Dr. David Haines

David Haines (PhD., Université Laval), is associate professor of philosophy and religion at VIU, lecturer in philosophy at the University of Sherbrooke, lecturer with the Davenant Hall, and has taught for SEMBEQ and FTE-Acadia. He is also the founding president of Association Axiome and the Christian Philosophy and Apologetics Center. He has published a number of articles on Natural Theology, as well as co-authored a book on Natural Law. His academic research focuses on Ancient and Medieval philosophy, C. S. Lewis, Thomism, and natural theology. He and his wife live in Québec with their four children.

Teaching Philosophy

The primary principle of education could be summarized by the statement: One cannot transmit or give what one does not possess. This principle of education, which could be taken to refer to theoretical knowledge alone, applies both to character and knowledge. The goal of education is to provide the student with those tools which will allow them to rightly pursue the Good, appreciate the Beautiful, and know the True. As Jesus is the way, the truth and the life, the ultimate Good and Beauty per se, a proper education will point the student to Christ This goal is obtained through mentorship: (1) Properly forming the students understanding of what is good so that the will rightly directs the intellect to right action; (2) Helping the student to recognize true beauty; and (3) Giving the student those tools which are needed so that they will be able, throughout their lives, to continually follow the truth wherever it leads.

The way that this plays out will differ according to the subject taught, but, in general it means that the students will be provided, in each area of study, with the knowledge which is necessary to allow them to become “independent researchers” who think critically about what they are studying. This is accomplished through lectures and required reading, class discussions about the content of the lectures and the readings, research papers or activities, and exams which test the ability of the student to not only assimilate the material learned, but also to critically engage with it.

Statement of Faith

I am a Reformed Thomist who adheres to the LCB 1689, and attend a French Baptist church in Québec (Église Évangélique d'Aujourd'hui).