Brian LePort is a Social and Religious Studies Instructor at TMI Episcopal in San Antonio, TX. He teaches high school classes on subjects ranging from the Hebrew Bible and the Christian New Testament to comparative religion and American religion, to philosophy (learn more at brianleport.home.blog).
What excites you about philosophy?
I grew up in a religious setting that was very anti-critical thinking. While I retain a place for “faith,” I found being told that you need to “just believe” to be very discouraging. It felt unnatural to live with cognitive dissonance about so many things in my life. When I started reading philosophy in college, it was like someone was giving me permission to be wholly human. My brain could participate along with my heart. That was freeing. I teach religious studies in an Episcopal high school now and I’m always trying to encourage my students to think philosophically about their beliefs—religious or otherwise. There’s something very satisfying about taking the time to think for yourself (though not necessarily by yourself) about topics that matter to you.
What are you working on right now?
A few years ago, my colleague who taught most of our philosophy courses departed to another school. It’s been my goal to reintroduce philosophy to our social and religious studies curriculum. This year, I’ll be constructing a summer course that looks at the different types of theisms and atheisms that are out there, or the different interpretations of what the theologian Paul Tillich called “ultimate concern”. Then I hope my school’s administration will allow me to introduce a class I’d title “Philosophy, Religion, and Sport” for fall 2025. I’ve been asking myself how teenage me would’ve become interested in philosophy or the critical study of religion and my answer is that if it was tied to sports somehow, I would’ve been interested! So, we’ll see if this works with my students.
What are you reading right now? Would you recommend it?
Today, I’m reading Emily Ryall’s Philosophy of Sport: Key Questions in order to help me outline some of the topics that I might address in the aforementioned course. Yes, I’d recommend it. It’s very concise and well- written. It’s a great introduction because it gives the reader just enough information to feel like they have learned something but not enough to be satisfied. It fuels the reader’s curiosity. At least, it has fueled mine!
Who is your favorite philosopher and why?
Currently, Benedict De Spinoza. I’ve been intrigued by his “substance monism” for some time. I used to read him in dialogue with the 8th- century Indian philosopher Shankara though another book that I’m reading, Clare Carlisle’s Spinoza’s Religion, has me doubting whether I’ve understood Spinoza. Even if I haven’t, I find his work extremely thought-provoking and worth continued engagement.
What three things are on your bucket list that you’ve not yet accomplished?
First, I’m about to become a father this fall, so my bucket list includes being the best dad that I can be. Second, I have wanted to go to Greece for as long as I can remember. Third, I want to do more writing/publishing. If higher ed demands that you “publish or perish,” high school teaching demands that you “teach in a relevant and relatable matter…or perish,” so my focus has been mostly pedagogical for the past several years.
What advice do you wish someone had given you?
Be very, very careful when taking student loans!
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.
Smrutipriya Pattnaik
Smrutipriya Pattnaik, Ph.D. in Social and Political Philosophy from IIT Indore, India serves as the Teaching Beat and Work/Life Balance editor for the APA Blog. Her research delves into utopia, social imagination, and politics, with a focus on the aftermath of socialist experiments on Liberal-Capitalist-Democratic societies. Currently authoring "Politics, Utopia, and Social Imagination."
