A Political Companion to Walker Percy

Contributors

Contributors Elizabeth Amato recently received her doctorate in political science at Baylor University, where she is currently an adjunct professor. Her interests in politics and literature and in the relationship between happiness and modernity served as the focus for her dissertation, “Happiness and Modernity: The Pursuit of Happiness and the American Regime.” Nathan P. Carson is visiting assistant professor of humanities and philosophy in Christ College (the Honors College) at Valparaiso University. He recently defended his dissertation at Baylor University in virtue ethics, on the concept of appreciation as a form of moral understanding, wisdom, and attention. His primary research is in Aristotelian and contemporary virtue ethics and nineteenth-century philosophy (especially Kierkegaard), with secondary interests in twentieth-century Catholic literature, including Walker Percy and Flannery O’Connor. He has a forthcoming article on Cormac McCarthy appearing in Film and Philosophy and a forthcoming article on Kierkegaard’s epistemology appearing in Journal of Chinese Philosophy. Janice Daurio is professor of philosophy at Moorpark College, where she teaches introductory courses in philosophy, ethics, Western religions, and critical thinking. She was educated at Hunter College, CUNY, St. Mary’s University, and Claremont Graduate University. Peter Augustine Lawler is Dana Professor of Government at Berry College. He is the author of numerous books, including, most recently, Modern and American Dignity: Who We Are as Persons, and What That Means for Our Future. He is also the editor of the journal Perspectives in Political Science and the codirector of the Stuck with Virtue conference series. He served on the President’s Council on Bioethics from 2004 to 2009. Micah Mattix is assistant professor in literature at Houston Baptist University. His essays and reviews have appeared in New Literary History, Applied Semiotics, First Things, Books & Culture, Pleiades, and numerous other publications. He recently published a book on Frank O’Hara. 272 Contributors Woods Nash is a lecturer in philosophy at the University of Tennessee. His research focuses on representations of medicine, health, and illness in southern fiction and contemporary film. His essays have appeared in various journals, including Cormac McCarthy Journal, Catalyst: A Social Justice Forum, and Perspectives on Political Science. Farrell O’Gorman is professor of English at Belmont Abbey College. He is the author of Peculiar Crossroads: Flannery O’Connor, Walker Percy, and Catholic Vision in Postwar Southern Fiction. His articles have appeared in such publications as Blackwell’s Companion to the Regional Literatures of America, Southern Literary Journal, Mississippi Quarterly, and Critique: Studies in Contemporary Fiction. Brendan P. Purdy teaches mathematics at Moorpark College and directs the campus math learning center. He was educated in philosophy and mathematics at UCLA, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, and the University of California, Irvine. Purdy does research in the fields of mathematical psychology and game theory as well as in the intersection of literature, philosophy, and theology in Catholic thought. Richard M. Reinsch II is a fellow of Liberty Fund, Inc., where he is also the founder and editor of the Online Library of Law and Liberty. He is the author of Whittaker Chambers: The Spirit of a Counterrevolutionary. In addition, his writings have appeared in Perspectives on Political Science, Religion & Liberty, The City, Modern Age, Intercollegiate Review, Society, Touchstone, American Conservative, the Heritage Foundation’s First Principles, and University Bookman , among other publications. He received his JD from the University of North Carolina School of Law in 2004. James V. Schall, S.J., is professor of government at Georgetown University, where he has taught political philosophy since 1977. He is the author of numerous books, most recently The Classical Moment. Brian A. Smith is assistant professor of political science at Montclair State University , where he teaches courses in political thought and international affairs. His work has appeared in Polity, Interpretation, Perspectives on Political Science, Anamnesis, the Journal of Libertarian Studies, and the Journal of Markets and Morality. He is working on a book about Walker Percy’s political and social thought. Ralph C. Wood is University Professor of Theology and Literature at Baylor University , where he teaches in both the Great Texts program and the Department of Religion. His most recent book is Chesterton: The Nightmare Goodness of God. ...