Prior to rhetoric and composition I was a student of philosophy. During that time I published in the areas of ethics, moral psychology, and comparative philosophy. Here are some of those works.
Forgiveness and Time:
Attitudes, Dispositions, and Philosophical Charity
In this chapter I argue for an account of forgiveness that describes disposition as a way of building the ability to forgive (if and when forgivable situations arise). This permits the positive moral dimensions of forgiveness to be available to us all of the time, not just when we’ve been wronged. I conclude the chapter by extending the reasoning into the nature of philosophical discourse, suggesting a more charitable and less adversarial tenor. Link to full chapter.
Beyond the Dilemma of Desire Satisfaction
In this chapter, I consider several views of desire satisfactionism (the notion that getting what we wants makes life better), suggesting that none of them are ultimately sufficient for grounding an account of the good life. Although not directly acknowledged, my analysis is primarily Buddhist. I conclude by turning from desire satisfaction as the basis of living a good life to highlighting the ways in which it explains human motivation. Link to full chapter.
Process and the Rhetoric of Writing on Plato’s Phaedrus
Cutting against many conventional readings of Plato, I adopt a process-based account of writing as I interpret the Egyptian myth at 274d-278d. Without intending to do so, this article became my hinge between philosophy and rhetoric. Link to full article.
Two Roads to Freedom, Intersecting at Identification:
A Comparative Analysis of Nietzsche and Buddhism on Processes of Transforming Suffering
This essay takes a comparative approach to understanding self in relation to society and the suffering we experience. Although their theoretical paths are quite different, Nietzsche and Buddha articulate paths to liberation as a means of transforming suffering. Link to full article.
.