McCarthy brings life experiences into the classroom

Philosophy professor Vincent McCarthy, Ph.D. has had an exciting learning and teaching experience.

He attended lectures with Pope Benedict XVI back when he was simply Professor Joseph Ratzinger and he exchanged ideas with the famous French philosopher, Derrida, before he was taught in our textbooks. To top it off, McCarthy recently returned from an expedition to Antarctica where he floated in an inflatable boat two feet away from a humpback whale.

Surprisingly, McCarthy’s favorite class to teach is the third level GER course, “Knowledge and Existence.”

“I use a lot of books from the Roman stoics. One of the reasons I do is that I find at times that these books are very readable, even if they’re written 2,000 years ago in some cases,” McCarthy said.

While some might consider students taking GER classes to be disinterested, McCarthy heartily disagrees.

“I think upperclassmen are ready for that kind of material. They’re reflective; they ask questions about meaning. Students are also very interested in death, they’re afraid of it, and though they are afraid of it they know they should think about it,” said McCarthy. “So stoicism is developing the virtues and the reflection to cope with bad things, not because they have a morbid view of the world, but because you don’t need any help to cope with good things.”

McCarthy has widely traveled and exceptional education allows him to bring a comprehensive worldview into the classroom. His Masters studies in Germany at the University of Tuebingen allowed him to attend lectures given by many of the world’s intellectual heavyweights and skilled theologians, including our current pope, then Professor Joseph Ratzinger.

After completing his Ph.D. at Stanford, McCarthy was granted a fellowship from the French government and moved to Paris, where he was able to study with a “who’s who” of figures in French philosophy, including Derrida, Ricoeur, and Levy-Strauss. These are names often taught in a typical philosophy class.

“Those lectures in Europe were often in large lecture halls,” McCarthy commented, “Derrida would stand before a scarlet red curtain and lecture in this massive hall. It was very dramatic.” On top of attending these large lectures, which were all later published, McCarthy was also able to discuss ideas privately with Derrida during his stint in Paris.

McCarthy first came to Saint Joseph’s as dean of students in 1989. He arrived at a time when the university was struggling to propel itself forward and began immediately instituting changes, including his first goal of bringing the honor’s society, Phi Beta Kappa, to campus.

Following his work as dean, McCarthy spent five years as the Provost before transitioning to professor in the philosophy department. The switch, McCarthy said, was a very positive one, because while St. Joe’s is a very pleasant place to be a teacher, it can be very difficult at times to be an administrator. This situation was particularly understandable during McCarthy’s time as dean, when the university was under financial stress as well as attempting to revivify itself.

Currently, McCarthy teaches several philosophy classes each semester, including Honors courses. His office, lined wall to wall with bookshelves so high he has a movable ladder hinged to them, is a testament to the range of material he has covered over the years.

The last day of Fall Semester of this year, McCarthy decided to have another adventure. He got on a plane and flew to the tip of South America to get on a boat headed to Antarctica.

When I asked him how he had decided to embark on this expedition, he smiled and said, “It was probably the result of watching too many nature specials and too much Planet Earth.”

McCarthy saw icebergs, penguins, and humpback whales up close as he traveled the icy waters in a zodiac, which is an inflatable boat. He said that the trip offered him a firsthand experience of the environmental and moral implications of climate change, which can be brought in to the classroom to be discussed.

“There are penguin colonies being wiped out because they have no food as a result of krill dying out because of temperature change. It’s all connected. It’s foolish to attempt to deny it.”

McCarthy brings all his experiences abroad into his classroom in an effort to help his students connect with the material and take something valuable from it. I asked if he had any specific philosophy on teaching, and he nodded.

“I once had a Russian teacher who told me that to be a good teacher you have to love your students,” McCarthy said with the hint of a grin, “Well, I think at least you have to like them.”

McCarthy said, “I’ve taught in many places, and the students at Saint Joseph’s are very likable students. It’s a very good place to teach.”