“Basically, the parts of my brain that tell my mouth how to produce speech are gradually shutting down. Over time my speech is likely to worsen, and eventually I may not be able to speak at all.”

That is John Corvino, professor of philosophy (and former dean of the honors college) at Wayne State University, in a public social media post in which he shares that he was diagnosed with an unusual neurodegenerative disorder, Primary Progressive Apraxia Of Speech (PPAOS), which is resulting from FrontoTemporal Degeneration (FTD) in the right front lobe of his brain.

The problem was discovered by a PET scan earlier this year.

Here’s how he describes the condition:

Basically, the parts of my brain that tell my mouth how to produce speech are gradually shutting down. Over time my speech is likely to worsen, and eventually I may not be able to speak at all. It’s not the more common Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA, what Bruce Willis has); I have no trouble with word recall or comprehension. It’s a motor-speech problem, not a language problem, fortunately. Even when I speak relatively normally, as I often can, it takes considerable concentration to produce smooth speech. The best I can describe it is that it feels like I’m saying tongue twisters, even when I’m saying things that should be easy for me to say. And that concentration leaves little bandwidth for figuring out what to say, so I sometimes come across as reticent and inarticulate.

It is hard to think of another philosopher of this era who has so consistently and effectively used his voice to bring philosophy to the public, in a principled manner and as a force for good, as John Corvino.

Corvino is known for his work in ethics and social and political philosophy, and especially for his work on homosexuality and same-sex marriage, and religious liberty. He is the author of What’s Wrong with Homosexuality? and Debating Same-Sex Marriage (with counterpoint by Maggie Gallagher), among other works, including the widely anthologized essay, “Why Shouldn’t Tommy and Jim Have Sex?”

Over the past two decades, Professor Corvino has engaged in over 80 public conversations or debates, mainly on the topic of homosexuality, same-sex marriage, religion, and other issues that arise in the “culture wars.” He has also delivered countless lectures on these topics at campuses and other venues, bringing arguments and perspectives about these topics to audiences often not accustomed to reasoning about them. An out gay man defending homosexuality against charges of immorality and arguing in favor same-sex marriage, Corvino has not shied away from bringing debate about these topics to some of the most conservative places in the country.

John Corvino (still image from one of his public philosophy videos)

He has spoken on CNN, ABC, FOX, C-SPAN, MSNBC, and other television networks, as well as radio. He also created several well-crafted series of videos, each with tens of thousands of views. They are available on YouTube. One of these is a 13-part series, “Better Argument with John Corvino,” in which he shares advice about reasoning in quick, informative, and amusing segments.

“Better argument” is a topic that Corvino is eminently qualified for, not just because he is a philosophy professor, but because he is someone who has consistently embodied virtuous reasoning in debate with others over topics not just of professional interest but personal importance, addressing not just hostile but at times hateful audiences. In person and on the screen, he is a gifted communicator who knows the value of engaging with “the other side” and knows that such engagement, to be effective, requires understanding and honesty.

Of his medical condition, Professor Corvino says, “I’m sharing this news publicly to raise awareness about PPAOS and FTD, and also to let friends who haven’t seen me in a while know that, if you bump into me and I seem awkward in conversation, the problem isn’t you.”

He adds:

I still enjoy writing, which is unaffected by the PPAOS. I am finishing up my book project on political polarization, civility, and free speech for Oxford University Press (stay tuned!), and I’ve begun work on a memoir. I never thought my life was interesting enough for a memoir, but for someone who once had a thriving public speaking career to develop a rare neurodegenerative condition that targets speech—let’s just say that I’ve found my “hook.”

Corvino’s Facebook post about his condition is here.