In May 2007 Hannah Lee Varn will graduate from the University of New Hampshire with a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy and English and a minor in Spanish. She learned about Kant in a modern philosophy class and felt that his ideas could be useful in talking about global warming. This connection, she said, has never been made before. In her research project Hannah hoped to show that “philosophy can be practical.” That goal required extensive reading, and she observed that there is “no chair in the [UNH] Library that is comfortable after six hours, and it impossible to sleep between the stacks in the Kant section.” Hannah enjoyed talking to people about her project, especially while in Germany, where people know who Kant is and are interested in the environment. After graduation she hopes to work with environmental agencies in the field of environmental politics. Hannah has applied for a Fulbright, a German fellowship and for a position with Teach for America. Graduate school is also in her future.
Dr. Willem deVries, a professor in the Department of Philosophy, has been at the University of New Hampshire since 1988. He specializes in, among other subjects, German idealism. Philosophers like Hegel and Kant have shelves in his office devoted to their writings. His focus on German idealism made him the perfect mentor for Hannah Varn. He became involved with Hannah’s project when she brought her idea to him after being in one of his classes. According to Dr. deVries, Hannah is an excellent and independent student, who needed relatively little help with her project.
Read Hannah Lee Varn's research article, An Ideal Approach to Global Warming>>
