Biography
I was born and currently live in Murray Utah. I served a Mission in Melbourne, Australia 1977-1979. I am married to Sharon Cook, who works as the Executive Assistant to the head of Temple Department, and I have two children and three grandchildren. After taking some time to raise a family, I finished a BA and BS at the University of Utah, attended the MED program at BYU from 1999-2001, broke a leg in four places and had extensive rehabilitation time, and finished the MED at Westminster College in 2016. I am taking graduate classes at the University of Utah currently, working towards a PHD in Philosophy.
Research Interests
Currently, I am working on issues dealing the mind, consciousness, and reality, as well as dealing with the complexities found in earth's structure/environment, biology, and the fine-tuned nature of the universe. I am developing an argument from the aforementioned studies on observation and existence, hoping to eventually publish the Observational Argument for the Existence of God. Another major text would be a comprehensive argument dealing with the problem of evil and suffering, arguing that the LDS solution seems to solve this intractable problem. I have extensive research as well dealing with ancient philosophy and the biblical religions: Israelite, Judaism, and Jewish Christianity, as well as the rise of classical Christianity. I hope to publish a text dealing with the First Vision, parallels it has with Hellenistic Judaism and Jewish Christian theophanies, the logic of divine embodiment, and similarities of the underpinning theology with current cosmological theory. My dissertation deals with the limits of theosis, particularly that found in the ancient world, with classical Christianity limiting it to the most extent, while the first Christians--Jewish Christians--hold that the righteous are exalted to a state just one step down from that held by the Father and Son.Teaching Interests
I deeply enjoy teaching Philosophy of Religion, as my initial interests dealt with the veracity of religion and theology. I have taught the following philosophy classes: 110, Introduction to Phil; 150, Philosophical Writing; 201, Ancient Philosophy; 202, Modern Philosophy; 215, Philosophy of Religion; 320, Neo Platonism; 415, Metaphysics; 501, Individual Readings.Education
- Masters of Education, Education , Philosophy of mind/neuroscience, quantum mechanics, astrophysics, earth sciences, Westminster College (2016)
- History, History , University of Utah (1996)
- Philosophy, Philosophy , University of Utah (1996)