Kate Petroff is a Post-Doctoral Fellow in Political Science at the Institute for Freedom and Community. She received a PhD in Philosophy from the University of Chicago in 2026. Before that, she received a BA in Philosophy from Kenyon College. Kate's current research exists at the intersection of Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE). In particular, she studies why nineteenth-century German philosophers thought capitalism makes us unfree, and how their thought can inform our perspective on the relationship between capitalism and freedom today. Besides this, she also has serious teaching and research interests in feminist philosophy and philosophy of law. Her article "Was Marx a Republican?" is forthcoming in NOMOS. 

At St. Olaf College, Kate teaches courses on the history of political thought. More information about Kate's teaching and research interests can be found here: www.katepetroff.com.