Rich Eva is a philosophy PhD student at Baylor University with primary research interests in social & political philosophy and ethics, especially applied ethics. He serves as the philosophy department’s graduate student body president and graduate school representative. He earned his B.A. from Princeton University with honors in philosophy.
What excites you about philosophy?
My task as a philosopher is to shed light on mysterious and shadowy things. Research and teaching are two ways of conveying these mysteries to others and inviting them along in the process of illumination. I can’t think of a more exciting endeavor!
What are you working on right now?
I have been thinking about politicization: What is it? When is it good and when is it bad? This leads me to wonder about the ethics of boycotting, virtue signaling, and moralizing (i.e. using things to make moral points). There is a lot to unpack here, but I think philosophers can provide some needed nuance and clarity to popular debates on these issues. I’ve also been thinking about the relationship between property rights and privacy rights, as well as whether competitiveness can be thought of as a virtue.
What is your least favorite type of fruit and why?
Blueberries are awesome, and raspberries are delicious, but strawberries are in the wrong category. Perhaps my plebeian palate prevents me from appreciating strawberries’ subtleties. Nonetheless, “straw” seems to be an appropriate descriptor of such berries.
What are your goals and aspirations outside work?
My wife and I have a joint aspiration of teaching at the same university someday—maybe even co-teaching a class on moral development and virtue ethics. She is an occupational therapy PhD student researching pediatric development. I also have aspirations of competing in a triathlon and producing a music album with one of my friends.
Who is your favorite philosopher and why?
I regularly change my mind on this question, but today I will say Plato! I know, stereotypical philosopher answer. Indeed, I do love him for the stereotypical reasons. Plato’s Socrates provides a fantastic example of the philosophical life: a life motivated by questions, wonder, and virtue; a life practically inhibited by a lack of acceptance, awkwardness, and even poverty. But my other reason for loving Plato is that he was an avid and accomplished wrestler! “Plato” was actually his wrestling nickname meaning “broad-shouldered.” Plato saw wrestling as the physical manifestation of philosophical discourse; as a college wrestler myself, this resonated with me. You can read more about this here if you’re interested.
Where would you go in a time machine?
Why do we assume that time machines place us in our intended place in space? We should assume that time machines only move us through time, not space. But this is a problem because things are always moving relative to one another. So, if time machines always placed you in the same space relative to the earth’s center, and you went back in time, you may end up in the ocean. If the time machine places you back in time relative to the sun, you will end up in outer space. That said, I would like to travel one-millionth of a millisecond into the future, just to be safe.
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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.
