Rate My Professor Steven Best

Dr. Steven P. Best is an Associate Professor of Philosophy and Humanities in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Texas at El Paso, where he joined the faculty in 1993 as Assistant Professor and was promoted to Associate Professor in 1999. He previously served as Chair of the Philosophy Department from 2000 to 2005 and has been the Graduate Advisor for the department since 2016. His academic journey includes a Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Texas at Austin (1993), an M.A. in Philosophy from the University of Chicago (1987), a B.A. with distinction in Philosophy from the University of Illinois (1983), and an A.A. in Film and Theatre from College of DuPage (1979). Best teaches a range of courses including Ethics, Social Philosophy, Philosophy of Religion, Introduction to Philosophy, and advanced seminars in philosophical problems and historical philosophers.

Best's scholarship focuses on continental philosophy, Marxism, critical theory, critical animal studies, ecology, applied ethics (encompassing animal rights, environmental ethics, and bioethics), social and political philosophy, media theory, cultural studies, and philosophy of history. He is a prolific scholar, author, and editor, with over 13 books to his credit, including highly cited works such as Postmodern Theory: Critical Interrogations (1991, with Douglas Kellner), The Postmodern Turn (1997, with Kellner), The Postmodern Adventure (2001, with Kellner), Terrorists or Freedom Fighters? Reflections on the Liberation of Animals (2004, editor with Anthony J. Nocella II), The Politics of Total Liberation: Revolution for the 21st Century (2014), and Philosophy in the World: Rethinking Humanity (2019). His books have garnered prestigious awards, including the Michael Harrington Best Social Theory Book Award for The Postmodern Turn (1997), Foreword Magazine's Best Philosophy Book of the Year for The Postmodern Adventure (2001), and the American Education Studies Association Critics Choice Award for The Global Industrial Complex: Systems of Domination (2011). Additional honors include scholarships from the University of Illinois and University of Chicago, research grants from UTEP, lifelong appointment to the editorial board of Ethics (journal of the Hellenic Society for Ethics, 2011), and faculty position at the Kerulos Center (2011). Recognized as an award-winning writer, noted speaker, public intellectual, and seasoned activist, Best continues to influence discourse in philosophy and related interdisciplinary fields through his extensive publications and public engagements.