Coffee with a Canine: Steven D. Hales & Sophie

The current feature at Coffee with a Canine: Steven D. Hales & Sophie.

Steven D. Hales is a Professor of Philosophy at at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania. He is the author and editor of many scholarly articles and books, including What Philosophy Can Tell You About Your Dog, What Philosophy Can Tell You About Your Cat, and Beer and Philosophy.

Among the topics addressed in What Philosophy Can Tell You About Your Dog:

* Do dogs live in the same world that we do?
* What's your dog thinking about?
* Are dogs extensions of the human mind?
* If dogs are our best friends, why do we assume we can have them neutered?
* Do dogs use logic?

The origins of Sophie's name are linked to Hales' professional interests:

I wanted to name our daughter "Sophie" but got outvoted in favor of "Holly." However, I got to name the dog. "Sophia" is Greek for wisdom, and is one of the root words for "philosophy." A much better name for the dog would have been "Houdini." Sophie could escape from a supermax prison. It practically takes landmines and concertina wire to keep her in the yard; our 11 acres just isn't big enough for a dog with the wanderlust of Columbus. And she always heads straight for the muddy creek with her buddy Wiley, the big black dog next door.

Read--Coffee with a canine: Steven D. Hales & Sophie.

--Marshal Zeringue