About Kelly

   That's clan Smith above (L to R: wife Karen, middle child Jessie, me, Sam, and eldest Laura).  Here are the other members of the family:

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   I am pretty unusual, even for an academic philosopher.  For one thing, I cling stubbornly to the idea of the Renaissance man – so stubbornly, in fact, that I went through four undergraduate majors (Astronomy, Chemistry, History, and Biology) before completing my B.A. in Philosophy at Georgia State University.  Then I went on to Duke University where I still couldn’t make my mind up about what I wanted to study, so I eventually got an M.S. in Evolutionary Biology as well as a Ph.D. in Philosophy.  I am currently a professor in both Philosophy and Biological Sciences at Clemson University in South Carolina.  I just completed five years on the faculty of the University of South Carolina School of Medicine in Greenville, where I oversaw their ethics and professionalism curriculum.  

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                                                                                              Happy wife, happy life

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   I am truly passionate about my teaching and live by the motto docendo disco (through teaching, I learn). I love helping my students develop their critical thinking abilities, particularly when it comes to finding ways to bridge different conceptual approaches.  I regularly teach a variety of courses including Introduction to Philosophy (PHIL 1010), Logic (PHIL 1020), Environmental Ethics (PHIL 3450) and Kant (PHIL 4010).  More occasionally I teach a special course, such as my Calhoun Honors Seminar on The Lure and Fear of Biotechnology or a 4000-level exploration of my current research area, philosophical issues in astrobiology and space exploration.

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   Not surprisingly, my research is highly interdisciplinary and ranges widely - from work on the concept of genetic disease; to the relationship between religious faith and scientific reasoning; to the ethical implications of biotechnology; to  social and conceptual issues surrounding the search for life on other planets (see "My Research" for more details).  I've worked with a number of important organizations over the years, including:  The National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine; NASA; the European Union government; The Library of Congress; The American Association for the Advancement of Science; Breakthrough Listen; and the European Space Agency.  I also enjoy doing interviews with the press and have appeared in press outlets such as NPR's Science Friday with Ira Flatow, The Huffington Post, Science Daily, The Wall Street Journal, The Chronicle of Higher Education, The Washington Times, and CNN. 

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Cool Places I have traveled (made with https://mapchart.net/world.html)

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   In the personal arena, I am happily married since 1985 with three kids (all three went to Clemson).  I have a second degree black belt in Hapkido (the other Korean martial art) and through this got interested in Buddhist meditation and mindfulness more generally.  My hobbies include golf and painting (in both of which my enthusiasm greatly exceeds my skill - see below) as well as video gaming (Civ!) and RV'ing.  My favorite way to relax is with some honey bourbon and a good cigar...

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Music

  I have extremely eclectic taste in music.  Depending on my mood, I listen to rock, folk, blues, country, classical, electronica, and even truly weird things like traditional Japanese flute and Gregorian chants.  If you want to listen to what I am currently into, find my playlist on Spotify: Kelly's Most Excellent Playlist.

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My "Art"

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