César Valenzuela

Cohort
2019

I am a Ph.D candidate in Philosophy. My interests lie at the intersection between political philosophy (mostly democratic theory and egalitarianism), philosophy of social science, and philosophy of race. I am also working towards an M.A. in Political Science.

In my dissertation, I examine how climate change pushes us to rethink our democratic practices: in the face of a climate emergency, what is legitimate for governments and social movements to do while honoring democratic principles? My other projects focus on social-scientific explanations for persistent inequalities, especially racial and economic.

Before coming to Stanford, I earned a B.A. and an M.A. in philosophy from the universities Sorbonne and Panthéon-Sorbonne, respectively. I also studied Communications (B.A., Universidad Central de Venezuela) and French Literature (M.A., Sorbonne). I am originally from Venezuela, where I lived until I was 23 and then moved to France.

Besides philosophy and politics, I also enjoy dancing (pretty much anything but bachata!), cinema (a special place in my heart for horror films), and wine.

During the academic year 2022-2023, I will be the president of GradQ (the Stanford student association for queer graduates) and a Graduate Fellow at the McCoy Center for Ethics.