The Roots of Moral Evil Book Launch

Martin Cajthaml

Mark K. Spencer

University of St Thomas, MN Professor of Philosophy

Research Areas: Philosophical Anthropology, Aesthetics, Metaphysics, Philosophical Theology

Dr. Mark K. Spencer, Ph.D. is a Professor of philosophy at the University of St. Thomas in Minnesota. Spencer fell in love with philosophy in high school when he first encountered the writings of Albert Camus and St. Thomas Aquinas. He earned his Ph.D. from the University at Buffalo, and his M.A. and B.A. from Franciscan University of Steubenville, where he first encountered the work of Dietrich von Hildebrand. He is the author of 2 books and over 60 papers and reviews, mostly focusing on the nature of the human person, beauty, and God’s relations to us. In his research, he above all tries to synthesize many traditions’ approaches to these topics, drawing on the scholastic, phenomenological, analytic, and Greek Patristic traditions. Among the things he takes greatest delight in is introducing students to the insights of these traditions, so as to help them better perceive and contemplate reality, for which he finds the work of von Hildebrand an indispensable guide. He lives in St. Paul, Minnesota, with his wife, Susanna, and their four children. Together, they especially enjoy hiking, camping, reading novels, watching films, gardening, and homeschooling.

John F. Crosby

Christopher T. Haley

Christopher Haley is Vice President of the Hildebrand Project and Director of the Hildebrand Press. Over the past decade he has helped guide the organization’s growth from a specialist academic initiative into a vibrant cultural institution dedicated to the personalist philosophical tradition. Through publishing, communications, and program development, his work brings the thought of Dietrich von Hildebrand and kindred figures such as Karol Wojtyła, Edith Stein, and Max Scheler to new popular and scholarly audiences.

Originally drawn to philosophy by a love of beauty, Christopher studied philosophy and ancient languages at the University of Texas and later pursued graduate work at the University of Dallas, where a course on Edith Stein with philosopher Robert E. Wood introduced him to Christian personalism and helped shape the direction of his work. To this vocation he has brought both a deep grounding in the philosophical tradition and a range of professional experience—in teaching, writing, publishing, and communications—and in the Hildebrand Project these different strands of his intellectual and professional life have come together in service of a common mission.

His essays have appeared in First Things, America, and other publications. He lives in Texas with his wife and young children, and enjoys classical music, poetry, cycling, and woodworking.