Welcome to the official website of Dr. Paul F. Symington.
Welcome to my homepage! I am an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Franciscan University of Steubenville. I have been a faculty member at Franciscan since Fall 2008. I am proud to be a part of FUS and actively seek to contribute to its mission.
On this site you will find discussion suited to a general readership, my academic research in philosophy, and discussion of philosophical issues that I am currently interested in. The goal of this website is twofold: 1) To disseminate my work to others, in hopes of stimulating thought and reflection regarding those issues that are most important to us, our humanity as a whole, and our culture. 2) To receive feedback on my work from others. Truth forms a seamless fabric and the road of obtaining truth involves delving into fundamental questions, the answers to which may stand in direct opposition to what is taught to us by our culture (from its various avenues). I hope to continue on this road through reflection on key issues in light of the comments and insights of others.
My research interests have collected around issues in philosophy in the classical tradition, medieval philosophy, metaphysics and the philosophy of Aquinas. I believe that Aquinas’s metaphysics, philosophy of nature and ethics is relevant for understanding the world around us—even though we find ourselves in the strange new modern world. At the same time, I am interested in contemporary philosophical issues and approaches and believe that much can be learned from a disciplined study of it. I seek to strive toward an authentic integration of faith and reason—a Catholic philosopher.
I follow that mode of thinking expressed by the idea that the worldview that we hold shapes us, our experience, knowledge, and ultimately our relationship to others. Everyone has a worldview; the difference is that some have worldviews that are more comprehensively coherent than others. Far from being a trivially abstract pursuit, the pursuit of philosophy propels us towards higher standards of life and happiness. I hope you enjoy the site!
