David Finkelstein

David Finkelstein serves as Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy and The College at the University of Chicago. He earned his AB in philosophy and psychology from Harvard University (1984) and PhD from the University of Pittsburgh (1994).

His research centers on Epistemology, Metaphysics, and Philosophy of Mind, with signature contributions to understanding self-knowledge, consciousness distinctions, and Wittgensteinian rule-following. Finkelstein's work examines how we express inner states through avowals and explores the grammatical structures governing first-person authority.

Publications including Expression and the Inner (2003) and recent psychoanalytic studies reveal consistent engagement with Locke, Wittgenstein, and the interplay between language and mental phenomena. His scholarly trajectory shows deepening exploration of unconscious cognition while maintaining rigorous analytical foundations.

Finkelstein teaches advanced seminars connecting philosophical concepts to wonder, magic, freedom, and personal identity, demonstrating exceptional ability to bridge historical frameworks with contemporary debates in philosophy of mind.