BIOGRAPHY
Charles Hayes is pursuing a doctoral degree in philosophy, with a graduate specialization in Environmental Science and Policy. His research centers around environmental ethics, with specific interests in the ethics of collaborative public land management, the project of rewilding, and environmental virtue ethics. He often approaches these topics in conversation with the philosophy of technology, with the hope of illuminating how our technological age has shaped the way we understand and inhabit our environments. Before coming to MSU, Charles earned an MLitt in theology from the University of St. Andrews. There he looked at theological themes in lyric nature writing and environmental aesthetics. After this he earned an MA in Environmental Philosophy from the University of Montana, along with a graduate certificate in Natural Resource Conflict Resolution. In order to steep his research in real-life environmental issues, Charles worked for a local ecological restoration company and with the National Forest Foundation's Conservation Connect initiative. These jobs provided the opportunity to experience the everyday difficulties of working out environmental values in the way we carry out restoration and work collaboratively to manage public land. Aside from study, Charles enjoys walking farther than is reasonable and stopping to identify trees.