Philosophy & Persons

Avery Merriel Smith is an instructor in the Department of Philosophy at Loyola University Chicago where she was nominated for the St. Ignatius of Loyola Excellence in Teaching Award in 2022. In 2017 she completed her PhD in Philosophy at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, Italy. Her specializations are 20th Century Continental Philosophy, ethics, and metaphysics. She has had careers in Corporate America and the United Nations, which have influenced her research focus: the ontology of human relationship, corporate ethics and Critical Race Theory. Dr. Smith uses an interdisciplinary approach in her teaching by incorporating philosophy with theology, history, sociology, mathematics, science and the arts and employing various media including cinema and literature. Finally, she has started a master’s program in Theology at Loyola University Chicago where she will specialize in Biblical Studies and Biblical Languages.