88 C O N T R IB U TO R S NOAH FORSLUND St. Olaf College Noah Forslund is a junior philosophy major at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. He has a particular infatuation with Baruch Spinoza, and spent the Fall studying Kierkegaard at the University of Copenhagen. Other specific areas of philosophical interest include philosophy of art, philosophy of religion, and existentialism. He is also interested in intersections between philosophical and psychological examinations of self, and hopes to pursue a career in psychotherapy. In his spare time, he writes music and poetry, and plays in several college bands. MATTHEW A. STANLEY Wheaton College, IL Matthew Stanley is a graduating senior in the Philosophy department at Wheaton College (IL). His primary project consists in elucidating the structures of finite experience. He relies particularly on Gadamer’s hermeneutical ontology to provide an account of how we uncover meaning through an ongoing hermeneutical dialogue with Being in language. Matthew’s research leads him to examine the interactions between philosophical systems in order to discern the value and possibility of different starting points in life and reflection. Recently, Matthew’s inquiry has led him to the intersection of the Kyoto School (Japanese Zen Buddhists) with Martin Heidegger. Nonetheless, his interests remain eclectic as he seeks to draw on thinkers such as St. Irenaus, Slavoj Zizek, Alasdair MacIntyre, and Karl Barth. LEAH HASDAN DePaul University Leah Hasdan is a senior at DePaul University finishing up her studies in philosophy and art history. While she is primarily focused on doing research in aesthetics, as a first generation student she is influenced by her family's experiences living under the Soviet Union. Much of her intellectual curiosity stem's from uncovering the integrity behind the politicization of Russian literature and art. Leah is currently working with the DePaul Art Museum to start their online journal, whereas her passion project currently involves constructing a silk-screen printer so as to promote the application of autonomous art. In her free time, Leah enjoys taking ballet classes, cooking with friends, and evening runs on the lakefront. JAZLYN CARTAYA New York University Jazlyn Cartaya is a recent graduate of New York University, Tisch School of the Arts, with a BFA in Film and TV and Philosophy. Last year she was accepted to Compass: An Undergraduate Philosophy Workshop at Princeton University, where 89Issue V F Spring 2018 she presented a paper on the philosophy of language (Elisabeth Camp, “Metaphor and that Certain ‘Je Ne Sais Quoi’”) and attended a series of lectures. For the past two years, she has volunteered as a judge and moderator with the NYC High School Ethics Bowl at Columbia University and NYU; an event which promotes ethical awareness and encourages philosophical thinking and discourse in high school students. During her academic career at NYU, she has taken classes in Metaphysics, Epistemology, Logic, Philosophy of Language, Ethics, Ancient Philosophy, Modern Philosophy, and Existentialism. Jazlyn currently works as a Visual Effects Artist at jazlyncartaya.com and plans to pursue a PhD in philosophy. MAX FINEMAN Columbia University Max Fineman is a senior studying philosophy and political theory at Columbia University. Max has focused on phenomenology, German Idealism, and 20th century Marxism, though he has recently also become interested in the history of metaphysics, especially in Aristotle and Kant. He is also interested in the influence of Jewish and Islamic thought on the history of Western philosophy. Max completed a senior thesis on the concept of presence and its relation to the Heideggerian question of being. He wonders often about the relation between practical and theoretical philosophy and about methodologies for reading philosophical texts. CHRIS FAHEY Boston College Christopher Fahey is a sophomore at Boston College. He is majoring in Philosophy and Math with a minor in Music. His main areas of philosophical interest include Ancient and Medieval Philosophy (especially Plato, Augustine, and Aquinas). He is also a member of the MCAS Honors Program. In his free time, Chris enjoys playing piano and is a member of the Boston College Chamber Music Society. He would like to thank his philosophy professors, including Fr. Gary Gurtler, S.J., for their advice and encouragement. JON STUART VICTOR Yale University Jon Stuart Victor is a senior philosophy major at Yale University. His primary academic interest is continental philosophy, specifically Critical Theory and existentialism. He wrote his senior thesis on the aesthetics of Theodor W. Adorno. In addition to philosophy, Jon has done significant coursework in literature and creative writing. He was managing editor of the Yale Daily News during his junior year, and has won several awards and fellowships for his work in journalism. He is originally from Montreal, Canada.