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Position
Academic Background
Sample Courses
Teaching Philosophy
Research & Interests
Notable Academic Appointments & Awards
Publication Highlights
Selected Scholarly Presentations
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Position
Academic Background
- Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin - Ph.D. in Philosophy, 1991
- University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming - M.A. in Philosophy, 1987
- St. John's College, Santa Fe, New Mexico - B.A. in Philosophy/Mathematics, 1978
Sample Courses Taught at Providence College
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Senior Seminar (capstone course for philosophy majors)
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Honors Colloquium: Simone Weil and Iris Murdoch
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Honors Development of Western Civilization
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Development of Western Civilization
Teaching Philosophy
The desire to learn, to pursue the truth at all costs, cannot be taught. It can only be awakened by example, shown as a living reality. That, I believe, is the greatest task of a teacher: to demonstrate, by his or her own example, the desirability and attraction, the unparalleled invigoration and joy, of being a lifetime learner and pursuer of truth.
Research & Interests
My areas of research are eclectic, ranging from early modern philosophy to contemporary philosophy of mind. Over the past several years my research has been focused on the philosophy of Simone Weil, specifically her philosophy of science and mathematics. The result of this research is in my book entitled Weaving the World: Simone Weil on Science, Mathematics, and Love, which was published by University of Notre Dame Press in September 2005. My next large-scale project, currently underway, is a book-length investigation of the influence of Simone Weil's thought on the philosophy and novels of Iris Murdoch, particularly in the areas of ethics and the search for the transcendent.
Notable Academic Appointments and Awards
Publication Highlights
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Weaving the World: Simone Weil on Science, Mathematics, and Love. Pp. xii+237, University of Notre Dame Press (Fall 2005), ISBN 0-268-03486-9 (hdbk); 0-268-03487-7 (pbk)
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Foundations of Cartesian Ethics. Pp. xii+237, Humanities Press (February 1994), ISBN 0-391-03804-4.
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Modern and Contemporary Philosophy in Context. Pp. xxii+531, Hayden/McNeil Publishing (July 2001), ISBN 0-7380-0489-8.
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"Simone Weil and the Divine Poetry of Mathematics," in The Christian Platonism of Simone Weil, University of Notre Dame Press (Fall 2004), ISBN 0-268-02564-9 (hdbk); 0-268-02565-7 (pbk): 95-114.
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"Humility and the Transcendent," Faith and Philosophy, 18:3 (2001): 307-22.
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"The Metaphysics of Naturalism," American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly, 75:3 (2001): 409-31.
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"Cognitive Science, Naturalism, and Divine Prototypes," Philosophy and Theology 11:1 (1998): 25-46.
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"The Implications of Ethics for Cognitive Science," Providence: Studies in Western Civilization 5:1&2 (Spring/Summer 2000): 33-50.
Selected Scholarly Presentations and Activities
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“Grace Tangled with Violence: Looking Behind ‘Christ’s Tender Smile’”, the 2008 American Weil Society Colloquy, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, April 26, 2008.
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“The King and the Maiden: Reflections on Kierkegaard, Weil, and the Moment,” the 2007 American Weil Society Colloquy, St. John’s College, Santa Fe, NM, April 27, 2007.
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“‘The Tooth that Nibbles at the Soul’: Reflections on Fear and the Transcendent,” Rhode Island Chapter of Phi Sigma Tau, Providence College, November 15, 2006.
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“Scorched by Love: Weilian Mysticism in Iris Murdoch’s Nuns and Soldiers,” the 2006 American Weil Society Colloquy, Providence College, Providence, RI, April 29, 2006.
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"Practicing for Dying and Death," Annual induction ceremony of the Rhode Island Chapter of Phi Sigma Tau, Providence College, April 21, 2005.
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