Bennett W. Helm

Bennett W. Helm is the Elijah E. Kresge Professor of Philosophy at Franklin & Marshall College, where he has served on the faculty since 1995, progressing from Assistant Professor to his current named professorship. He serves as Program Chair of Scientific & Philosophical Studies of Mind (SPM) and teaches courses primarily oriented to Cognitive Science and Moral Psychology majors.

Professor Helm received his academic training at prestigious institutions:

• PhD in Philosophy, University of Pittsburgh, 1994
• MA in Philosophy, University of Pittsburgh, 1990
• BA in Philosophy, Carleton College, 1988

His research focuses on understanding what it is to be a person as a distinctive sort of free and responsible social agent. Central to his approach is a concern with the "evaluative attitudes"—caring, valuing, loving, respecting, etc.—and the holistic rational patterns of emotions in terms of which they are intelligible. Helm argues that the rationality of import has an ineliminably social dimension that makes intelligible both our intimate relationships and our constructing "communities of respect" within which our capacity for responsible agency can be developed and sustained. His work integrates moral psychology, value theory, social ontology, philosophy of mind and emotions, and philosophy of action, challenging traditional divisions between theoretical and practical rationality.

Helm's scholarly output reveals a clear trajectory through three major books and ongoing work on a fourth, moving from intra-personal values and identity, to inter-personal values in intimate relationships, to communal norms and values in "communities of respect," and now to the objectivity of social identities. His articles consistently explore the emotional and rational dimensions of personhood, morality, and social relations, with particular emphasis on reactive attitudes like gratitude, resentment, and respect as constitutive of our moral communities.

Professor Helm has received significant recognition for his work:

• Cowling Distinguished Visiting Professor of Philosophy, Carleton College (2018)
• Templeton Foundation Grant (2012-15) for "Love and Human Agency: An Interdisciplinary Investigation" ($640,317)
• NEH Fellowship (2012-13) for "Defining Moral Communities: Respect, Dignity, and the Reactive Attitudes" ($50,400)
• Laurance S. Rockefeller Visiting Faculty Fellow (2012-13), Princeton University Center for Human Values ($47,000)
• Bradley R. Dewey Award for Outstanding Scholarship (2012), Franklin & Marshall College

Throughout his career, Helm has actively mentored students through research collaborations, including Hackman and Coutros Scholars programs. His research grants have supported interdisciplinary work, particularly the NSF-CCLI Grant (2001-04) for the Creation of an Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. His approach to advising emphasizes the emotional and rational dimensions of personhood, extending his philosophical work into practical mentorship.

While not explicitly mentioned as leading a formal research lab, Helm has fostered collaborative research environments, particularly through his work on the Artificial Intelligence Laboratory and through workshops like "The Neuroethics of Caring" funded by the Brocher Foundation Award (2011). His conceptual framework of "communities of respect" informs his collaborative approach to research and teaching.