Sandra Lapointe

I am a Professor of Philosophy at McMaster University. A Commonwealth alumna and a Fellow of the Humboldt Foundation.

I am currently leading a series of research projects in the Metascience space, leveraging social sciences methods and critical approaches to study the role of social sciences, humanities and arts (SSHA) research and talent in the innovation ecosystem.

I am the Director of The/La Collaborative. I am the Project Director for The/La Collaborative, a multi-institutional, cross-sectoral network led from McMaster University that develops new programs to mobilize SSHA talent and expertise to meet the needs of communities. I also convene the Canadian Forum for Social Innovation. I am the Principal Investigator of Impact Training for Social Innovation, a $2.5 million new Partnership Grant that will create 12 campus-community hubs to create, pilot and scale new graduate experiential partnerships to build capacity for social innovation in nonprofits.

In my previous life, as an analytic philosopher, I specialized in the history of 19th and 20th century philosophy of logic, language and mind. My publications include: Logic from Kant to Russell (2019),  Philosophy of Mind in the 19th Century (2018), Innovations in the History of Analytical Philosophy (with Chris Pincock, 2017), New Anti-Kant (with Clinton Tolley, 2014), Bolzano’s Theoretical Philosophy (2011); Qu’est-ce que l’analyse? (2008); and a number of other books, articles and book chapters. I am a Research Affiliate of the Bertrand Russell Research Centre, a Founding Associate Editor and current Editor of Special Issues of the Journal for the History of Analytical Philosophy. I am the founding President of the Society for the Study of History of Analytical Philosophy.

I’ve had the privilege to be involved in the leadership of the discipline as President of the Canadian Philosophical Association in 2017-18 and more recently, I’ve worked more broadly as a Humanities and Social Sciences advocate. I am a former Board Director of the Federation of the Humanities and Social Sciences and a Research Affiliate of the Future Skills Centre.

Current Projects

I am Project Director of The/La Collaborative, and international partnership aimed at enhancing culture in and around Humanities and Social Science education, skills and impact. 

The/La Collaborative develops and implements cross-sectoral “collaboration protocols” that leverage experiential learning for postgraduate students to mobilise SSHA know-how and expertise and build capacity in the community. We recently secure 2.5 million for SSHRC for a project title Impact Training for Social Innovation. (grant # 795-2024-1010) .

We received SSHRC-funding in the 2018 Partnership Development Grant competition (grant# 890-2017-0088) and more recently a Partnership Engage Grant (grant # 1008-2020-0152) and an Insight Development Grant (grant #430-2021-00584) as well as funding from the Future Skills Centre to expand the initiative. Over the last year we have also benefitted from the ongoing support of Mitacs Accelerate programs for 2 PhD students and 1 Postdoc. More information is available HERE.

My research on the history of logic in the nineteenth century has been funded by the Social Science and Humanities Research Council (grant# 435-2013-1265 ) as well.  Logic from Kant to Russell , the most recent outcome, includes contributions by: Frederick Beiser, Nick Griffin, Jeremy Heis, Sean Morris, Lydia Patton, Consuelo Preti, Graham Priest, Erich Reck, Nick Stang and Clinton Tolley. In June 2018, Erich Reck and I co-hosted a workshop at McMaster on Methodology and Historiography that builds on metaphilosophical aspects of my previous research. We are currently working on a connected collection of essays. More information forthcoming in 2021.

Three more books were completed, thanks to SSHRC’s support: Philosophy of Mind in the 19th Century. (ed., Routledge 2018) – here is the manuscript of my Introduction – an English translation and collection of essays around Neuer Anti-Kant (eds, with Clinton Tolley), and Innovations in the History of Analytical Philosophy, which I edited with Chris Pincock ( Palgrave 2017), with whom I also co-sign the Introduction. More information on my publications is available HERE.

For more information about events at McMaster or events sponsored by the Bertrand Russell Research Centre visit History of Philosophy at McMaster

If you have any questions, please send me an email.

Land Acknowledgement: My research is conducted from McMaster University. I acknowledge the privilege of working on the traditional territory of the Haudensaunee, Mississauga and Anishnaabeg peoples and subject to the Dish With One Spoon Wampum agreement. This territory is also covered by the Upper Canada Treaties and directly adjacent to Haldiman Treaty territory.  

Below is a list of philosophy books. For publications on postsecondary education policy, knowledge mobilisation and research talent building, take a look at the work we do at The/La Collaborative.

Selected Books

Historiography and the Formation of Philosophical Canons, with Erich Reck (eds), New York, Routledge, 2023.

