Sharon Mason, Ph.D.

I teach philosophy at the University of Central Arkansas (UCA). My background is in contemporary epistemology, and my current research focuses on issues in the epistemology of ignorance, perspective, and non-belief. I am currently working on a project that explores the ethical dimensions of conceptual engineering by considering it in relation to hermeneutical injustice. I am also writing a book chapter on the relation between not-believing and active ignorance for a forthcoming anthology. My other published work includes several interdisciplinary projects that address applied issues related to climate science and privacy.

I think a lot about teaching, which has also worked its way into some my published work. I have co-authored a paper on teaching philosophy as a way of life, and I have two ongoing pedagogy-related projects: a new companion text for early modern philosophy (expected to be available Summer 2026), and journal-length article on making disciplinary norms in philosophy more transparent to students.

My regular upper-level courses include Theories of Knowledge (contemporary epistemology survey), 17th and 18th Century Philosophy (early modern), Philosophy of Science, Symbolic Logic, and Food Ethics. I also teach Philosophy for Living and a First Year Seminar in Humanities at the introductory level, and I am a co-coach of the UCA Ethics Bowl Team, which has placed in the top tier of our regional and has won a bid to nationals four out of the past five years.