Eli is a PhD student studying Philosophy of Education at Columbia University. He has a MPhil in Philosophy from Katholieke Universiteit Leuven and an MA in Religious Education from Fordham University. His research is on phenomenology and mimetic theory and focuses on questions about identity formation, authenticity, responsibility, and the self.
He developed an interest in Classical Liberalism after a freshman summer seminar on Isaiah Berlin’s two concepts of liberty. His intellectual curiosity in classical notions of liberty and freedom then grew after an undergraduate philosophy course on Thomas Hobbes ‘versus’ Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
A first-generation Lebanese American, Eli was raised Melkite Catholic. His Franciscan and Jesuit education instilled in him a liturgical appreciation for the Roman Rite, though he often returns “home” to the Eastern Liturgy. When traveling somewhere new, he likes to visit an ancient religious site or historic church in the local area. In his spare time, Eli enjoys skiing, playing the drums, writing short stories, and hiking.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
René Girard
Robert Nozick
Dietrich Von Hildebrand
Karol Wojtyla
The Brothers Karamazov, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Man’s Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl
The Prophet, Khalil Gibran
Deceit, Desire, and the Novel, René Girard
The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien
Les Misérables
I’m a huge Survivor fan.
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