INTELLECTUAL FORMATION & INFLUENCES
Continental Philosophy – predominantly phenomenological realism and personalism. Formative thinkers include Edmund Husserl, Maurice Blondel, Dietrich von Hildebrand, Edith Stein, Roman Ingarden, Romano Guardini, Gabriel Marcel, Emmanuel Mounier, Simone Weil, Jacques Maritain, John Paul II, John F. Crosby, and Christian Smith.
Virtue & Natural Law Ethics – approaching morality as practical action that promotes human flourishing understood from a reasoned, teleological reflection on human nature informed by tradition(s). Key scholars include John Finnis, Henry Veatch, Max Scheler, Elizabeth Anscombe, Bernard Haring, and Alasdair MacIntyre.
Social & Political Philosophy – understanding human social systems from a personalist and evolutionary standpoint. Themes include liberalism, secularism, humane culture, human rights, and political economy. Central thinkers include Francis Fukuyama, Charles Taylor, Jurgen Habermas, and John Paul II.
ACADEMIC AREAS OF INTEREST
The Role of Religion in Society – exploring the rapprochement of religion and secularism in pluralistic, postmodern societies. Analysing naturalism and religion’s influence on culture, morality, politics, and the economy, as well as tracing the roots and contours of liberalism and secularism. Academic thinkers include Charles Taylor, Don Cupitt, Huston Smith, John D. Caputo, and Jurgen Habermas.
Contemporary Jewish Theology – primarily from a Reform perspective, seeking a vibrant Judaism capable of meaningful engagement with the postsecular, postmodern world. The work of Rabbi and scholar, Arthur Green, is particularly formative.
Nature-Based Spirituality – varied forms of embodied spirituality, rooted in nature, approached from a naturalist, evolutionary perspective and with pivotal awareness of the interconnectedness and interdependence of all things. Spiritual ecology, varieties of Celtic spirituality, and religious naturalism are common expressions. Central scholars include Bill Plotkin, Starhawk, Jason Kirkey, Thomas Berry, Loyal Rue, Jerome Stone, and Donald Crosby.
Philosophy, Culture & Human Sexuality – analysing human sexuality from the perspective of philosophical anthropology, ethics, and evolutionary theory, as well as understanding the relationship between culture and sexuality. Formative thinkers include Camille Paglia, Andrew Sullivan, Michael Bronski, Kathleen Stock, Bari Weiss, Mark Jordan, and Robert Wright.
