Daniel John Sportiello, PhD

Associate Professor of Philosophy
Fellow in Catholic Studies

School of Arts & Sciences

�鶹��Ʒ Me

In my research, I assume that philosophy is something that we do — that it is, in other words, a way of addressing the questions and concerns that arise in the everyday. In my teaching, I assume the same: I show my students that philosophy addresses the questions and concerns that they already have — the same questions and concerns that make them human. This means, of course, that philosophy is an expression of our condition — but also that it is an interrogation of that condition, a way for us to remake ourselves.

Why I’m At �鶹��Ʒ

To study philosophy is to ask who we really are. And it is crucial that we ask this, for there are many who would rather that we did not ask it — who would tell us what to buy, how to vote, and so on. To study philosophy is therefore a matter of freedom.

Expertise

I am interested in the ways in which ethics intersects with other subfields of philosophy. I am also interested in the work of Immanuel Kant and Ludwig Wittgenstein. At the �鶹��Ʒ, relevantly, I teach not only Search for Truth and Ethics but also Modern Philosophy and Contemporary Philosophy.

2025. "Among Other Things, a Theological Solution to the Fermi Paradox." Christian Bioethics 31 (1): 52–57.

2022. "The Trolley Meta-Problem." Think: Philosophy for Everyone 21 (62): 87–90.

2022. "Elizabeth Anscombe on Rationalism." Critics of Enlightenment Rationalism II. Eugene Callahan and Kenneth B. McIntyre (editors). London: Palgrave Macmillan.

2020. "Ludwig Wittgenstein on Rationalism." Critics of Enlightenment Rationalism. Eugene Callahan and Kenneth B. McIntyre (editors). London: Palgrave Macmillan.

2019. "MacIntyre and Wyma on Investment Advising." Business Ethics Journal Review 7 (1): 1-6.

2018. "Monumental Questions." Northern Plains Ethics Journal 6 (1): 1-17.

2018. "Rationalism in Eric Voegelin." Tradition v. Rationalism: Voegelin, Oakeshott, MacIntyre, Polanyi, Hayek, and Others. Eugene Callahan and Lee Trepanier (editors). Lanham: Lexington Books.

Education

BA (Philosophy and English): University of Notre Dame, 2007
MA (Philosophy): University of Notre Dame, 2011
PhD (Philosophy): University of Notre Dame, 2015

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