Professor Rosanna Keefe
Professor Rosanna Keefe, Professor of Philosophy and former Head of Department for Philosophy reflects on her research and the community of philosophers at Sheffield.
Professor Rosanna Keefe, Professor of Philosophy and Head of Department for Philosophy (now School of History, Philosophy and Digital Humanities), Faculty of Arts and Humanities
Professor Rosanna Keefe’s philosophical research is internationally recognised for its originality, quality and rigour.
After a stint as a Research Fellow at the University of Cambridge, Rosanna came to Sheffield, where she has played a central role in developing the department’s worldwide reputation for its research and teaching.
Much of Rosanna’s research has revolved around the demonstration that precise logical methods can illuminate crucial manifestations of the vagueness and imprecision of our very minds and words, phenomena that might seem to be impossible to understand in precise terms.
Rosanna Keefe reflects on her research and the community of philosophers at Sheffield:
“I work in philosophical areas in which the precise and detailed examination of arguments, claims and theories is paramount. We aim to impart those same skills to our students and to develop their analytic skills more generally. But this focus can give rise to a tendency to underestimate the vagueness and imprecision that is inherent in much of our language and thought. I think that it’s important to acknowledge the full extent of those phenomena, while also gaining the full benefits of the analytical tools that philosophers have developed.
“Nowadays vagueness is more widely and openly acknowledged and discussed within Analytic Philosophy, and I hope that my work has contributed to the resulting blending of precision and analytical methods with a recognition of the unavoidable - and great value - of vagueness.
“It is the greatest privilege to have the opportunity to teach our students, to watch their development while they are with us, and to follow the contributions that they then make to the wider world.
“The community of philosophers at Sheffield is so special, I’m proud to be a part of a department that is so well-regarded and that has a reputation for being wonderfully collaborative, having a great philosophical community and producing research on many important philosophical topics. We are all deeply committed to the community in the department and beyond, and I feel honoured to be part of such a wonderful team.”
Thank you to all the women for taking the time to share their stories and reflections and for providing the information featured on these web pages.