feel safe in completely new places. I was terrified to go to Greece where I didn’t speak the language, and didn’t know the streets (I have a terrible sense of direction) but by the end of the trip I was feeling confident and safe to walk around by myself because of the way Ian had supported us while also letting us go off on our own."
"[The professor's greatest strength was] his complete transparency; I never felt like I was being talked down to but rather I was a part of the conversation."
"Ian clearly knew what he was talking about, and was really good at getting people interested and hyped for some thought-provoking discussion."
"I am rearranging my life goals based on this class."
"Ian: Your mind is amazing. Whenever you speak I am always enchanted by the sheer knowledge and wisdom you possess when you speak about philosophy."
"[The professor's greatest strength was] his ability to respond to students thoughtfully even if their comments were not fully applicable to the current discussion."
"The conversational style of lecture helps me not just memorize but actually feel involved and think critically."
"Ian was a great prof. He worked hard to make both science and philosophy majors understand and engage in the discussions and topics."
"In class discussion and debate not only helped me learn and handle the information but also helped broaden my views on things when I was exposed to other opinions."
"[The professor's greatest strength was] his ability to describe and explain things in multiple ways to help everyone understand."
"I particularly enjoyed the lectures because the professor is very knowledgeable about the content and made his teaching engaging."
[Please describe what most helped you learn the course content:] "How passionate Ian is."
"Probably one of the best Instructors I’ve ever had... no matter which student, no matter which question, the instructor always had a clear concise response that left no room for question... strong talker, supporter, and listener."
"I’ve taken Philosophy and I’ve taken Math before, but Language and Logic is probably one of the most bizarre classes I’ve ever taken, I loved it."
"I felt connected to the professor in a sense I could comfortable talk to him about any issues that arose from the topics presented. I think that in turn is what led me to have such a great understanding of the content."
"Ian was very good when it came to explaining the topic and making it so that I could understand. Visual aid as well as reading resources helped a lot as well."
"Clear passion and mastery of the material and a friendly demeanor. The instructor made a difficult class more bearable with his optimism, and he took time to explain things and answer questions."
2018-2019
“Ian is an amazing professor who enjoys what he teaches and it shows. He always comes to each class full of energy and loves to teach. He takes time with each of his students and went in-depth when correcting and providing comments for our papers ."
“Very approachable and effective at communicating content in multiple ways to ensure teaching is effective."
“My favorite professor. Amicable, very clear mastery of the material, obviously concerned for and invested in ensuring students are comfortable with pacing and content ."
“Ian is an amazing professor and he takes his time while he explains what he is teaching. He takes time with each of his students and makes sure they do not fall behind. He is also very understanding when it comes to students' issues and academic needs."
“Ian had a great understanding of the content, and made learning very easy with clear, concise teaching, and by providing a relaxed, nice atmosphere in the classroom."
“Fantastic professor teaching unexpectedly applicable content."
“I gave this course the highest rating because I have enjoyed it the most of any class I have taken here at Pacific so far."
“A subject I thought I was going to dislike became one of my favorite classes.”
“I once accidentally missed a class due to a date confusion and was legitimately upset because it is such a fun course.”
“Ian’s enthusiasm for his discipline is palpable and contagious. The kind of guy I want to share a beer with but who also intimidates me professionally and academically.”
“No matter what argument or question a student puts forth in his class (even if it doesn’t make much sense), O’Loughlin always responds with warmth and enhances the question with his own words so it is clearer and focuses on our topic of interest. This makes his classroom a comfortable, engaging, and fun learning environment where no one is afraid to use their voice. This is extremely important because philosophy at times can be very intimidating.”
“He’s one of the best professors I’ve come across.”
“I would recommend Ian to anybody having to deal with this monster called philosophy.”
“Ian is my favorite professor.”
“I rated this course as excellent because I thought that it was. It challenged me academically and also made me think long and hard about life and what life is.”
“He cares about student success and wants us all to succeed. If you need info or have questions, he is available to you and responds quickly—which is genuinely appreciated.”
“I feel smarter and my worldview/lifeview has definitely changed as a result of taking this course.”
“Ian is by far one of the best professors at Pacific, and every student should try to take a class from him. His lectures are engaging, he lets students lead the direction of class, and he remedies confusion during lectures instead of carrying on.”
