Cynthia Nielsen

Cynthia R. Nielsen is an American philosopher and Professor of Philosophy at the University of Dallas. She is known for her expertise in the field of hermeneutics (focusing especially on Hans-Georg Gadamer), the philosophy of music, aesthetics, ethics, and social philosophy. Since 2015 she has taught at the University of Dallas. Prior to her appointment at the University of Dallas, she taught at Villanova University as a Catherine of Sienna Fellow in the [https://www1.villanova.edu/villanova/artsci/ethics.html Ethics Program] . Nielsen serves on the executive committee of the North American Society for Philosophical Hermeneutics.

Nielsen's work engages a wide range of theorists, philosophers, and topics. A common thread in her work is a "hermeneutics of the other," an attempt to enter into dialogue with various "others" (racialized and gendered subjects, artworks, jazz improvisations, literary texts, etc.) in order to listen attentively to the other's "voice" and incite a transformative understanding of self, world, and other. Through her integration of Gadamerian hermeneutics, social and critical philosophy, and the philosophy of music, she has developed the notion of hermeneutics as a communal improvisational practice. Provided by Wikipedia