Michael Cholbi

Professor of Philosophy, University of Edinburgh

Teaching/Supervision

Information about some recent courses

My article “Intentional Learning as a Model for Philosophical Pedagogy”

My handout on “How Philosophers Respond to Objections” (featured on Daily Nous)

Some student testimonials

‘Michael‏‏‎ ‎offered‏‏‎ ‎the‏‏‎ ‎best‏‏‎ ‎course‏‏‎ ‎I‏‏‎ ‎have‏‏‎ ‎taken‏‏‎ ‎in‏‏‎ ‎my‏‏‎ ‎four‏‏‎ ‎years‏‏‎ ‎at‏‏‎ ‎the‏‏‎ ‎university‏‏‎ ‎-‏‏‎ ‎Philosophy‏‏‎ ‎of‏‏‎ ‎Death‏‏‎ ‎and‏‏‎ ‎Dying‏‏‎ ‎(I‏‏‎ ‎was‏‏‎ ‎genuinely‏‏‎ ‎sad‏‏‎ ‎when‏‏‎ ‎the‏‏‎ ‎course‏‏‎ ‎ended!).‏‏‎ ‎He‏‏‎ ‎made‏‏‎ ‎online‏‏‎ ‎teaching‏‏‎ ‎incredibly‏‏‎ ‎engaging,‏‏‎ ‎was‏‏‎ ‎always‏‏‎ ‎there‏‏‎ ‎to‏‏‎ ‎help‏‏‎ ‎when‏‏‎ ‎was‏‏‎ ‎needed‏‏‎ ‎and‏‏‎ ‎was‏‏‎ ‎generally‏‏‎ ‎a‏‏‎ ‎fantastic‏‏‎ ‎instructor.‏‏‎ ‎He‏‏‎ ‎deserves‏‏‎ ‎recognition‏‏‎ ‎for‏‏‎ ‎being‏‏‎ ‎so‏‏‎ ‎committed‏‏‎ ‎to‏‏‎ ‎his‏‏‎ ‎students‏‏‎ ‎and‏‏‎ ‎his‏‏‎ ‎subject.‏‏‎ ‎Michael‏‏‎ ‎never‏‏‎ ‎failed‏‏‎ ‎to‏‏‎ ‎‎give‏‏‎ ‎prompt‏‏‎ ‎and‏‏‎ ‎thorough‏‏‎ ‎feedback‏‏‎ ‎for‏‏‎ ‎essays‏‏‎ ‎and‏‏‎ ‎making‏‏‎ ‎readings‏‏‎ ‎and‏‏‎ ‎seminars‏‏‎ ‎both‏‏‎ ‎engaging‏‏‎ ‎and‏‏‎ ‎academically‏‏‎ ‎stimulating.‏‏‎ ‎He‏‏‎ ‎was‏‏‎ ‎also‏‏‎ ‎vitally‏‏‎ ‎helpful‏‏‎ ‎in‏‏‎ ‎providing‏‏‎ ‎references‏‏‎ ‎for‏‏‎ ‎my‏‏‎ ‎Master’s‏‏‎ ‎applications‏‏‎ ‎and‏‏‎ ‎went‏‏‎ ‎above‏‏‎ ‎and‏‏‎ ‎beyond‏‏‎ ‎to‏‏‎ ‎help‏‏‎ ‎me‏‏‎ ‎with‏‏‎ ‎my‏‏‎ ‎application‏‏‎ ‎no‏‏‎ ‎questions‏‏‎ ‎asked.‏‏‎ ‎Experiencing‏‏‎ ‎the‏‏‎ ‎level‏‏‎ ‎of‏‏‎ ‎support‏‏‎ ‎that‏‏‎ ‎Michael‏‏‎ ‎gave‏‏‎ was‏‏‎ ‎so‏‏‎ ‎refreshing‏‏‎ ‎and‏‏‎ ‎so‏‏‎ ‎needed.’ (Student teaching awards nomination 2022, Outstanding Course – Philosophy of Death and Dying)

