Who am I?

ON JUNE 1, 2023, I retired from Tarleton State University after forty years as a philosophy professors and around twenty-five years in charge of the Honors College. I am devoting my remaining years to writing and music, featured here on this website—and to good food and wine, travel, and spending time with friends and family.

Born in Louisiana, I grew up in Houston. I received a B.A. in the Plan II Honors Program at UT-Austin in 1974 and a Ph.D. in philosophy from SUNY-Buffalo in 1981. My writing ranges from philosophical scholarship to books and essays aimed at a general audience. I have always thought of myself as more of a public intellectual than an academic philosopher. My music comes out of the Texas singer-songwriter tradition that began with Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, and company.