Scott Samuelson, Professor of Philosophy at Kirkwood Community College in Iowa, is the 2015 recipient of the Hiett Prize in the Humanities!

Below is an excerpt of the press release:

“The Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture announced today that Scott Samuelson, Professor of Philosophy at Kirkwood Community College in Iowa, is the 2015 recipient of the Hiett Prize in the Humanities, one of the nation’s most prestigious honors in the humanities. A writer and journalist as well as a teacher, Samuelson has devoted his career to guiding students of all kinds—from prisoners to professionals—into the philosophic life, whose relevance and importance he persuasively insists is “for everyone.” Named the 2014 Distinguished Humanities Educator by the Community College Humanities Association, Samuelson will receive the award at an 11th anniversary public luncheon on Tuesday, November 10, 2015, at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Dallas. 

The $50,000 Hiett Prize was created by the Dallas Institute in 2005 in collaboration with philanthropist Kim Hiett Jordan to recognize a person who has not yet reached his or her full potential, but whose work in the humanities shows extraordinary promise.”

Samuelson responded to the award:

“I’ve devoted myself to bringing philosophy into the lives of everyday people—nurses, chiropractors, prisoners, parents, veterans, you, me. As my hero William James once wrote, ‘The deepest human life is everywhere.’ The Hiett Prize in the Humanities is both a wonderful confirmation that I’m onto something and a powerful inspiration for me to continue opening the doors of philosophy as wide as possible.”

Samuelson’s publications exemplify his response to winning the prestigious Hiett Prize. He wrote The Deepest Human Life: An Introduction to Philosophy for Everyone (University of Chicago Press 2014), a book that was received well by both philosophers and non-academics alike. You can also find his work in The Wall Street Journal, The Huffington Post, The Chronicle of Higher Education, The Philosopher’s Magazine, Christian Century, and The Atlantic.