Thomas V. Morris

Thomas V. Morris, also known as Tom Morris and, on social media, tomvmorris (born 1952), is an American philosopher. He is a former Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, founder of the Morris Institute for Human Values, and author of several books. He is also a business and motivational speaker, applying philosophical themes and concepts to business and professional life. This most recent work can be found on his new website and blog, www.TomVMorris.com.

Morris sees the past century's focus on technical efforts in analytic philosophy as having given philosophy the image of an arcane or irrelevant endeavor. He has attempted to make philosophy more widely accessible, rediscovering the practical side of philosophy, and introducing millions to the themes and thinkers of philosophy.

Morris was born and grew up in North Carolina. One childhood friend was songwriter Don Schlitz, who, as a foundering youth musician, encouraged Tom to start a band with him: Morris is an avid rock guitarist. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was a Morehead Scholar, and holds a Ph.D. in Philosophy and Religious Studies from Yale University. UNC has honored him with the "Distinguished Young Alumnus Award", an award that he shares with, among others, the well-known former Chicago Bulls basketball player, Michael Jordan.

For fifteen years Morris served as a Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame, becoming one of their most popular teachers. He is noted for his ability to transform esoteric concepts and obscure academic texts into lively educational and fun learning experiences. As an example of his pedagogical skill, he arranged for the school marching band to play in class to motivate students who were about to take a test in one of his philosophy classes.

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