Dominic P. Prianti

Hello! 

I am an assistant teaching professor at Gannon University and have a rocking time teaching philosophy. I moved here in 2009 with my wife, Jessica Hartnett, because she was hired here as a Psychology/ Applied Stats professor. We met in graduate school back in DeKalb, Illinois, although all who know me can tell quickly that I am originally from the East Coast. I was also a certified mathematics teacher (I stopped philosophy at the MA level and moved in that direction instead) and have plenty of work experience outside of the university setting.

I've been blessed with two awards at Gannon University, which were determined by students: The Excellence in Teaching award in 2015 and the Veritas in Caritate (Love in Truth) award in 2021. 

Why do I love philosophy? I've been immersed in the subject since such a young age that it simply isn't a question I could sufficiently answer. It probably started with obsessions with "why" questions in my youth, distrust of appeals to authority and tradition in my young teens, heavy existential crises, and gifts with mathematical and abstract thinking---all at a pretty young age. Pursuing the world with a philosophical edge was an experience like "waking up" to me--a transformational one that I never turned back from. Teaching philosophy felt right from my first lecture in 2010 and helped advance my pursuit to a more productive and helpful place, allowing philosophy to represent a more significant part of me.

I like to think of philosophy as examined living on steroids, as long as we include the critical, ethical AND creative side of philosophical inquiry. Philosophy offers the foundations of much of critical thinking. It seeks justified belief and the nurturing of virtue in knowledge, ethics, meaning in life, and those essential metaphysical questions about the soul, God, etc. The ethical side of being a philosopher is the most important for me. Of all my interests, the concept, justification, and cultivation of philosophy for living stand out as the most important to me.

Again, I do dig teaching. I get to share everything that intersects my interests and relevant philosophy for students and sprinkle the insights I've gathered in my humble quest for wisdom. In the teaching experience, I get to spread the joy and intrinsic motivation that come with grasping insights, or at least new tensions between insights. I also love to help facilitate critical thought about all the essential things in life, watching so many bright minds at work, even if living isn't exactly comfortable. Also, I enjoy growing as an instructor, and I'm constantly modifying my classes and looking to develop more classes. Finally, I've come to appreciate that learning subjects we are interested in for the sake of teaching the material might be the BEST experience for true lifelong learners. 

Other things I enjoy:

• Chilling out with my two little boys. As I update this, one of my boys is 12 and the other is 9. They are my world. You'll hear far too much about my sons in class. We love "late nights" on Fridays, playing video games and watching funny cartoons. They are kind-hearted and inquisitive young men, and I couldn't be prouder of them. No doubt they make me a better man.
• Running. It's one of those deep joys only runners understand. I keep hanging it up after a leg injury, only to find myself back doing it a month later. I also do A LOT of walking, whether reading, thinking through class lectures, or even walking meditations. I love that my Fitbit allows me to challenge myself to 100,000 steps a week. Become my friend on Fitbit to get my butt in gear post-pandemic!
• I listen to early-90s hard rock, metal, and progressive rock for most of my music listening. I love having my music in the background of my activities or simply sitting back for a meditative listen to my turntable (something I try to do every day for at least one vinyl side). Alice in Chains has been my favorite band for far too long, especially when Layne Staley was alive. I still remember having my hair in dreadlocks and wearing an Alice in Chains Rooster shirt a long time ago as a 12 or 13-year-old (1993 or 1994). 
• Of course, I'm always buried in philosophy texts, and I write reviews for CHOICE and direct publishers. I read often and enjoy quiet reading time with my two boys. 
• I'm a big-time New York Mets fan. If you ever want to sidetrack me, start talking about the MLB.
• I love horror movies, especially the psychologically disturbing ones. We are in one of the best horror eras in television history, and I am constantly looking to apply horror movies to philosophy (or philosophy to horror movies).

Please take one of my classes and have a blast with me! I have a pretty good reputation for making what you might call "dry" material pretty fun, and I don't think you'll find somebody who loves their subject matter and student engagement more than I do!