5Issue XII  Spring 2025

 

A 
LE

TT
ER

 F
RO

M
 T

H
E 

ED
IT

O
R

Dear Reader,       April 7, 2025

 It is my great pleasure to present to you Issue XII of Dianoia: 
the Undergraduate Philosophy Journal of Boston College. This year 
we received over 80 submissions from colleges and universities across 
North America. Dianoia returned from the summer interim with a pas-
sionate editorial board of undergraduate philosophers. Prioritizing mar-
keting and outreach, we launched a LinkedIn page, hoping to connect 
with past and future accepted authors for years to come. In addition, we 
gratefully accepted the expertise of our graphic designer who launched 
a new logo for the journal.
 This year, we were able to publish four papers that we felt were 
representative of the best undergraduate philosophical scholarship. We 
are grateful to welcome our accepted authors at our Annual Symposium 
allowing them to present their research to Boston College’s students and 
faculty.
 For a short preview of the contents of this journal, we offer 
an introduction to the philosophy and relevance of Jean-Paul Sartre’s 
existentialism, a historical comparative study of Daoist influences on 
Heidegger’s Being and Time, and two pieces on political philosophy. 
One tests the compatibility of John Locke’s and Jacques Maritain’s vi-
sion for church-state relations. The second offers a Thomistic critique 
of classical liberalism from Hobbes and John Locke to the modern lib-
eralism of John Rawls. The two former papers contribute to the history 
of philosophy while the latter two raise pertinent questions for contem-
porary church-state relations in a period of skepticism over the liberal 
tradition. We hope that these papers inspire thoughtful reflection, form 
new understandings, and most of all spark questions.
 The editorial board chose Jan Toorop’s The Woodworker (Il Ta-
glialena) and Frank Millet’s A Cosey Corner for the cover art of this 
year’s issue. The former is an impressionist painting of an axe-wielding 
woodworker, the latter is of a woman reading by the window light next 
to a burning hearth. We understand this depiction of work and leisure to 
be emblematic of the birth of philosophy. It is only a culture founded on 
leisure that the liberal arts can thrive as Aristotle hints at in the opening 
paragraphs of his Metaphysics.
 Lastly, I offer thanks to our faculty advisor, Fr. Ronald Tacelli, 
S.J., and our graduate advisor, Sean Haefner. In addition, I want to thank 
our Senior Managing Editor, Aniella Zaslavsky for her lasting commit-
ment to the journal for the past three years. Aniella’s diligence, patience, 



6

Dianoia: The Undergraduate Philosophy Journal of Boston College

and prudence have greatly contributed to the publication and lasting 
influence of this journal. For our graduating editors: Aniella, Amelia, 
and George, I wish you wonder-filled questions in your 
philosophical pursuits. Finally, I am grateful to those consistent mem-
bers of the editorial board who devoted their time and knowledge to 
this institutional endeavor. Next fall Dianoia will publish an online 
transcript of our interview with Political Science Professor and Kant 
scholar Susan Meld Shell. We hope you enjoy this issue and continue 
to offer your support for Issue XIII next spring.

Sincerely,

Elliott Jones
Editor-in-Chief
Dianoia