About Us

Arché Leadership

Arché was founded in 2007 by nine philosophy undergraduates at Boston University. The club was supported in its establishment by Professor Emeritus Dr. Charles Griswold, Professor of History Dr. James Johnson, the Core Curriculum at BU, and the now Chair of Philosophy at BU, Dr. Walter Hopp. The journal published somewhat consistently until 2012 — when it ceased to exist. This was until 2022, when philosophy undergraduates Vanessa Hanger, Daniel Cardosi, Quentin Clark, and twenty-three others revived the journal with the help of Dean of CAS Dr. Stan Sclaroff and Senior Lecturer Dr. Benjamin Crowe.

Since its revival, Arché has published five editions and now publishes once every semester. It has a team of forty undergraduate editors, making it likely the largest undergraduate philosophy journal in the world. Pieces are published by authors from all over the world, including some from Oxford University, Hong Kong Baptist University, Universidad de los Andes, University of Otago, University of Cambridge, New York University, to name a few. Authors have ranged from undergraduates, to MA students, to PhD students, and to non-academics interested in philosophy. Since its re-establishment in 2022, Arché has been predicated on an ethos of uplifting all who submit. Whether a paper is rejected or accepted, Arché will always send a copy of feedback from both reviewers as well as a copy of a scoring rubric back to the author. Being a journal run by early scholars, we understand how frustrating the lack of feedback from professional journals can be, and we hope to be a place where authors know they can get quality feedback. We look forward to reading your work!

Meet the leadership at Arché, Boston University’s student-led journal of philosophy below. If you have any questions regarding submissions or journal operations, please reach out to arche@bu.edu.

Editorial Board

Constantino Themelis

Editor-in-Chief

Hello my name is Tino and I am the Editor-in-Chief for this year. I’m a Senior in the College of Arts & Sciences studying Philosophy. I grew up in Watertown MA but since 2020 have called Seattle home. I’ve been in Arché since my freshman year, and I’ve been the Editor-in-Chief since the end of my sophomore year. Outside of Arché I am a tutor for the Reasoning & Argumentation, Symbolic Logic, and Gödel’s Incompleteness courses within the philosophy department. I’m also the Chief Justice of the Judicial Branch of the BU Student Government. My philosophical interests lie primarily in logic, including recursion theory and its history, the history of logic, and formal epistemology; the history of analytic philosophy, especially logical empiricism; and the application of tools from these fields to problems in social epistemology, including epistemic tribalism, echo chambers, and polarization. My personal interests include following the Seattle Mariners baseball team, worrying about things, and eating Trader Joe’s chocolate chunk cookies.

Elizabeth Popovich

Managing Editor

Hello! My name is Elizabeth, and I am the current managing editor of Arché. I’m a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences, studying Economics and English. I’ve been involved with Arché since the beginning of my sophomore year. Outside of Arché, I am involved in academic research on the Transcendentalists, particularly the philosophy of Ralph Waldo Emerson, interning at my local law firm, and working as an academic tutor. I am interested in the intersection of philosophy and literature; specifically, through analyzing philosophical themes in beloved texts, such as Hamlet. My personal interests include writing, overthinking, and watching old Hollywood films at Coolidge Corner.

Helen Shearon

Senior Editor

Hi! My name is Helen and I am one of the senior editors for Arché. I grew up in Chicago IL and have loved to travel around the world since I was two. I am a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences majoring in Mathematics and Computer Science with a minor in Philosophy. I have been a member of Arché since fall of my freshman year. Outside of Arché, I am a member of BU’s squash team, an Admissions Ambassador, a course assistant, and a sailing + waterskiing instructor. As for philosophy, I am interested in the philosophy of logic and applied ethics! On the weekends, you’ll most likely find me at a coffee shop, on a run/hike around Boston, or playing squash.

Breckan Johnston

Senior Editor

Hello. My name is Breckan Johnston. I am a senior editor of Arché. I joined the journal soon after transferring to BU during my junior year. I am now in my senior year and pursuing a joint degree in Philosophy and Psychology. Outside of Arché, I mostly write philosophical papers. My work is forthcoming in Aperto Animo, UNC’s version of Arché, and I have presented at the Harvard Review of Philosophy’s spring undergraduate conference. My philosophical interests primarily concern epistemology, language, and the mind. In my personal life, I play the guitar, read fiction, and frequently check my email.

Administrative Board

California Godfrey

President

Hello, I’m Cali, the current president of Arché. I’m a Master’s Student in Boston University’s Linguistics Department and a recent graduate from BU’s College of Arts and Sciences, where I studied Linguistics and Economics. I’ve been a member of Arché since my sophomore year, and I love contributing to our philosophy community! Outside of Arché, I work as a part-time ESL teacher in the Boston Public School system, and as an EMT for my local fire department. On campus, you can find me as an active member of Kappa Delta, BUEMS, Phi Alpha Delta, or running from the geese on the Charles River. Within Linguistics, I study semantic meaning and formal logic, which is where I get my interest in philosophy. Aside from philosophy, I also love cooking and baking, Boston sports, and drinking too much coffee.