Missing: A Public Intellectual and Force for the Common Good

It was gratifying to read this thoughtful piece of reporting on DK’s passing in The Salt Lake Tribune.

UVU professor, who was esteemed for his work in environmental ethics, remembered as a “public intellectual.”

“He always said it wasn’t his job to convince his students of his point of view, but to give them a broad understanding of various points of view,” said Richard Keller. In his 18 years at UVU, David Keller brought lofty ideas down to earth, said philosophy professor Elaine Englehardt.

“He helped students understand the most difficult of philosophical ideas,” she said. “He had the ability to explain simply what he was trying to say.”

Indeed. DK knew how to present ideas in a way that made the lofty available.

Thankfully, he made a series of videotaped lectures that are all available on YouTube. Here’s the first in the series of eight:

“I especially hope to show how the study of philosophical ethics is directly pertinent to everyday life, in your personal relationships, in your job and as a citizen in a democracy,” DK said.

DK was a well respected and well known intellectual who dared not dwell in ivory towers. He was a man of the people and a man about town, a.k.a. “the walking philosopher.”

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