Peter van Inwagen

Peter van Inwagen
Born (1942-09-21) September 21, 1942
Academic background
Alma mater
ThesisAn Essay of the Freedom of the Will (1969)
Doctoral advisorRichard Clyde Taylor
Academic work
EraContemporary philosophy
RegionWestern philosophy
School or traditionAnalytic philosophy
Institutions
Main interestsMetaphysics
Philosophy of religion
Philosophy of action
Notable ideasSpecial composition question
Incompatibilism
Consequence argument
Meta-ontology
Mind argument

Peter van Inwagen (/væn ɪnˈwɑːɡən/ van in-WAH-ghən; born September 21, 1942) is an American philosopher. He is the John Cardinal O'Hara Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame and a research professor of philosophy at Duke University each spring. He previously taught at Syracuse University, earning his PhD from the University of Rochester in 1969 under the direction of Richard Clyde Taylor. Van Inwagen is one of the leading figures in contemporary metaphysics, philosophy of religion, and philosophy of action. He was the president of the Society of Christian Philosophers from 2010 to 2013.