Faculty – Department of Philosophy

Dr. Rioux is a professor and chair of the philosophy department at Benedictine College. A graduate of Thomas Aquinas College, he earned his Master’s and Ph.D. in philosophy from the Center for Thomistic Studies at the University of St. Thomas in Houston. Specializing in the thought of Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas, Dr. Rioux has written textbooks in logic and natural philosophy, as well as articles in the philosophy of mathematics. His most recent publication is Thomas Aquinas’ Mathematical Realism (291 pp., Palgrave Macmillan). He and Dr. Richard White (a member of Benedictine’s theology department) regularly offer great books classes in philosophy and theology. Dr. Rioux and his wife, Maria, raise their children in a renovated farmhouse in rural Kansas. They have been designing their own curricula and educating their children at home for many years.

Dr. Macierowski came to Benedictine College in 1993. A graduate of St. John’s College (Annapolis), he earned graduate degrees in Toronto and studied at the then-Imperial Iranian Academy of Philosophy in Tehran. He has also taught at the Center for Thomistic Studies in Houston, at the Catholic University of America, and Christendom College. In addition to his teaching duties, he is particularly interested in metaphysics and political philosophy, in translating philosophical and theological books, and fostering intercultural and inter-religious dialogue. He is particularly interested in Greek and Semitic sources to Christian scholastic philosophy in the Latin Middle Ages. He was born in Springfield, Massachusetts where he was graduated from its Classical High School. He is married and has five adoptive children.

Dr. James Madden is originally from Wisconsin, and did his graduate work at Kent State (MA, 1998) and Purdue (Ph.D., 2002).  Jim Madden has taught at Benedictine since 2003, and lives with his family in Atchison, Kansas. He was awarded the Benedictine College Distinguished Educator of the Year Award in 2006.  He lives in Atchison with his wife (Jennifer) and they have six children; William, Martha, Patrick, Brendan, Jack, and Cormac.

Dr. Spiering received her bachelor’s degree in liberal arts from Thomas Aquinas College in California (2003), and her M.A. (2006) and Ph.D. (2010) in philosophy from The Catholic University of America in Washington DC.  She has been at Benedictine since the fall of 2010, teaching a variety of courses on ethics, God,  the soul, and logic.  Her areas of interest include theories of free will, particularly in the medieval period, and philosophy of God.  In her spare time she enjoys canoeing and reading fiction.

Originally from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Dr. Crifasi did his graduate work at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas.  After teaching in Texas and Minnesota, he is now happily settled in Atchison with his wife, Claudia.

Dr. Crifasi received his Ph.D. from The Center for Thomistic Studies.  His doctoral dissertation, titled “The Philosophical Significance of Cartesian Sensory Physiology,” sought to demonstrate a clear philosophical and historical correlation between scientific disputes in sensory physiology and philosophical disputes regarding sensory realism in the history of western philosophy.  Dr. Crifasi is interested in recovering the scientific context of philosophical disputes; he is convinced that the absence of such context weakens many proposed solutions to contemporary philosophical problems.

Dr. Crifasi has taught Ancient, Medieval, & Modern philosophy, Metaphysics, and Epistemology; his current Benedictine College courses include Natural philosophy, Logic, and Ethics.  He specializes in Early Modern philosophy (Descartes), Ancient & Medieval epistemology and natural science (Aristotle, Aquinas), and the History of Philosophy and Science (Ancient to contemporary sensory physiology/cognition).

Dr. Andrew Jaeger received B.A. degrees in Theology and Philosophy from Benedictine College (2008), and his M.A. (2010) and Ph.D. (2014) in Philosophy from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln. He was named the 2013 American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly’s “Rising Scholar” for his paper, “Back to the Primitive: From Substantial Capacities to Prime Matter.” Dr. Jaeger has published papers on metaphysics and theology in several journals including: Communio: International Catholic Review, American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly, Journal of Analytic Theology, and Res Philosophica. He is currently working on two books: (i) Hymns from the Underground: Metaphysical Reflections on the Brothers Karamazov; (ii) Platonic Recollections: Logical, Metaphysical, Theological.

Dr. Pierson received his Ph.D. in philosophy from The Catholic University of America. He has an M.A. in liberal arts from St. John’s College in New Mexico and a B.A. in philosophy from St. John’s University in Minnesota. His areas of interest include the metaphysics and natural theology of Thomas Aquinas, Ancient philosophy, and the history of philosophy. He joined the faculty of Benedictine College in 2015.

Dr. Aaron Maddeford received his bachelor’s degree from Thomas Aquinas College and his doctorate in philosophy from The Catholic University of America.  His dissertation examined the relationship between Francis Bacon’s and Aristotle’s ethics.  He served for two years as headmaster of a classical high school, Veritas Preparatory School, in Williamsburg, Virginia.  His main research interest is St. Thomas Aquinas’ ethics, particularly his idea of the common good and his distinction between action and contemplation.  In his free time, he likes reading literature and spending time outside with his four young children.

Dr. Francis Petruccelli was born and raised in Rockville, Maryland. He attended Benedictine College, graduating in 2011 with a double major in English and Philosophy. He completed his graduate work at The Catholic University of America, earning his M.A. in 2017 and his Ph.D. in 2019. His dissertation explored the relationship between nature and the notions of goodness and reasons. His primary area of specialization is ethics, and he is especially interested in virtue ethics, and in the intersection of subjectivity (the “I”), teleology (the “good”) and normativity (the “ought”). He also likes to engage with contemporary philosophical thinkers that have deep roots in the tradition of Western philosophy. He currently lives in Atchison with his wife, Lindsay, their four boys, and their cat, Thelonious.