R. Lanier Anderson

R. Lanier Anderson is the J.E. Wallace Sterling Professor of the Humanities at Stanford University, with primary appointments in the Department of Philosophy and a courtesy appointment in German Studies. He has been instrumental in developing Stanford's Philosophy and Literature program with Joshua Landy. Educated at Yale University (A.B., 1987) and the University of Pennsylvania (Ph.D., 1993), Anderson has taught at Stanford since 1996 and visited at Harvard, Haverford, and Bryn Mawr.

His research spans the history of late modern philosophy, emphasizing Kant's influence on 19th-century thought and Nietzsche's moral psychology. Recent work explores Montaigne's philosophical and literary projects, connecting them to broader questions in ethics and epistemology. He has written extensively on Kant’s theoretical philosophy, Nietzsche's autonomy, and the neo-Kantian movement.

Publications include the 2015 monograph The Poverty of Conceptual Truth (OUP), analyzing Kant’s critique of metaphysics, and articles on Nietzsche's moral psychology, Kant’s logic, and intersections between philosophy and literature. His collaborations and interdisciplinary approach highlight connections between philosophical ideas and literary expression.

Anderson's affiliations include the Philosophy and Literature Research Group at Stanford. Though no specific scientific awards are mentioned in the provided text, his contributions to Kant and Nietzsche scholarship are significant. He maintains active research ties to both historical and contemporary debates in ethics, epistemology, and philosophy of science.