5Issue X ◆ Spring 2023

 

δι
ά
νο

ιαDear Reader,      April 26th, 2023I am pleased to present Issue X of Dianoia: the Undergraduate Philosophy Journal of Boston College. We received around one hundred and !fty excellent submissions from six countries and three continents. "e essays presented in this issue were selected 
by the editorial board after four rounds of reading, discussion, and selection. "ey 
represent not only the hard work of our authors, but also the e#ort we on the editorial 
board have taken to share with you, our reader, what we found to be the !ve most 
compelling and astute pieces.

In terms of content, we believe this issue has a little bit of something for everyone. "e 
works published range from a rigorous close reading of Aristotle to an investigation 
into Joannes Althusius, an obscure, yet compelling natural law theorist. We hope you 
take the time to read through these exciting pieces and that they edify you in your 
personal philosophical pursuits.

Additionally, we are privileged to publish an interview with Gregory Fried, PhD., 
Professor of Philosophy at Boston College, on his most recent book Towards a 
Polemical Ethics: Between Heidegger and Plato. He o#ers some relevant and timely 
insights not only on the contempory philosophical predicament but also on the 
process of philosophy in general. "ank you to Patrick Kelly, the incoming Editor in 
Chief, for reading Dr. Fried's book conducting this interview.

"is year, the editorial board chose Jean-Baptiste Regnault's !e Origin of Sculpture as 
the cover art for this issue. "e painting depicts a scene from the myth of Pygmalian 
when Pygmalian prays to Venus to animate his statue with which he had fallen in 
love. We believe it evokes the philosophical discipline in that, just as Pygmalian 
saught the help of the gods to bring his creation to life, good philosophy is vivi!ed 
by earnest engagement with philosophers past.

On the release of this tenth issue of Dianoia, I cannot help but to pause and express 
my sincere gratitude for all who made this possible. Most of all, I would like to thank 
Peter Klapes, one of the founders of this journal. His constant support and invaluable 
advice truly made the publication of this issue possible. I would also like to thank 
Patrick, Jake, and Greg, the mangaing editors, and the rest of the editorial board.

Sincerely,

Tanner D. Loper 
Editor-In Chief 
Dianoia

A
 L

ET
T

ER
 F

R
O

M
 T

H
E 

ED
IT

O
R