Benjamin I. Huff

Aristotle and Confucius both claim that true happiness can only be found through a life of virtue. Dr. Huff’s long-term research focus is to clarify the ancient understanding of this claim, and to construct a theory of virtue and happiness that builds on ancient insights to respond to contemporary questions. Recently Dr. Huff has published several articles on classical Confucian thought, clarifying the role of desire and joy in virtue, the value of goods such as wealth and social status, the way benevolence and justice are built into the structure of the cosmos, and the Confucian goal of achieving peace by cultivating virtue throughout society. He is currently integrating this work into a book, Conspiring With Heaven: The Confucian Vision for Human Flourishing.

Dr. Huff has taught philosophy at Randolph-Macon College since September 2006. He was born in northern Virginia but has traveled extensively, living in Saudi Arabia for seven years and Japan for two years. He enjoys music, cooking, hiking, and travel. Dr. Huff’s teaching strategies reflect the fact that life does not fit inside any disciplinary box. Rather, the best wisdom from the history of philosophy must be combined with a range of contemporary knowledge (scientific, economic, cultural, etc.) to effectively address the challenges of our time.