Kenny Easwaran: The Philosopher Who Never Stopped Learning

Kenny’s road to philosophy wasn’t straightforward. As a student, he found himself fascinated by mathematics – and music too! But there was something special about logic—a facet of philosophy that was closely related to mathematics. Step by step, his journey led him from his degrees in Mathematics, Philosophy and Music at Stanford to a PhD in Logic at UC Berkeley. This is where his love for teaching blossomed.

For Kenny, teaching goes far beyond lecturing in a classroom. It's about awakening curiosity and guiding students to become thinkers. He doesn’t just teach the “what” and “how” of the curriculum—he provides his students with the tools to question the world around them, to think critically and analyze deeply.

As education evolves, especially in the era of digital learning, Kenny strives to create a sense of community in every space—whether online or in person. He understands that the true value of a classroom is more than a place to learn facts—it’s a space where minds meet, ideas flourish, and students are encouraged to grow.

He points to the profound impact of simply being in a place with other people who are intending to think and learn, and being able to talk to each other. “It also gives everyone the chance to explain things to each other, which is much more helpful than anything that we actually do in the classroom,” explains Kenny. He believes that one of his most valuable experiences at university were “those late nights in the dorm when you're talking to people who may not have any classes in common with you, but because you're both thinking about things, you stumble into conversations. And as you try to explain something to each other, you come up with new ideas, new friendships, new connections and a sense of community.”

While Kenny’s heart is set on philosophy and logic, he appreciates the importance of personal style in making an impression. With the help of Taelor, Kenny manages to save time while being continually new and different, without losing focus on his intellectual pursuits. “One of the things that I'm always interested in doing is just presenting to people one more way of being a person who can be an authority figure in someone's life,” says he, adding, “I know that I do that differently from other people and it's important for students to see a diversity of what that can be and how you can make that work.”

“I'm definitely willing to do things differently, but personal style has never been exactly my focus. That's not what I'm devoting my main intellectual energies to.” Which is why Kenny finds it helpful to have Taelor help come up with interesting and creative suggestions for what he can be wearing. For him, it’s one more way to balance his busy life as a professor, ensuring he can keep his attention where it truly belongs—on learning and teaching.