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PHILOSOPHER
ABOUT
Finnish academic garb is evening tails. It is usually worn with a white waistcoat, but black waistcoats are worn by the doctor in spe at their defence (as above). December 2024
My institutional affiliation is the University of Helsinki in Finland; I was awarded my doctorate there in January 2025 for the dissertation, Whither a Better Place: Philosophical Reflections on Disability and Inclusion. My doctoral work explores key issues in bioethics, healthcare ethics, and social and political philosophy, centring on the manner in which exclusion affects rights and basic needs. The dissertation focusses on the distinction between the socio-political concept of inclusion and the disability concept of inclusion; in addition, it argues for more inclusive, bottom-up policies and stronger state support in areas like sexual citizenship. By emphasizing equitable policy design rooted in a holistic and trans-disciplinary interpretation of disability inclusion, it highlights the real-world impact of philosophy in shaping social welfare and healthcare discussions.
A photo taken midwinter on an observation balcony at Arthur Erickson's spectacular UHall building at my alma mater, the University of Lethbridge. The tie I am wearing is the University's official Tartan that I originated back in 2017 as part of the University's 50th Anniversary celebrations.
My dissertation explores disability exclusion as a complex issue shaped by social, political, and lived experiences — distinct from, but related to, general societal exclusion. I critique the tendency in analytic philosophy (especially in disability theory) to rely on abstract and overly simplistic models that fail to reflect the real-world challenges faced by disabled individuals. Instead, I argue for a transdisciplinary approach, drawing from sociology, disability studies, and other relevant fields to provide a more context-sensitive and practical understanding of exclusion.
At the core of this work is the Picture Theory of Disability, which explains disability as a specific kind of negative experience arising from the interaction between impairments and social barriers. This perspective challenges both medical essentialism (which sees disability as purely a bodily deficit) and social determinism (which reduces disability entirely to external structures).
The dissertation also examines the welfare state’s role in supporting disabled individuals and introduces the concept of eu zen — ‘living well within one’s social and experiential context’ — which contrasts with eudaemonia, or an idealised notion of flourishing. By focusing on areas like sexual citizenship and community inclusion, I argue for stronger state-funded support and advocate for a more practical, empirically informed philosophy that actively contributes to social change.
Broadly interpreted, I am a philosopher of practical philosophy who engages topics in applied ethics and social & political philosophy — often focussing (to channel my inner Adams) on their fundamental interconnectedness. In virtue of the interplay between these fields, my research can be described as both interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary; and typified as centring the human experience to target injustice, disadvantage, inequity, and to better resolve the nature of our responsibility to others in the future.
The University of Alberta' Institute for Space Science Exploration and Technology round table held in October 2024 where I was invited to take part in a round table alongside participants from NASA Heather Graham and the Uof A's Jennifer Welchman.
As a futurist, my work focuses on how present actions shape or hinder the realisation of better futures; to do so, I seek to integrate philosophical tools like experimental philosophy (X-Phi) with transdisciplinary methodologies from fields such as futures studies, social sciences, medicine, and astrobiology.
Students at Calgary University holding an Oxford Debate over the development of Virtual Companion technologies in 2023. Student's faces have been pixelated to protect their identities.
Beyond research, I am deeply committed to teaching and focus on active learning strategies that make philosophy more engaging and accessible. I use immersive techniques like thematic course structures, Socratic debate, Pecha Kuchas, Oxford-style debates, and even themed scavenger hunts to help bring philosophical concepts to life. The most useful teaching advice I ever received was: "You can’t teach them if they’re not there, and they’re not going to be there if you’re boring." I try very hard not to be boring.
Presenting an active learning lecture on medical sociology to third year medical students at Rīga Stradiņš University (Latvia) in 2018.
Philosophy is not a dry and dusty subject of abstraction, but a rich, fecund, and lived way of perceiving and interpreting the world around us and our place in it. Enlivening the subject so that students look forward to coming to class is not just part of our job — it is pivotal in both preparing students for the world and securing in it a place for philosophy. Students are an unrivalled fountain of inspiration and synthesis. Students are also our future, and I consider teaching them to be both an honour and a privilege.
My academic journey has been rather non-linear: Before returning to university in 2008, I spent nine years as a diesel engineer, completing both an engineering degree and a six-year apprenticeship focused on designing, building, and servicing heavy oil diesel engines. I then spent another nine years working in quarrying, farm contracting, and trucking — an occupation in which I still dable because I love working with cattle and feel most relaxed when I drive.
These vocational life experiences have equipped me with a diverse set of tools and perspectives that extend beyond traditional academic practices — fostering a sensitivity to intersectionality and providing insights that inform original approaches to contemporary ethical dilemmas and philosophical debates.
The Legend 2.mp4A vignette of 2024's spring cattle run, set to Jerry Reed and Bill Justis' "The Legend"
My dog Jyp and myself kayaking on beaver Mines Lake in Beaver Mines in Alberta. 2023
Outside the academic realm, I enjoy reading, mountain bike riding, kayaking, driving, and listening to music. My border collie, Jyp, accompanies me pretty much everywhere and for all of these things; he also encourages me to throw the frisbee... just three thousand more times. In 2015, I founded the Kilt-Up 4 Cancer campaign to raise awareness of male-specific cancers, the campaign raised over $150,000 and though I am no-longer connected with it, the campaing continues to inspire ongoing efforts worldwide.
A photo of me and my Land Rover Defender 110. This photo was taken at Athabasca Glacier in the way up in 2020 and featured in the Land Rover Enthusiast magazine Land Rover Monthly.
In addition, I am an avid Land Rover enthusiast and maintain a YouTube channel dedicated to owning, maintaining, and modifying Land Rover vehicles. During the '90s I competed in Land Rover RTV (Road Taxed Vehicle) trials, eventually becoming Class 8 National Champion. In 2020, I became the first person to travel solo into the Arctic Circle with the new Land Rover Defender by travelling in winter up the Dempster Highway and into the Northwest Territories.
The real tea? Well... My favourite colour is purple; I am a sci-fi nerd 🛸 and prog-rock groupie🤘; and am convinced that melted cheese is an abomination to humanity! 😆
...Oh, and my favourite quote?
"But I wish to be purple, that small part which is bright, and makes all the rest appear graceful and beautiful. Why then do you tell me to make myself like the many? And if I do, how shall I still be purple?" (Epictetus, Discourses, Book 1)
This and three other philosophical quotes are tattooed in circular Galifreyan on my left shoulder, chest, and back — if Who know, you know. 😉
Jyp on his dog-deck while paddling Tahoe Lake in 2018. The circular Galifreyan was translated and arranged for me in 2017 by an artist who also lives near Lake Tahoe.
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