Andrew Pessin

Andrew Pessin is an American philosopher and professor at Connecticut College, having earned a Yale University degree and a Columbia University PhD. He has authored several philosophy books for general readers and two novels under his own name and the pen name J. Jeffrey. His notable works include *The Irrationalist: The Tragic Murder of René Descartes*, a historical murder mystery based on the life of René Descartes, and *Anti-Zionism on Campus: The University, Free Speech, and BDS*. Pessin has also contributed to academic texts such as *The Study of Philosophy: A Text With Readings* and co-edited *The Twin Earth Chronicles: Twenty Years of Reflection on Hilary Putnam's "The Meaning of Meaning"*. In the early 1990s, he appeared in several episodes of *The Late Show with David Letterman* as part of a sketch called The Strong Guy, where he played The Genius. Controversy arose in 2015 after a 2014 Facebook post resurfaced, where Pessin compared the situation in Gaza during the 2014 Gaza War to a rabid pit bull. He later clarified that his comments were directed at Hamas and not Palestinians. His works explore themes ranging from philosophy of mind to theological debates, with titles such as *Gray Matters: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Mind* and *The God Question: What Famous Thinkers From Plato to Dawkins Have Said About the Divine*.