Rate My Professor David Friedell

David Friedell serves as Associate Professor of Philosophy and Chair of the Department of Philosophy at Union College in Schenectady, New York. He received his B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley, M.A. from the University of the West Indies, and Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2014. Before joining Union College, Friedell was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of British Columbia, and he has taught at Barnard College of Columbia University and the University of the West Indies in Jamaica. At Union College, he contributes to the department by organizing the Philosophy Speaker Series and hosting events such as the Mohawk Valley Metaphysics workshop scheduled for May 2026.

Friedell's research lies in Metaphysics, Aesthetics, and Philosophy of Language, with a primary focus on abstract artifacts—immaterial objects created by humans, including novels, symphonies, corporations, languages, words, and fictional characters. This work addresses metaphysical issues such as causation, vague existence, vague identity, change, time, and creation. His publications appear in prominent journals such as Philosophical Studies, Analysis, The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, Ratio, Philosophy Compass, Res Philosophica, and Philosophia. Key works include 'Why Can’t I Change Bruckner’s Eighth Symphony?' (Philosophical Studies, 2020), 'How Statues Speak' with Shen-yi Liao (The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, 2022), 'Creating Abstract Objects' (Philosophy Compass, 2021), 'Fiction and Indeterminate Identity' (Analysis, 2020), 'Medicalization and Linguistic Agency' with Ashley Feinsinger (Ratio, 2020), 'Abstracta Are Causal' (Philosophia, 2020), 'Music and Vague Existence' (Res Philosophica, 2017), and 'A Problem for All of Creation' (The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, 2017). Friedell has also edited the forthcoming volume The Philosophy of Ted Chiang (Palgrave Macmillan, 2025), featuring contributions on time machines, oracles, and predictors. His ongoing research explores music, linguistic agency, the meaning of artworks, personal beauty, and Jewish identity. Friedell teaches courses such as Metaphysics, Aesthetics, Philosophy of Language, Philosophy of Race and Gender, Environmental Ethics, Biomedical Ethics, Epistemology, Philosophy of Sports and Games, Philosophy and Film, Time Travel, Philosophy of Technology, and Introduction to Philosophy.