Peter Paul Cvek, Ph.D.
Professor of Philosophy
About Dr. Cvek
Dr. Peter Paul Cvek received his Ph.D. and M.A. in Philosophy from the University of Kansas and his B.A. in Philosophy from Saint Vincent College. His main areas of research include ethics and political philosophy, especially the history of natural law theory and early modern moral philosophy, specifically the classical liberal philosophy of John Locke. Areas of interest include Asian philosophy, especially the theory and practice of yoga, medical ethics, and value pluralism. Dr. Cvek has published articles and book reviews in a variety of journals, including Vera Lex: Journal of the International Natural Law Society, Journal of Ultimate Reality and Meaning, Zbornik Radova: Pravnog Fakulteta U Splitu (Croatia), Review of Politics, Canadian Philosophical Reviews, Auslegung: A Journal of Philosophy, and the American Philosophical Association’s Newsletter on Teaching Philosophy. He has also completed a certification in Yoga History, Philosophy, and Literature from Traditional Yoga Studies: Yoga Research and Education Center, under the direction of Dr. George Feuerstein.
“Philosophy is unlike other disciplines. In the spirit of Isaiah Berlin, the aim of philosophy is not so much to describe the particulars of everyday experience, but to examine the ways in which these particulars are viewed, that is, to understand and critically evaluate the ideas, conceptual models, or categories that give meaning to these experiences, but are typically taken for granted; the unconscious assumptions which shape our experience of the world, but categories that are not typically reflected upon and often contradictory, for example, purpose vs. mechanical necessity, freedom vs. determinism, spirit vs. matter, fact vs. value, and so on. One main purpose of teaching philosophy is to bring into the light of day these underlying categories that have and continue to shape human experience, so that as Berlin observes, human beings are able “to understand themselves and thus operate in the open, and not wildly, in the dark” (Isaiah Berlin, The Purpose of Philosophy, in Concepts and Categories, p. 14).”
“Philosophy is unlike other disciplines. In the spirit of Isaiah Berlin, the aim of philosophy is not so much to describe the particulars of everyday experience, but to examine the ways in which these particulars are viewed, that is, to understand and critically evaluate the ideas, conceptual models, or categories that give meaning to these experiences, but are typically taken for granted; the unconscious assumptions which shape our experience of the world, but categories that are not typically reflected upon and often contradictory, for example, purpose vs. mechanical necessity, freedom vs. determinism, spirit vs. matter, fact vs. value, and so on. One main purpose of teaching philosophy is to bring into the light of day these underlying categories that have and continue to shape human experience, so that as Berlin observes, human beings are able “to understand themselves and thus operate in the open, and not wildly, in the dark” (Isaiah Berlin, The Purpose of Philosophy, in Concepts and Categories, p. 14).”
Career & Accomplishments
Degrees
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•University of Kansas, Ph.D.
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•University of Kansas, M.A.
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•Saint Vincent College, B.A.