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At its root, philosophy is defined as the love of wisdom. Accordingly, philosophers apply a great deal of concentrated, intellectual effort to the most fundamental problems and issues of human life. This means that we are all philosophers to one degree or another, for all of us at some point must face questions about such things as the nature of justice, the meaning of life, the existence of God, human rights, the nature of reality, the nature of the soul, who we are, what we are, what we can know, how we ought to live, and what we ought to do. As it is, philosophical problems pervade the depths of every discipline, and the skills learned by doing philosophy serve any profession.
I am grateful to have been exposed to philosophy as an academic discipline during my undergraduate years at Presbyterian College and, then, in practice as an officer in the US Army. I am fortunate to have studied philosophy formally at Denver Seminary and the University of Kentucky. I am particularly thankful to be teaching philosophy at King University and encouraging others in the philosophical quest both in the classroom and through academic research.
My published research lies in the areas of Ancient Greek and Classical Islamic philosophy. I am presently working on projects in the fields of mysticism and the philosophy of mind. I feel most alive in the classroom and teach courses in a wide range of areas within the discipline. I am also Director of the Snider Honors Program, a member of the Institute of Faith and Learning Governing Board, and Chief Marshal for King’s convocation and commencement ceremonies.
- Ph.D., April 2011, Philosophy, University of Kentucky
- Dissertation: Al-Fārābī’s Interpretation of Aristotle’s Theory of Intellect
- M.A., 2006, Philosophy, University of Kentucky
- M.A., 2001, Philosophy of Religion, Denver Seminary
- Thesis: Intrinsic Beauty and the Mind of God
- B.S., 1995, Psychology, Presbyterian College
“Al-Fārābī: Legitimate ‘Second Teacher’ after Aristotle on Matters Relating to the Intellect.” Documenti e studi sulla tradizione filosofica medievale, Forthcoming special edition on ancient philosophical psychology, Fall 2014.
“al-Fārābī.” The Oxford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Science, and Technology in Islam. Ed. Salim Ayduz. Oxford University Press, 2014.
“On Being “Useless” yet “True”: Plato, al-Fārābī, and Ibn Bājja on the Condition of Philosophy in the Context of a Corrupt State” in An Anthology of Comparative Philosophy. Ed. Ali Paya. ICAS Press, 2013.
“Ibn Bajja.” Encyclopedia of Islamic Political Thought. Ed. Gerhard Böwering. Princeton University Press, 2012.
“ ‘If it were God who sent them…’: Aristotle and al-Fārābī on Prophetic Vision.” Arabic Sciences and Philosophy 18/2 (Sept 2008), 211-246.
Book Review:
“Massimo Campanini, An Introduction to Islamic Philosophy,” Journal of Shi’a Islamic Studies Vol. 2, Number 4 (Autumn 2009).
Presentations
“Conceptions of Immortality in Aristotle’s De Anima III.5,” 59th Annual Florida Philosophical Association Conference (Stetson University. Deland, 2013).
“ ‘If it were God who sent them…’: Aristotle and al-Fārābī on Prophetic Vision,” Second Annual Marquette Summer Seminar in Ancient and Medieval Philosophy (Milwaukee, June 2007).
“On Being ‘Useless’ yet ‘True’: al-Fārābī’s Divergence from Plato in regard to the Philosopher and His Relationship to the State,” International Conference on Ancient and Medieval Philosophy (New York City, October 2006).
Response to Saba Fatima, “An Examination of the Ethics of Submissiveness,” University of Kentucky Graduate Student Conference (Lexington, March 2005).
“Reason and Revelation in Medieval Islamic Thought,” Christian-Muslim Interfaith Dialogue Meeting (Lexington, March 2009).
Guest Lecturer for Oliver Leaman’s HJS 324, Jewish Thought and Culture, University of Kentucky, October 24, 2008 (Philo and the problem of evil).
Response to James Travis Ross, “Non-dualistic Accounts of Consciousness in Early Eastern Thought,” University of Kentucky Graduate Student Conference (Lexington, March 2011).