Sean Dorrance Kelly
Dean of Arts and Humanities & Professor of Philosophy, Harvard
About
Sean Dorrance Kelly is Dean of Arts and Humanities and the Teresa G. and Ferdinand F. Martignetti Professor of Philosophy at Harvard University. Before joining Harvard in 2006, he taught at Stanford and Princeton and was a visiting professor at the École Normale Supérieure in Paris. He is considered a leading interpreter of the French and German phenomenological tradition and a prominent philosopher of mind, with research spanning existentialism, perception, and the philosophy of literature. His New York Times bestseller 'All Things Shining,' co-authored with Hubert Dreyfus, argues that Western culture has lost its skill for encountering the sacred and looks to Homer, Dante, and Melville to recover a secular form of meaning.
Key Contributions
- Co-authored NYT bestseller 'All Things Shining' with Hubert Dreyfus (2011)
- Leading interpreter of French and German phenomenology
- Chair of Harvard Philosophy Department (2009–2015)
- Dean of Harvard's Arts and Humanities Division (2024–present)
- Fellowships from Guggenheim, NEH, NSF, and the James S. McDonnell Foundation
Videos & Interviews
Celebrating Hubert Dreyfus: Sean Kelly -- "The Teacher" (part 1)
Sean Kelly's tribute to Dreyfus as a teacher and mentor at the memorial celebration
View Details
Sean Kelly: Existentialism, Nihilism, and the Search for Meaning | Lex Fridman Podcast #227
Harvard philosopher Sean Kelly on existentialism, nihilism, phenomenology, and the search for meaning in a secular age — drawing on his work with Hubert Dreyfus in 'All Things Shining.'
View Details
