Darren Yau
I think and write about the intersection of religious thought and political life. I am fascinated by how religious commitments are shaped by and shape ideas of politics throughout the history of philosophy, and the ramifications of these entanglements for contemporary public life. In my academic research, I study American and European religious and philosophical thought (18th century to present), with a particular attention to how theological ideas shape conceptions of democracy, justice, social reform, and race. Beginning August 2026, I will be Assistant Professor of Theology and Political Theory at the Honors College at Baylor University in Waco, Texas. In May 2026, I graduated with a PhD from Princeton University in Religion and the Program in Political Philosophy, where I wrote a dissertation defending a new interpretation of Martin Luther King Jr.’s political ethics. Before that, I worked and lived in Chicago, and before that, I earned a B.A. in Philosophy and Early Christian Studies from Wheaton College. You can find me on PhilPapers, Twitter, or contact me by email.