Agnes Callard (b.1976,) née Gellen, is an American philosopher and academic recognized for her expertise in ethics, ancient philosophy, and the philosophy of mind. Through her popular writings and public philosophy, she has made complex philosophical ideas more accessible to a broader audience.
Born in Budapest, Hungary, Callard earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Chicago before completing a Master of Arts in Classics at the University of California-Berkeley. She pursued further philosophical studies at Princeton University before returning to Berkeley to obtain her PhD.
Since 2008, Callard has been a faculty member at the University of Chicago, contributing to publications such as The Boston Review, The New Yorker, and The New York Times. She also wrote a column for The Point magazine. Her book Aspiration: The Agency of Becoming (2018) examines how individuals strive to transform themselves, drawing from Aristotle. On Anger (2020,) named one of The New Yorker’s “Best Books We Read in 2020,” explores the complexities of anger. Open Socrates: The Case for a Philosophical Life (2025) analyzes Socrates’s method of questioning and its relevance to themes such as romantic love, death, and political engagement.
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Agnes Callard
Hate is a source of injustice; it punishes its targets for existing. Confronting hate is a response to injustice; it punishes its targets for making it more difficult for marginalized people to exist.
—Agnes Callard
The Socratic motto is not, “Question everything,” but “Persuade or be persuaded.”
—Agnes Callard
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