Logic from Kant to Russell, (ed.) New York, Routledge, 2019.

Philosophy of Mind in the 19th Century, (ed.) London, Routledge, 2018

Innovations in the History of Analytical Philosophy, with Christopher Pincock (eds), Houndmills, Palgrave, 2017

Bolzano’s Theoretical Philosophy, Houndmills, Palgrave, 2011

New Anti-Kant, with Clinton Tolley (eds), Houndmills, Palgrave, 2014.

The Golden Age of Polish Philosophy. Kaziemierz Twardowski’s philosophical legacy, with Jan Wolenski,  et al (eds), Dordrecht, Springer, 2009. 

Themes from Ontology, Mind and Logic (ed), (Grazer Philosophische Studien 91), 2015.

Ontology after Carnap, with Stephan Blatti (eds) Oxford University Press, 2016

Qu’est-ce que l’analyse?, Paris, Vrin, 2008.

Selected Articles and Book Chapters

“Introduction” in Logic from Kant to Russell, New York, Routledge, 2019

“Bolzano on Logic in Mathematics and Beyond” in Logic from Kant to Russell, New York, Routledge, 2019

“Introduction” in Philosophy of Mind in the Nineteenth Century, Sandra Lapointe (ed.) London, Routledge, 2018.

‘Introduction” (with Christopher Pincock (eds), in Innovations in the History of Analytical Philosophy, Houndmills, Palgrave, 2017.

“Bolzano’s Philosophy of Mind and Action” in Philosophy of Mind in the Nineteenth Century, Sandra Lapointe (ed.) London, Routledge, 2017.

“On the Traditionalist Conjecture” Analytic Philosophy: An Interpretive History, Aaron Preston (ed.) London, Routlege, 2017.

“Bolzano” in Sourcebook for the History of Philosophy of Language, Springer, 1029-1032.

“Bolzano” Oxford Bibliography Online, Oxford, Oxford University Press. 

“Bolzano’s Logical Realism” in The Metaphysics of Logic: Logical Realism, Logical Anti-Realism and All Things In Between, Cambridge University Press, 2016.

“Introduction” (with Clinton Tolley) in New Anti-Kant (with Clinton Tolley), Houndmills, Palgrave, 2014, 3-14.

“Bolzano, Kant and Leibniz” (with Chloe Armstrong) in New Anti-Kant (with Clinton Tolley), Houndmills, Palgrave, 2014, 272-290.

“Bolzano and the Analytical Tradition”, Philosophy Compass, 9/2, 2014, 96-111.

“Bolzano, Quine and Logical Truth” in Blackwell Companion to the Philosophy of W.V.O. Quine (Gilbert Harman and Ernie Lepore, eds), London, Blackwell, 2014, 296-312.

“Is Logic Formal? Bolzano, Kant and the Kantian logicians” Grazer Philosophische Studien 85, 2012, 11-32.

“Bolzano and Kant: Introduction” Grazer Philosophische Studien 85, 2012, 1-10.

“Bernard Bolzano’s Philosophy of Mathematical Knowledge” Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy

“Introduction” (with Jan Wolenski) in The Golden Age of Polish Philosophy. Kaziemierz Twardowski’s philosophical legacy, Sandra Lapointe, Jan Wolenski,  et al (eds), Dordrecht, Springer, 2009. 

“A priori Knowledge and Bolzano’s Classical Model of Science” Synthese, 174/2, 2008, 263-281.

“Husserl sur le psychologisme, la logique et la théorie de la connaissance” in Philosophies du savoir. Contributions à une histoire de la théorie de la connaissance, Paris/Québec, Vrin/PUL, 2008.

“Bolzano’s Semantic Analyses and His Cricism of the Decompositional Conception of Analysis” in The Analytic Turn, Michael Beaney (Ed.), London, Routledge, 2007, pp.219-234.

“ Introduction” in Bolzano contre Kant. Le nouvel Anti-Kant, Paris, Vrin, 2006

“On Bolzano’s Alleged Explicativism”, (with Jacques Dubucs) Synthese, 150/2, 2006, p. 229-246.

SANDRA LAPOINTE

Department of Philosophy
University Hall 310A
McMaster University
1280 Main Street West
Hamilton, Ontario, L8S 4K1
Tel: 905-525-9140, ext. 24312

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND

2000 PhD in Philosophy, University of Leeds, England.
1997 Masters in Philosophy, University of Ottawa, Canada.
1995 B.A. Honours in Philosophy (summa cum laude), University of Ottawa, Canada.  

CURRENT STATUS

2020-present    McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
Full Professor (tenured)