Jonathan Ichikawa

Jonathan Ichikawa is a Professor of Philosophy and Department Head at the University of British Columbia, situated within the Faculty of Arts. His primary research areas include epistemology, ethics, feminist philosophy, and philosophy of language, with a focus on intersections between theoretical questions and issues of structural oppression, sexual ethics, and rape culture. He holds a Ph.D. from Rutgers University (2008), an M.A. from Brown University (2005), and a B.A. from Rice University (2003).

Ichikawa's work emphasizes the role of epistemic courage, challenging negative biases in epistemic norms that perpetuate social injustices. His recent book Epistemic Courage (2024) explores the importance of believing what one should, particularly in contexts of oppression. He has also published extensively on contextualism, consent theory, and the epistemology of testimony in cases of sexual assault.

His awards include the UBC Killam Research Prize (2024) and the UBC Open Access Champion award (2024). He leads SSHRC-funded projects on epistemic courage and oppression, and has collaborated on interdisciplinary grants addressing relationship equity. Ichikawa teaches formal logic, epistemology, and advanced seminars, advocating for affordable open-access educational materials.

Ichikawa advises numerous graduate students and has co-authored works with colleagues like Benjamin Jarvis and Emily Tilton. His research bridges analytic philosophy with feminist and social justice frameworks, addressing moral and political implications of epistemological theories.