“Professor O’Loughlin remains one of the most engaging professors I have ever had. His passion and interest for his class resonates and spreads to the students. He is always patient with questions and confusions, and remains willing to re-explain concepts. He knows when to allow tangents and when to bring the class back to center. He keeps his class engaged with things that are incredibly complex and difficult to grasp. I continue to be challenged and questioned and supported in his classroom—something that can often be missed in academic settings. I have and will continue to recommend Professor O’Loughlin.”
“Engaging instructor, very easy to talk to about all subjects. Knows a lot about his field and can point you to a name or a book that will help you with further studies. He made what can be a mind-bending topic understandable for all, not just the philosophy students, and it was actually kind of fun.”
“Every class is exciting and full of good discussions.”
“I really enjoyed the class and everything that was talked about. The environment encouraged learning and participation without pressure.”
“I was really worried coming in to the term that the material would make this class less than amazing, but I was proven wrong very very quickly.”
“This was a fabulous course, and even more than I hoped for. I feel like I never would have learned most of this (fascinating) information if I had not had the chance to take this class. I think a lot of this is applicable to everyday, modern life.”
“Thought-provoking, eye-opening, intellectually stimulating.”
“Ian is one of my favorite professors. He is able to explain incredible complex ideas in really approachable ways.”
“One of the few classes I’ve taken in which I feel like bringing up the assigned readings in day-to-day contexts is useful.”
“I didn’t know what to expect coming in, but Ian shaped this course into something really cool and something that I looked forward to right away!! Maybe it’s because I’m a very lecture-based learner, but his teaching style rocks.”
“I think everyone should take a class with Ian at some point. He’s one of the best professors at Pacific.”
“Ian is a wonderful professor. I appreciate his relaxed yet highly informative lecture style. He’s easy to talk to and is enthusiastic about the topic, which in turn makes me more excited to learn the material.”
“He puts in a lot of time and effort in order to make this class the best it can be.”
“This professor was very kind and understanding of other points of view. I enjoyed the information not relevant to what the class would be tested on, and I believe this is the basis of learning anyway. The professor would also be very interactive with the class, making me not feel alienated.”
“Professor O’Loughlin takes his time with his students and uses class sessions to have his students engage with the concepts to get a greater understanding of difficult readings. He emphasizes discourse to get to the core concepts of an idea. He has a great sense of humor and connects well with his students.”
“This is my seventh course with Ian, and he remains one of my favorite professors at Pacific.”
“Wildly intelligent. Inordinately knowledgeable. Surprisingly relatable. There is no better candidate to teach Philosophy than Ian O’Loughlin.”
“This class has ignited a passion for philosophy that I think has always been inside of me.”
2017-2018
“Ian is part of what makes learning philosophy so enjoyable, and I’m always impressed by how simply he is able to explain difficult concepts. He has made me a more critical thinker and a better person because of it.”
“This course was the absolute best course I’ve ever taken.”
“Ian is such a fantastic instructor!! The way he involves his students, and teaches the class, always keeps me interested.”
“Clearly cares about his students.”
“Ian is hilarious in this very specific and quirky way. He clearly makes an effort to relate to his students by making examples interesting and engaging, even if they seem silly at first. He’s approachable and easy to talk to if you’re struggling with a concept.”
“This was the single most fulfilling class I’ve ever taken and it would not have been possible without the dedication and commitment from the two wonderful instructors! In my experience, Professor O’Loughlin especially went above and beyond to make sure students were able to understand and conceptualize Ancient Greek history, culture, and its relation to philosophy.”
“Very intelligent and kind.”
“I think I’ve already recommended Ian to about seven other people.”
“Ian does a good job addressing students’ questions. He rarely forgets a question if he says he’ll come back to it and it is easy to tell he is always present because he can remember what was said earlier in a conversation and exactly who said it.”
“Ian is fantastic. I make it a point to take all of the philosophy classes from him that I can. He is extremely knowledgeable, and I appreciate his ability to share his knowledge with his students in a way that is memorable and gets the concept across, even (and especially) if it’s a complex concept.”
“Ian is one of the best professors I’ve ever had. His passion in his classes inspires me every day to get to the point where I can someday talk about things the way he does.”
“Professor O’Loughlin is very open and friendly, making it easy for students to approach him with any questions they might have. He is very engaging in class, and he is very knowledgeable when it comes to the subject. He does a good job of not only helping students understand the material, but also helping them to figure out what their own stance might be in regards to different philosophical debates.”
