Brian Eckley, Ph.D.

Visiting Instructor, Philosophy

Brian Dirk Eckley graduated with his Ph.D. in philosophy from Purdue University in May 2022. He received his master’s degree in philosophy from Purdue University and his bachelor’s degree from Ferrum College, double majoring in philosophy and political science. Brian works in applied ethics and his research uses Simone de Beauvoir’s existential ethics on contemporary moral issues, including Native American mascots, sex, and gender. His first published article, “Personal Foul: Indifference to Native Americans,” is forthcoming in Social Theory and Practice. He is currently working on an encyclopedia entry on “Indifference” as it is used in social philosophy. He is looking forward to beginning research in disability and trans athletes. While completing his Ph.D., Brian taught as a graduate student instructor. He has taught a variety of applied ethics courses including animal ethics, environmental ethics, philosophy of gender, philosophy of law, global moral issues, and biomedical ethics. Brian is from Virginia and is excited to live in Portland. His friends and colleagues have spotted him wearing his blue helmet riding to work on his bike, Salem (named after the cat in Sabrina the Teenage Witch.) He enjoys bowling, playing Civilization VI, and is an avid fan of Avatar: The Last Airbender. In fact, he is planning to start a blog on the philosophy of Avatar.