Logan Daly is a graduate student at West Chester University and is pursuing his M.A. in philosophy. His academic work focuses on synthesizing Christianity with philosophy in a way that benefits both parties. His master’s thesis is a comparative analysis of Hannah Arendt and Christian thought.
What is your favorite thing that you’ve written?
My favorite thing I have written is probably one of the strangest. When I was an undergraduate at Penn State, I wrote a short paper that recounted a camping trip a childhood friend and I went on in the middle of a December snow storm; we both nearly froze to death, and I spent the entire night struggling to keep our fire going enough to get through the night. The paper was a psychoanalysis-influenced reflection on my own mind that wrestled with Jungian concepts of individuation and syzygy. It was a strange little piece, but I loved it and still take some pride in it.
What are you most proud of in your professional life?
Maintaining my faith in Christ as a philosopher and writer in the face of occasional opposition.
What are you working on right now?
I’m finishing my thesis and editing two conference papers related to Christianity. One is a discussion of process Christology and how process philosophy helps orient Christians toward others in a loving way, and the other is an excerpt from my thesis dealing with Hannah Arendt’s criticisms of ascetic Christianity.
What do you consider your greatest accomplishment?
Giving my life to Christ and marrying my wife.
What is your favorite sound in the world?
It’s a tie between running water and a crackling fire. Some of my greatest memories of comfort are of standing in the middle of my childhood river or some creek hidden between nondescript plots of farmland in central Pennsylvania. Likewise, I have fond memories of feeding a little campfire both as a cub scout and an adult trying to narrowly escape dying from the cold. Both the sound of water and fire bring me a sense of calm unrivaled by just about everything else in my life. I have often tried to explain my love for the outdoors that is so specifically tied to the Susquehanna River, but I’ve never managed to fully convey the emotions in my heart to anyone else. I wish I could transfer my own mental images to others so I could show them the dead silence of daybreak on the Susquehanna, or the quiet bubbling of a trout stream hidden in PA game land. Just the same, I wish more people knew what it felt like to hear the snapping of firewood being burned and associate it with the assurance that there’s enough warmth to make it to morning.
What do you like to do outside work?
I love the guitar, reading, chess, computers, camping, and fly fishing.
What is your favorite book of all time? (Or top 3). Why? To whom would you recommend them?
Steinbeck’s East of Eden—I think it is one of the greatest examples of the power of literature, a bittersweet portrayal of the human condition, and it tries to make the reader realize that they can overcome their material conditions. I’d love for it to be a part of the public education system so every teenager had the chance to learn the lesson Steinbeck tried to teach.
What books are currently on your ‘to read’ list?
My reading list is comprised of everything Vonnegut and Steinbeck wrote that I have yet to enjoy. I’m hoping to have read every Vonnegut book I haven’t gotten to yet by the end of the year.
Which books have changed your life? In what ways?
My brother gave me several Christmas gifts as a kid that meant the world to me: a pair of hunting boots, a pellet gun, and a copy of Slaughterhouse-Five. That copy of Slaughterhouse-Five made me realize the power literature has to express the inexpressible. Years after that gift, I’d tell people I wanted to be a writer—one like Vonnegut.
What would your childhood self say if someone told you that you would grow up to be a philosopher?
I wouldn’t believe it—I still don’t—but I’d mostly be happy to hear that I stuck around long enough for the opportunity.
What time of day are you most productive and creative?
I’m most productive early in the morning when my coffee is still steaming, and most contemplative late at night when everyone else in the house is sleeping. It’s a shame they don’t coincide.
What are your goals and aspirations outside work?
To be a good husband and father, and, hopefully, save some kids from making the same mistakes I did.
If you could have a one-hour conversation with any philosopher or historical figure from any time, who would you pick and what topic would you choose?
It’d be either Ralph Waldo Emerson or Josiah Royce, and I’d talk to both of them about their conceptions of God.
Where is your favorite place you have ever traveled and why?
This little beach on the coast of Australia that I’ll probably never find again; it was like a scene from a dream.
You’re stuck on a desert island and you can only have one recreational activity. What is it?
Fly fishing!
If you could only use one condiment for the rest of your life, which condiment would you pick and why?
Without a doubt, it’d be Heinz chili sauce.
Where would you go in a time machine?
I’d tell my childhood self that it gets a lot better.
What’s your favorite quote?
“Whereof a man cannot speak, thereof he must remain silent.” – Wittgenstein
What technology do you wish the human race could discover/create/invent right now?
A little beam that planted empathy firmly in the mind of everyone.
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.
