'My academic journey began at the University of Lethbridge where in 2000 I received degrees in both Business Management and Psychology. Wondering what to do next I decided to move abroad to teach English in Japan. After living in Japan for a year, I returned to Calgary where I met the love of my life, Gabby. Having not fully satisfied the itch to travel, we moved to Vietnam and stayed two years, working, exploring the country and soaking up the amazing Vietnamese culture. It was in Vietnam that I started taking a serious interest in philosophy, and by the end of our stay I had decided to pursue a life in academia. Upon returning from Vietnam I re-enrolled at the University of Lethbridge to study Philosophy, graduating in 2006 with my undergraduate Philosophy degree. I then completed my Master's program at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. I was subsequently accepted to the PhD program at the University of Calgary and I have been here ever since.
Since 2012, I've been teaching courses at the University of Calgary, Mount Royal University and the University of Lethbridge (over 25 classes and counting). I've been living in Calgary since embarking on my Ph.D. studies in 2009. During that time, Gabby finished a law degree, and in February 2017 we welcomed our son Oliver into the world (he can be seen in the picture above). Between Gabby's career in law and my teaching and continued research we've stayed busy when we're not enjoying time with Oliver.
The philosophical projects I have been spending most of my time on these days not only concern the main theses I advanced in my dissertation, which was focused on assessing the compatibility between value pluralism and liberalism, but I have been working on a number of projects with my friends and co-authors Justin Caouette and Trudy Govier. With Justin, we've been in the process of finishing up drafts of 3 papers to send off for publication; these papers have been presented at Oxford University, University College Dublin, and in Belgrade, Serbia. These papers are on Supererogation, Suberogation, on inconsistencies of moral application between vegetarianism and pro life positions, and on moral enhancement. With Trudy, we just completed a book chapter for the Moral Psychology of Compassion volume (2018 R&L) titled "Compassion and It's Pitfalls" and we are embarking on another project in applied ethics that focuses on policy surrounding the reintroduction of refugees from war-torn countries back into society. When not doing philosophy, teaching, or spending time with my growing family, you can find me watching sports, golfing, traveling, or enjoying a pint with some of my good friends.
Since 2012, I've been teaching courses at the University of Calgary, Mount Royal University and the University of Lethbridge (over 25 classes and counting). I've been living in Calgary since embarking on my Ph.D. studies in 2009. During that time, Gabby finished a law degree, and in February 2017 we welcomed our son Oliver into the world (he can be seen in the picture above). Between Gabby's career in law and my teaching and continued research we've stayed busy when we're not enjoying time with Oliver.
The philosophical projects I have been spending most of my time on these days not only concern the main theses I advanced in my dissertation, which was focused on assessing the compatibility between value pluralism and liberalism, but I have been working on a number of projects with my friends and co-authors Justin Caouette and Trudy Govier. With Justin, we've been in the process of finishing up drafts of 3 papers to send off for publication; these papers have been presented at Oxford University, University College Dublin, and in Belgrade, Serbia. These papers are on Supererogation, Suberogation, on inconsistencies of moral application between vegetarianism and pro life positions, and on moral enhancement. With Trudy, we just completed a book chapter for the Moral Psychology of Compassion volume (2018 R&L) titled "Compassion and It's Pitfalls" and we are embarking on another project in applied ethics that focuses on policy surrounding the reintroduction of refugees from war-torn countries back into society. When not doing philosophy, teaching, or spending time with my growing family, you can find me watching sports, golfing, traveling, or enjoying a pint with some of my good friends.