The Department of Philosophy congratulates Vaughn Papenhausen, who successfully defended their dissertation in April and will soon receive their Ph.D. in Philosophy from The Ohio State University.

Vaughn Papenhausen has defended their dissertation, "Xanax for the Philosopher's Soul: How to Stop Worrying About Nihilism." Their advisor was Professor Tristram McPherson.

Vaughn’s dissertation asks a question many have likely considered: if nothing truly matters in an ultimate sense, should we be worried about that? They argue that we shouldn’t. Even if nihilism is true and there are no objective, authoritative standards guiding our lives, Vaughn shows that we can still find meaning, make decisions, and hold on to the practices that matter to us. Their work offers a kind of philosophical peace of mind to those unsettled by the idea of nihilism.

The department congratulates Vaughn on this achievement and looks forward to the insight their work will bring to future philosophical conversations.