BYU students pursue their passions in philosophy through HUM Grant funding.
In a world full of shallow thinking and easy entertainment, philosophy students Kaia Hathaway and Zac Bright have taken their passion for deep thinking to the next level by conducting mentored research projects.
Kaia Hathaway
BYU student Kaia Hathaway (Philosophy ’25) wasn’t always a philosophy major—in fact, she was pursuing film and media arts when she took an introduction to philosophy course to explore a possible minor. That class ultimately led to her declaring philosophy as her major and pursuing her passion for deep thinking in her education and career.
After switching her major, Hathaway jumped into philosophy eagerly and began researching near-death experiences for a class project. After the class finished, Hathaway wanted to continue pursuing her research, but that type of research requires time, money, and guidance. At first, Hathaway didn’t think she’d be able to finish her research because, like many students, she had consistently ignored the signs in the JFSB advertising HUM Grants—research project funding for humanities majors—thinking she was too young and too new to the major to qualify. However, Hathaway decided to apply anyways after receiving encouragement from a friend.
Hathaway qualified for the grant and received the money and guidance she needed to continue researching theories of consciousness that might explain near-death experiences. As a new philosophy major, Hathaway found navigating the immense breadth and depth of research that’s already been done on her topic overwhelming. “It’s easy to get sucked into different rabbit holes,” she says. “There were definitely weeks where I went down a little too far, and I had to step back and ask, ‘what is my question? What am I focusing on?’” But with the guidance of her mentor, Assistant Professor Derek Haderlie (Metaphysics, Epistemology), Hathaway was able to sift through the vast amounts of academic papers on the subject.
In her research, she found two common theories of consciousness that provide an explanation for near-death experiences: materialism, which says that the mind and the body are one, and dualism, which says that the mind and body are distinct from each other. While Hathaway appreciates these two theories, she feels unsatisfied by them. Using that research as a starting point, she developed a three-part theory of consciousness:
1. We have a subjective point of view, which explains how we can be separate from our body during out-of-body, near-death experiences (dualism).
2. We have a sense of ownership of our body, explaining the mind and body connection (materialism).
3. Our minds have a sense of embodiment, which explains how people hear, see, and experience things while physically dead.
Hathaway’s thesis raises implications and questions that she is eager to explore as she continues her HUM Grant project. Hathaway says, “I’ve realized that there are different questions I can be asking that have to do with near-death experiences. I definitely want to write more papers on [near-death experiences] from different approaches.”
Zac Bright
Another student, Zac Bright (Philosophy ’24), loves philosophy so much that he transferred from BYU–Hawaii—which has a beach, but not a philosophy program—to study it. Upon his arrival in Provo, he peppered his professors with questions about philosophy, the department, and especially how to get involved in research. They encouraged him to apply for a HUM Grant. Bright says, "The Philosophy Department is super supportive of students; they try and give every opportunity possible to any student who’s willing to look for opportunities.”
After receiving his grant, Bright devoted his time to work on a philosophic question that’s been bothering him for years. In simple terms, he’s trying to figure out what makes a sentence true. The easiest way to understand his project is with an example. Bright points to himself, saying, “My shirt is white. That sentence is true because my shirt is white.” That makes sense; the shirt exists, and it is white. He continues, “What’s interesting is my shirt could have been red. So, the question is, what makes the sentence ‘My shirt could have been red’ true?”
Bright’s first step was to get the lay of the intellectual landscape and familiarize himself with years of research and conversation about possibility statements. He found one argument that claims that other worlds exist in which everything is the same except the shirt is red rather than white (movie fans know this as the Multiverse theory). Another argument hearkens back to Plato’s ideal forms and says that there is a perfect red shirt that the possible red shirt refers to.
Unsatisfied with these explanations, Bright dived into his own thinking and ideas, only to realize how difficult it is to describe possibility statements. Eventually, he came up with a working thesis: because we can say “The shirt could have been red,” even when the shirt is white, we are part of the reason why a possibility statement is true. The meaning and truth of these possibility statements are formed as we construct them in our language.
Though he still has a lot to do, Bright is excited to explore this new direction. “I love this opportunity to do my own research on something that I am passionate about. I have loved the process, and I’m super stoked for the final product.”
From Application to Completion
Neither Hathaway nor Bright thought that the HUM Grant was for them, but doors opened when they applied. Both students plan to present their research at undergraduate philosophy symposia this fall, and both aim to pursue graduate degrees in philosophy.
Check out BYU’s Philosophy Program for more about truth, near-death experiences, and other thoughtful topics. Apply for a HUM Grant to kickstart your next project.