We live in a technological environment. Understanding how to best live with and within our technologies is the goal of my work.

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As I practice it, philosophy is the study of where we are and who we want to be here. The shape of our environments—from the health and accessibility of our forests to the layout of our living rooms—shape the lives we lead, the sorts of people we become.

 

Environmental decisions are always decisions about the kind of lives we hope to build. The environmental task of building a good life for generations to come is the hope of all my work.

 

I am a visiting professor in philosophy at the University of Montana and lecturer in the Davidson Honors College. I have taught field courses in ecology and environmental governance for UM’s Wilderness and Civilization program and Missoula’s Wild Rockies Field Institute. Outside academia, I have served as Chief Development and Communications Officer for Grow Ohio Valley, promoting local food systems in Appalachia. 

 

I split my time between two very different mountain ranges, the deep Appalachian forests of West Virginia and the wide-open Rockies of Montana. For more than a decade I have worked in the overlap of academic philosophy, non-profit administration, and outdoor education, all with the unifying conviction that flourishing environments are necessary for flourishing lives.