2016-2017
“Ian teaches about what he is passionate about and his students can feel that. He has an incredible ability to explain very complex concepts in a way that I feel is incredibly accessible. He is always willing to hear a question or a counterpoint and debate anything necessary. He is also very accommodating to his students and works hard to be the best professor he can be.”
“Ian O'Loughlin is an incredible professor and his students are able to see he really cares about the field of philosophy. He is more than willing to give students extra help and genuinely cares if they understand the material. Class discussions are super fun and interesting thanks to Ian. It was an extremely interesting class and I feel like my understanding of the subject has grown tenfold thanks to his teaching!”
“Ian is probably the best professor I've ever had. He is both brilliant and in touch with the students enough to make the complex ideas of the course be approachable.”
“Professor O'Loughlin is a great professor who loves what he teaches and genuinely cares about his classes, and knows what he is talking about.”
“I've never worked so hard on genuinely developing an essay as I have in this course.”
“While it at times was frustrating and seemed impossible to achieve high marks, my graded coursework and exams have somehow proved otherwise, which contradicts the feeling of lack of understanding. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed...maybe even loved this course.”
“From the first day of class Ian has held the class’s attention with his humor, intelligence and approachability. He effortless makes the most complex of concepts simple and comprehensible through extensive examples and a willingness to answer any and all questions throughout the class period. His passion for philosophy, teaching and his students is easy to see throughout the course. He is incredibly persuasive and understands the right questions to ask the class to gauge their understanding of whatever material he has introduced that day. Truly one of the most oddly inspiring professors.”
“I now look at life through a different perspective than I had previously. I've become a much more critical thinker, and I find it interesting how I will subconsciously use the things that we've learned (quite literally everything that we had learned!) to understand my present situation! It's a very real class.”
2015-2016
“One of the best courses I've taken, extremely interesting and varied. Excellent introductory class with plenty to learn whether you had a small interest or are looking for a great major starting point. (Made me want to major in Philosophy).”
“Ian has an ability to explain logic perfectly to fit fast and slow learners. He never overlooks a question, and takes time with each student so that they can reach the right level of understanding. I would not have been half as good at logic without him as the instructor.”
“Ian is fantastic. The level of understanding of the material he teaches is phenomenal and he is so enthusiastic about his classes. He so effectively argues both sides of arguments that you can't determine where he stands. Ian makes it a personal goal to change the beliefs of students and does so well. I have taken multiple classes with Ian and I so often walk out of his classes feeling as if my worldview has changed. He is a fantastic professor and I have no complaints.”
“Professor O'Loughlin's wealth of knowledge and the energy he brought to this class pretty much made the difference between it being a difficult, overly technical mess and a fun, yet deeply enriching experience. Professor O'Loughlin has the rare skill of being able to take the most daunting of concepts and explaining them in a way that almost anyone can understand, without sacrificing any precision on his part.”
“Ian is a very insightful thinker that allows me to really think outside of the box during every class time. What I really appreciate about him as a professor is challenging my thinking and have a view of things that I usually don't have.”
“Great course! I never knew I would like philosophy so much!”
2014-2015:
“I really do mean this excellent rating. I've heard that sometimes a top mark for a professor isn't taken seriously, as those who read these belief that the student is over exaggerating. Professor O'Loughlin is by far the best educator I have had during my entire academic history, and I have had some very good instructors. Professor O'Loughlin is the reason why I now want to continue my education to the graduate level.”
“Beyond a shadow of a doubt I learned more in this course than any other this semester. The amount of information you are introduced to is staggering and invigorating.”
“Ian brings great energy to the classroom and establishes great rapport with the students. You feel involved in the class at all times and are given opportunities to voice your opinions and also to gain insights as to what may be unclear.”
“Passionate, mindful, and willing to get personal with students if they need it, as well as a great public speaker, it's just about everything you could ask from a professor in an upper division course.”
“He has a way of inspiring students to not only work hard in his class, but to also enjoy doing it. He explains complex theories in simple ways and makes class fun to go to. It is also clear that he really cares about his students and how much they are learning.”
“Very engaging lecturer and thrilled about his subject. Good methods of encouraging participation, feel very comfortable in talking beyond class.”
“Professor O'Loughlin is one of the best teachers I have had the pleasure of meeting. He is highly knowledgeable about the course material and can make even the most dense theoretical text seem transparent and easy to grasp. Most of all, he draws from a wide base of subjects to demonstrate how philosophy connects to other parts of our lives and histories.”
