Randall Auxier

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Randall E. Auxier (born August 7, 1961), is a professor of philosophy at Southern Illinois University.

Born in Leitchfield, Kentucky, Auxier, the younger of two children, is the son of a veterinarian and a professional church musician. Educated in the public schools of Memphis, Tennessee, he received an undergraduate degree in philosophy and criminal justice in 1986 and a master’s degree in philosophy in 1988, both from the University of Memphis. He went on to receive his Ph.D. in philosophy from Emory University in 1992. He chaired the philosophy department at Oklahoma City University from 1992-1997 and was founding director of the OCU Institute of Liberal Arts from 1994-1999.

He accepted a position at Southern Illinois University in 2000 and was appointed the third editor of the Library of Living Philosophers in 2001. Since taking the post he has completed volumes on Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Marjorie Grene and Jaakko Hintikka. Auxier’s interest in philosophical personalism led him to become editor of the scholarly journal The Personalist Forum in 1997, later renamed The Pluralist in 2005.

He has authored or co-authored more than 100 papers and presentations around the United States and in several other countries, written many scholarly articles, book chapters, and encyclopedia entries, and edited numerous books. Subjects on which he has published range widely - from John Dewey and Alfred North Whitehead, to the limits of evolution, biker bars, and ministries related to homosexuality. Currently he is working on two book manuscripts, Time, Evolution, and History, and Politics as a Symbolic Form. Auxier's creative works also include two published short stories, a poetic piece of theological meditation, and three music CD’s.

Auxier currently lives with his wife Gaye in Murphysboro, Illinois, where they are active members in the United Methodist Church. Auxier serves as the permanent teacher of the Passages Sunday School Class and directs the Handbell Choir.