Michael Della Rocca

Michael Della Rocca (born 1962) is Sterling Professor of Philosophy at Yale University and a specialist in early modern philosophy, especially Spinoza, and in metaphysics.

Michael Della Rocca
Born	1962 (age 61–62)
Nationality	American
Alma mater	Harvard University (B.A.) University of California, Berkeley (Ph.D.)
Occupation(s)	Philosopher, Professor
Notable work	Representation and the Mind-Body Problem in Spinoza (1996) Spinoza (2008) The Parmenidean Ascent (2020)
Spouse(s)	Christine Hayes (Sterling Professor of Religious Studies, Yale University)
Awards	Sarai Ribicoff Award for Teaching Excellence (1998), Graduate Mentor Award (2006)
Era	Contemporary philosophy
Region	Western philosophy
School	Early modern philosophy, Continental philosophy
Institutions	Yale University
Main interests	Metaphysics, Epistemology, Philosophy of action, History of philosophy, Spinoza, Principle of Sufficient Reason
Notable ideas	Emphasis on the centrality of the Principle of Sufficient Reason in Spinoza's philosophy

Education and career

Della Rocca earned his B.A. at Harvard University and his Ph.D. at the University of California, Berkeley under the supervision of Benson Mates. He joined the Yale faculty in 1991, and was promoted to Sterling Professor in 2021. Among his doctoral students is Yitzhak Melamed.

From 2001 to 2010, Della Rocca served as the chair of Yale's Department of Philosophy, where he played a crucial role in transforming the department from a state of "disarray" to one of the leading philosophy programs in the United States. During his tenure, he focused on strategic faculty appointments and fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, significantly improving the department's national and international reputation. He is also known for his mentorship of graduate students, encouraging them to develop their own philosophical views and engage critically with his work.

Philosophical work

Della Rocca's interpretation of Spinoza emphasizes the centrality of the Principle of Sufficient Reason (PSR) to Spinoza's philosophy, proposing that the world is thoroughly intelligible and that there are no brute facts lacking explanation. His work on Spinoza has shaped contemporary understanding of early modern philosophy and has opened new directions for research into 17th-century rationalism. His recent book, The Parmenidean Ascent (2020), further explores themes of rationalism and monism, linking them from ancient Greek philosophy to modern debates. The book has been described as a significant challenge to the conventional boundaries of philosophical discourse.

Della Rocca's philosophical inquiries often intersect with contemporary scientific developments, examining how advances in fields like physics might resonate with rationalist and monistic perspectives. He has discussed how concepts such as quantum entanglement challenge traditional notions of space and distance, reflecting a philosophical alignment with Spinoza's ideas.

Publications

Books

• Representation and the Mind-Body Problem in Spinoza (Oxford University Press, 1996)
• Spinoza (Routledge, 2008)
• The Parmenidean Ascent (Oxford University Press, 2020)

Professional and Editorial Roles

Della Rocca serves as co-editor of Seventeenth-Century Philosophy for the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy and is a member of several editorial boards, including the Journal of the History of Philosophy and History of Philosophy Quarterly. He has given numerous invited lectures worldwide, including the Whitehead Lectures at Harvard University and named lectures at the University of Leiden and Skidmore College.