Associate Professor
Department of Philosophy
Contact Information:
Office: Madonna 14
About Me
I am a philosopher specializing in the philosophy of art and in Aristotelian-Thomistic ethical theory and the way in which these two interests intersect. My current scholarly project is the development of a practice-based philosophy of art inspired by Aristotle, St. Thomas Aquinas, and the work of Alasdair MacIntyre, one which recognizes that the arts do not exist in some privileged realm apart from moral and political concerns, but in fact are nested within communities ordered to moral and political excellence and thus have a crucial role to play in educating members of a practice in the life of virtue. My research, moreover, is characterized by a desire to engage with leading contemporary thinkers. My essay, “Fortitude and the Conflict of Frameworks” well exemplifies my commitment to Thomism, to the use of literature in moral inquiry, and to a vigorous engagement with contemporary thought and cultural currents.
Education
BA, University of Notre Dame, English (1986)
Career Achievements
Assistant Professor of Philosophy, University of St. Thomas, Houston (1994-2000)
Core Courses Taught
- PHIL 101 Introduction to Philosophy
- PHIL 102 Philosophy of Human Nature (Spring 2020)
Elective Courses Taught
- Ethics & Imagination
- Philosophy of Art in the Catholic Tradition (Spring 2020)
Selected Scholarship
“Fortitude and the Conflict of Frameworks.” In Timpe and Boyd, eds., Virtues & Their Vices. Oxford University Press, 2014.
“Poised Strength.” In Cessario, Titus, and Vitz, eds., Philosophical Virtues and Psychological Strengths. Sophia Institute Press, 2013.
“Poetic Knowledge and Cultural Renewal.” Logos: A Journal of Catholic Thought and Culture, vol. 15, no. 4 (Fall 2012): pp. 17-35.
“Freaks, Fertility, and Cultural Fiasco.” In Fehring and Notare, eds., Science, Faith, & Fertility: The Third Conference on Ethical Fertility Health Management. Marquette University Press, 2012.
“Commentary on Steven A. Long’s The Teleological Grammar of the Moral Act,” Nova et Vetera, English Edition, vol. 8, no. 1 (2010): 201-207.
“Identity, Divine Filiation, and the Eucharist.”Assembly: A Journal of Liturgical Theology, vol. 35, no. 2 (March 2009): pp. 29-32.
“Sloth: The Besetting Sin of the Age?” Logos: A Journal of Catholic Thought and Culture, vol. 12, no. 1 (Winter 2009): pp. 38-61.
“Hierarchy and Direction for Choice.” Fellowship of Catholic Scholars Quarterly (Winter 2003): pp. 24-34. Reprinted in Di Blasi, Hochschild, and Langan, eds., Virtue’s End. St. Augustine’s Press, 2008.
“Natural Law and Conflict.” In Mark J. Cherry, ed., Natural Law and the Possibility of a Global Ethics. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2003.
“The Novel as Practical Wisdom.” In Alice Ramos, ed., Maritain and the Arts. The American Maritain Association; distributed by The Catholic University of America Press, 2000.
“Deliberation About Final Ends: Thomistic Considerations.” In Thomas S. Hibbs and John O’Callaghan, eds., Recovering Nature: Essays on Natural Philosophy, Metaphysics and Ethics in Honor of Ralph M. McInerny. University of Notre Dame Press, 1999.
“A Humble and Trembling Movement: Creative Intuition and Maritain’s Philosophy of Education.” In Daniel McInerny, ed., The Common Things: Essays on Thomism and Education. The American Maritain Association; distributed by The Catholic University of America Press, 1999.
“‘Divinity Must Live With Herself’: Aquinas and Nussbaum on Transcending the Human.” International Philosophical Quarterly, vol. 37, no. 1 (March 1997): pp. 65-82.
“Electric Technology and Poetic Mimesis.” Proceedings of the American Catholic Philosophical Association, vol. 70 (1996): pp. 95-104.
“The Accuracy of Aristotle’s Definition of the Soul.” The Thomist, vol. 60, no. 4 (October 1996): pp. 571-593.