Jean-françois Méthot

Biography

The study of philosophy is an extraordinary adventure that offers a vast territory to explore with others. It is as though anyone who travels there long enough inevitably becomes a guide. Various branches of philosophy interest me, starting with philosophy of language, as the topic of my doctoral thesis (University of Ottawa, 1993) demonstrates: Qu’est-ce que le récit? Herméneutique et sémiotique à l’épreuve de la grammaire philosophique de Wittgenstein. My research on meaning—search for meaning—provided me direction, an approach with regard to philosophy. I have been teaching philosophy since 1987. I began with courses in engineering ethics and business ethics at the University of Ottawa. In 1989, I came to lecture at Dominican University College (DUC) in logic and philosophy of science. Appointed a regular faculty member in 1992, I also took on administrative duties, as Director of the Department of Philosophy, then Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy, Vice-President (Administration) and Vice-President (Academic). Now full professor, I am dedicated to teaching, research and thesis direction. My fields of specialization, other than philosophy of language, are epistemology and applied ethics. My involvement in this area grew out of an ethics course I taught at the University of Ottawa and many years of collaboration in the Defence Ethics Program of the Ministry of Defence, Canada, a most rewarding experience. I am also interested in modern philosophy, in particular that of Descartes and his narrative strategies, with a view to the deconstruction of his geometric method ideal. I have enjoyed the honour of directing several DUC theses at both the master’s and the doctorate levels pertaining to ethics, philosophy of language and hermeneutics. I believe that I have guided and defended my students well.

Research Interest

My fields of specialization, other than philosophy of language, are epistemology and applied ethics.