Darcy Otto

Arts and Humanities Tutor (Philosophy and Classics); Mathematics Tutor (Logic and Computer Science)

604.898.8056

BA, University of Toronto
MA, McMaster University
PhD, McMaster University

Darcy teaches an exceptional breadth of courses and has taught in three of Quest’s five divisions. He holds appointments in both Math and Arts & Humanities, and has emphases on Philosophy, Classics, Logic, Theoretical Computer Science and AI. He has served as Coordinator of the Arts & Humanities. He was also Coordinator of Cornerstone, which is the first course that students take at Quest. Darcy created one of Quest’s signature overseas field courses, Classics in the Aegean, which exposes students to the literature, philosophy, art, and architecture of the classical world. He also teaches Latin and Ancient Greek.

Darcy is currently finishing his book, The Promise of Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Computing, forthcoming with Princeton University Press. The book deals with the limits of computation in the face of emerging technologies and addresses questions of ethics and AI. In Logic and Computer Science, Darcy has created software programs that help scholars and students prove theorems.

In Classics and Philosophy, he is the editor of An Annotated Plato Reader, which offers essays about, and translations of, several Platonic dialogues, annotated with details about people, places, and cultural landscapes. He has produced an original translation of Socrates’ speech in Plato’s Symposium and published articles about Plato’s metaphysics. Darcy was recognized as one of the top instructors in McMaster University’s prestigious Arts & Science program. He also holds advanced levels in classical performance and composition (piano) from the Royal Conservatory.