Kurt Blankschaen, Assistant Professor of philosophy, primarily teaches courses in medical ethics and is the director of the Medical Humanities Program at Daemen College. He is also interested in applied issues in feminist/LGBT philosophy and bioethics, you can find some of his work here.
What excites you about philosophy?
The main reason I was initially drawn to philosophy was because it helped me make sense of my life. Not just who I was, but who I wanted to be and what I wanted to be a part of. My research projects tend to be about practical or applied issues because the most remarkable thing to me about philosophy is just how relevant it is for everyday life. So, for example, when the Food and Drug Administration changed its policies about who is permitted to donate blood in 2015 (and again just a few weeks ago), I started talking with my (now) husband about whether we could ever donate and why we should be able to. There were a lot of important discussions about the new policy in day-to-day conversations and on blog posts or social media. I ended up publishing a paper about it (which didn’t sound nearly as nerdy in my head) and what the policy should be.
But I’m also really drawn to how philosophy helps explain the way things are. When my husband and I got married in 2018, we were initially swept up in wedding planning. One of my friends told me that he was so happy that we had found each other and that we were living in a time when we could get married. One project I’ve been working on more recently is how marriage equality revealed so much about the metaphysics of marriage. Not a legal timeline of what changes happened when or a sociological survey showing who thought what when, but philosophically understanding what changed within the institution of marriage itself and how those changes were possible in the first place. Not the kind of thing that shows up in the vows or on a hallmark card, but still something that was so ordinary that I took it for granted.
Name a trait, skill or characteristic that you have that others may not know about?
I am a pacer when I give a talk, teach, or present. I can’t help it. If I sit, I get fidgety. I’m also incredibly clumsy, so I have to make sure I have a fairly clear runway.
What do you like to do outside work?
I really like to cook. I’m not the greatest baker (my husband, Bobby, constantly tells me that you can’t just eyeball ingredients), but I love how cooking lets you experiment along the way. I tend to associate different recipes or foods with people. Since I’ve lived in a bunch of different places, cooking helps me still feel connected to them.
I also love bad horror or monster movies. Think embarrassingly bad monster movies, like the kind that maybe had 80 bucks for a budget. They’ve always been a guilty pleasure (with the Sharknadofranchise being perhaps the guiltiest, though the Dinocroc series has a special spot in my heart).
What would your childhood self say if someone told you that you would grow up to be a philosopher?
I think I would probably laugh. I had a really hard time learning to read and couldn’t really until I was in third grade. Writing, especially spelling, was the worst. I guess I relied on as much charm as a first and second grader could muster to get by in school. I was really good at smiling and laughing (still am), but I know my parents spent so much time working with me on the reading and writing. It’s just incredible knowing how much reading and writing (and I’m still working on the writing) play a central role in what I do now, given that I was one of the last kids in my class to be able to do either.
What time of day are you most productive and creative?
I’m most productive in the morning, though, oddly enough, I’m not especially a morning person. I’m most creative when I’m doing something entirely unrelated to the task at hand.
This section of the APA Blog is designed to get to know our fellow philosophers a little better. We’re including profiles of APA members that spotlight what captures their interest not only inside the office, but also outside of it. We’d love for you to be a part of it, so please contact us via the interview nomination form here to nominate yourself or a friend.
Dr. Sabrina D. MisirHiralall is an editor at the Blog of the APA who currently teaches philosophy, religion, and education courses solely online for Montclair State University, Three Rivers Community College, and St. John’s University.
