Professor Florek was first struck by philosophy's potential for improving our lives when he read Sartre's Existentialism Is a Humanism in 1983. "Existence precedes essence" remains a fascinating, inspiring, yet sometimes troubling mantra for Neil, who decided soon after integrating Sartre's formula with his own life that he had to bring others to this epiphany, this insight into human existence. Thus, his vocation was set: Teaching.
Although teaching philosophy commands the majority of Neil's time--he has taught well over 2,500 students at UD alone--he has been able to maintain a steady career in music that has taken him from the taverns of Chicago's Southside to the juke joints of the Mississippi Delta. If you hear wailing harmonica or blues vocals inside or around the Humanities building, it's probably Neil!
Regardless, Neil continues to combine the spirit of music with the precision of philosophy, both in his teaching and his life.