Joseph Trullinger

Joseph Trullinger is an Assistant Professor of Honors and Philosophy at George Washington University, affiliated with the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences. His research explores religion as a resource for moral imagination, focusing on Kant’s ethicotheology and its intersections with liberation theology. He critically examines how traditional religious ideas can be rearticulated to promote social justice, inclusivity, and self-determination.

Trullinger’s teaching includes courses on Political Theology, Evil, Spinoza, and Utopianism. His current book project contrasts Kant’s philosophy with Latin American liberation theology, arguing that the latter offers a more consistent articulation of moral dignity. He has published in journals like Radical Philosophy Review and International Philosophical Quarterly, with works analyzing Kant’s fear of God, Marcuse’s utopianism, and Fichte’s geometry-based philosophy.

His research traces a historical arc from Kant through German Romantics (e.g., Novalis) to 20th-century critical theorists like Marcuse, emphasizing utopian potentials in ethical frameworks. While no formal awards are listed, his scholarship demonstrates sustained engagement with decolonial and liberationist intellectual traditions.