Michael Williams

Michael Williams received his PhD in modern European history from the University of Chicago in 2022. He is a historian of the West at large whose work and teaching tend to focus on the longue durée of Western history and thought. Some areas of special interest include modern German history, theories of democracy and liberalism, anthropogenic disasters, war and peace studies, hermeneutics, philosophies of language, philosophies of mind, and ontology. His dissertation is titled The Dangerous Perhaps: Linguistic Meaning, Political Theory, and the Question of Truth in Twentieth-Century Continental Thought.  n treating the attempts of various French and German thinkers to articulate philosophical foundations for their respective political projects, it showcases his interdisciplinary approach and variegated interests. Aside from writing and teaching, his passions include fitness, cocktails, the music of Leonard Cohen, and dogs!