About Scott

Scott O’Leary received his Ph.D and M.A. in philosophy from Fordham University and his undergraduate degree in philosophy and history from Boston College.  He is currently Director of the Honors and Scholars Village at North Carolina State University. Previously, he was an Associate Professor of Philosophy and the Honors Director at the University of Saint Mary (Kansas). Dr. O’Leary’s work focuses on human lived experience and examines the way emotional experience impacts our decision-making and behavior.  He is currently working on a project investigating spiritual yearning in the 21st century.  His work has been published in The American Philosophy Quarterly, Balkan Journal of Philosophy, and Elements and received a Templeton Foundation Cluster Grant to create an international working group studying emotion and religious experience. Beyond his academic interests, he spends his free time teaching yoga and mindfulness, herding his cats, and learning about music from his partner, who is a classical pianist.