‘This course has been incredibly eye-opening in terms of putting (philosophical) words to a formidable stage/part of life that is a huge source of stress/angst/identity etc. for most people in today’s world. As a final year student, I (as with many of my peers) am already feeling the pressures of finding our place in society through employment, and the topics covered in this course so far have been so helpful in explaining why we feel this pressure, if we should be feeling this pressure, and if there are alternative ways of living meaningful lives. Professor Cholbi has designed this course in a way that marries longstanding philosophical concepts with pressing contemporary issues and I feel that the materials add such value to my self-understanding and my outlook towards my future. I feel excited to engage with the course materials every week (including the Monday 9am classes) and I am very much inspired by Professor Cholbi’s enthusiasm about the subject. I would 100% recommend this course to any student and I am so happy to be ending my undergraduate studies with this course.’ (Student teaching award nomination 2024, Outstanding Course – Ethics of Work and Labour)

‘Prof. Cholbi is a passionate and inspirational lecturer, it was immediately clear from the very first lecture of the semester in Morality and Value that he cares deeply about his students and their success, and in every subsequent lecture he has delivered first-class teaching. Most valuable to us as students is his ability to make complex content in moral philosophy accessible and that is a testament to his expertise as a world-leading scholar in the field. I can say for sure, that every student left the room after each lecture feeling compelled to read more, be challenged and secure a greater appreciation for the texts we were learning from. One could not conceive of a better instructor when exploring this subject as a nervous first-year student. I very much hope there will be opportunities to be taught by Prof. Cholbi again! ” (Student teaching awards nomination 2022, Outstanding Teacher)

‘My GOAT! You are the best at what you do! Thank you for making the most boring topics fun and digestible and encouraging us to seek out more than meets the eye’ (School student reps feedback, 2026)

‘This might be one of the only courses at my time in Edinburgh that I enjoyed without a single qualm. Each reading, each seminar, each second participating in this fascinating, enlightening and thought provoking philosophical endeavour has been crafted by teacher who truly cares. Cholbi is a bastion of knowledge, a professor who is willing to go above and beyond the call of duty. A man that seems to live, breathe and eat his profession. The course has been eloquently chiselled out of what can only be described as a mountain of knowledge. He has plucked the ripest of fruits from this mountains bushes and presented us with a tapas of differing views, each one more delicious than the next. Each week seems to be an all you can eat buffet of philosophy. It is truly a banquet of an education. All served and presented by a man who’s own philosophical work is comparable to the tastiest of gelatos.The two midterm main meal partnered with the 2000 words final essay alongside an aperitif of a reflective essay is a stroke of genius. The pressure has been alleviated a little, there is some room to wiggle.  Gone are the days of over cooked workloads, it is light, fresh. A tonic of a course. I close with these remarks. My submission might appear slightly over the top but I would like to make this clear. This course is brilliant, led by a teacher who is truly passionate for his subject. I can’t sing his praises enough. *chefs kiss*’. (Student teaching awards nomination 2024, Outstanding Course -Ethics of Work and Labour)

‘ I have immense respect for Professor Cholbi, his work ethic, his dedication to his students, and the unique joy in teaching that you only experience a handful times in a lifetime. He has reignited the love I have for academia despite all its shortcomings. His drafting and marking methods for assessment has been the most helpful and aided my development as a writer and student. His work on grief, although general, has helped me process a personal loss better than many councillors have. Being his student and attending many of his external lectures has been the honour of my time at university. I cannot think of anybody more deserving of recognition as a teacher, mentor, and generally a solid guy. All the best to him always. Thank you for what you do Dr. Cholbi.’ (Student teaching awards nomination, 2026  Outstanding Teacher0

PhD/Masters- level supervision

I welcome enquiries from students interested in supervision in any area of my current research, including:

  • philosophy of death of dying, including grief, suicide and assisted dying, value of death, death and the emotions, attitudes toward mortality, etc.
  • ethics of work and labour
  • paternalism 
  • moral concern for the self, including duties to self, etc.
  • equality, respect, and related topics in Kantian ethics

Currently I am supervising student research on

  • the nature and object of grief
  • the ethics of grief and affective injustice
  • death and identity in Japanese philosophy
  • meaningful work
  • the nursing staff crisis from a philosophy of work perspective
  • the morality of political dissent

Past PhD supervisions