Julia Smith joined Hope College in 2023. She teaches courses in ethical theory, medical ethics,
epistemology and ancient philosophy in the Department of Philosophy.

We are all believers. Each one of us has many beliefs, and these beliefs form a map that help us
to navigate the world. Dr. Smith’s research focuses on the distinctive responsibilities we have as
people who care deeply about believing what is true. She has published and presented on
topics such as disagreement, inquiry and progress in philosophy. Her work frequently draws on
empirical research in the psychology of human reasoning.

Dr. Smith is also interested in doing philosophy with pre-college age children and is a volunteer
judge for the Michigan High School Ethics Bowl.

Areas of Expertise

Dr. Smith specializes in epistemology and has interests in ethics and the philosophy of religion.

Education

• Ph.D., philosophy, University of Toronto, 2020
• M.A., philosophy, Northern Illinois University, 2013
• A.B., philosophy, Princeton University, 2010

Selected Publications

• “Permissivism,” in The Blackwell Companion to Epistemology, ed. by K. Sylvan et al., Blackwell, forthcoming
• “Philosophical Agreement and Philosophical Progress,” Episteme, forthcoming
• “Unacknowledged Permissivism,” Pacific Philosophical Quarterly, 2020
• “Collectivized Intellectualism,” with B. Wald, Res Philosophica, 2019
• “The Psychological Context of Contextualism," with J. Nagel, in The Routledge Handbook of Epistemic Contextualism, ed. by J. Ichikawa, Routledge, 2017

Outside The College

In her spare time Dr. Smith likes to jog, read fiction, bake sourdough bread and spend time
with her husband, kids and dog exploring Holland and the surrounding area.