OUTSTANDING STUDENT IN PHILOSOPHY

        Congratulations to Justin Kahle, the 2010-2011 recipient of the "Outstanding Student in Philosophy" award. He is graduating in May with a double major in applied philosophy and law & liberal arts..His extracurricular activities have included College Republicans, Political Science Club, Law Society, and most recently Phi Kappa Phi, a selective all-discipline honor society. During his last two years he wrote a weekly column in The Pulse, often on social and political issues.

        Justin will be attending law school after graduation, having received near full scholarships to more than one institution. “My classes in law and the liberal arts and philosophy have helped to give me a great view on what law school is like … and the practical skills to succeed in law school,” said Kahle.             

        We wish him well in his future endeavors.

FACULTY NEWS

 

        Dr. Matt Stolick, Associate Professor of Philosophy, has published a book titled Otherwise Law-Abiding Citizens: A Scientific and Moral Assessment of Cannabis Use. This extensively researched interdisciplinary work depicts users of cannabis as inappropriate targets of legal retribution. Stolick explains why he thinks cannabis use is in itself neither moral nor immoral, and he argues that the criminalization of cannabis users is morally unjustified.

        Matt is editor of BIO Quarterly, the newsletter of the Bioethics Network of Ohio (BENO), of which he is also on the Board of Trustees. His future plans include a book on sports ethics.

        Especially noteworthy, Matt has been selected to serve as the 2011-2012 Richard Wilkin Faculty Chair in the College of Liberal Arts. The theme for his activities will be “A Study of the Play Element in Culture: Remembering homo ludens."

        Dr. Rich Smith, Professor of Philosophy and Director of the Philosophy Program, has for a number of years served as one of the judges at the annual Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl, which is a competition among teams that debate ethical issues raised by given case scenarios. His current research deals with the manner in which some of the great philosophers throughout history have died, with an attempt to show significant links between their thoughts and their lives.

        Most recently, he co-authored an article with his colleague in psychology, Dr. John Leach, entitled "Liberal Arts Education and Brain Plasticity," published in Philosophy in the Contemporary World (vol 17: Fall 2010).