Gerard Rothfus hopes that every student leaves his classes with a heightened sense of intellectual curiosity and humility. The assistant professor of philosophy, politics and economics in the John V. Roach Honors College says students in his classes can expect to explore the intersection of the three.
In his fall course, simply called Happiness, for instance, Rothfus and Roach Honors students examine what defines happiness and what it means to live a “good life.”
“The love and thirst for the truth is the reason I study these subjects to begin with,” Rothfus said. “How do we become happy? What is the nature of well-being for humans? I find those questions very important and fascinating, and I want to learn about them myself and inspire students to do that as well.”
His teaching methodology is grounded in formal modeling. Students will approach broad philosophical concepts from a variety of angles, including decision theory and game theory. Rothfus especially enjoys teaching niche topics such as Arrow’s theorem, which is featured in another of his current Roach Honors College courses, The Logic of Democracy.
“When you approach big questions like democracy, happiness or justice from an interdisciplinary perspective, you get a much fuller picture than if you just look at it from one discipline,” Rothfus said. “So, I think philosophy, politics and economics naturally fits in with the Roach Honors College and its interdisciplinary focus.”
Originally from Pittsburgh, Rothfus earned his doctorate at the University of California and has taught at the University of Konstanz in Germany and the University of North Carolina.
One of the main reasons Rothfus chose TCU is the Roach Honors College. He said he was drawn to its interdisciplinary focus and the quality of faculty research and teaching, but his decision was ultimately shaped by “the striking impression its students made on me during my visit.”