Welcome!
I’m a philosopher and historian of ideas, and this website is about the unexpected kinships between them: the moments when traditions that were never introduced turn out to have a lot to say to each other. We tend to sort conversations into departments, and shelve ideas into centuries. Herein is my attempt to put all this into the same room and see what we can discover together.
Scribespark is a series of introductions. Essays on culture, philosophy, and religion for the curious reader. Less jargon, no gatekeeping, and no assumption that you’ve read what I’ve read. Just the conviction that ideas catch fire when traditions touch, and that watching that spark become a light is one of life’s genuine pleasures.
About Me
After attending Valencia College (AA, 2004) and the University of Central Florida (BA in Humanities, Honors in the Major, 2007), I completed two MAs at Florida State. The first was in Humanities with a focus on Religion (MA, 2009). The second was in the History & Philosophy of Science (MA, 2011), housed in the Philosophy department. Later, while teaching full-time, I earned a postgraduate certificate in Holocaust Studies from the University of Texas at Dallas in 2020.
For the last 14 years, I have taught philosophy, ethics, humanities, and world religions in East Texas. I chair a Humanities & Philosophy department of 12 faculty at a community college of 13,000 students, where I hold the Thomas H. Shelby Jr. Endowed Chair for Teaching Excellence award (2019-20) and serve as an elected faculty senator (2025-27). I also adjunct at the neighboring university, where I’ve taught Intro to Islam since 2019. My published work includes a peer-reviewed chapter on Forgiveness in Judaism (2018, Vernon Press), as well as articles on Islam & Early Protestants (2012, ERAS), and Heidegger and Mars, published in the Florida Philosophical Review (2009). I have also written several articles for the Great Lives from History series (Salem Press).
As time allows, I give public lectures that aim to feed and grow the public sphere. The best part of my day is the moment an idea lands for someone unexpectedly. I know that moment well. I was the first in my family to finish college. I came to the life of the mind by way of military service, the long way around. After two deployments, I arrived to campus grateful, as others held the door open. This is why I love teaching at the community college, where I can now hold the door open, too. Great ideas are common property, and I take great pleasure in sharing them with my neighbors.
Welcome to Scribespark!
Here’s a sampling if you’re new here…
• find my CV and a listing of public talks
• review the college and university courses I teach
• explore Aristotle’s view of character and virtue
• see how I approach religion in a public school
• learn how Islam began in Arabia
• read my 5-part series on the Gospel of Mark
