David Estlund

David Estlund is the Lombardo Family Professor of Philosophy at Brown University's Philosophy Department. He previously taught at UC Irvine and held visiting positions at Harvard Law School, Australian National University, and Stanford. His research focuses on democracy, political authority, social justice, and the limits of political philosophy. Estlund authored Democratic Authority: A Philosophical Framework (2008) and Utopophobia: On the Limits (If Any) of Political Philosophy (2020), and edited The Oxford Handbook of Political Philosophy (2012).

He holds prestigious awards including the ACLS Fellowship (1989–1990), NEH grants, and the Salomon Research Award (2001–2002). His work critiques voter rationality and explores epistemic democracy, structural injustice, and deliberative processes. Estlund teaches courses on political philosophy, global justice, and the philosophy of law.