Adding philosophical depth to anything and everything
Philosophy deals with the biggest and most complex issues facing humanity and philosophical insights underpin all human endeavors. Because the questions considered by philosophy are so large and complicated, philosophy itself is a long conversation about those issues among many people across many years. To compare past perspectives with our […]
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I learned the word “stroppy” when I lived in England. Great word. The word is often used in the phrase “stroppy teenager,” to denote a bad-tempered, grumbly kid who doesn’t like anything. We all know the type. Some stroppy teenagers turn into stroppy adults. We all know the type: touchy, […]
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A subject that has been in the news quite a lot lately as a political issue is diversity, equity, and inclusion, and this is a topic that’s dear to my heart as a philosophy professor. I have taught at 12 different universities over the course of my career. At first, […]
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Fireworks are an enjoyable visual spectacle. Ever since French King Louis XIV made fireworks an integral part of his court festivals, they have been a staple of celebrations. The Fourth of July in the United States, Guy Fawkes Day in England, and New Years Eve nearly everywhere, are marked by […]
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Celebrating the freedom of constructive criticism. I was born in the USA, though I hate that song, and that’s a good metaphor for my thinking and feeling about the United States. I was born there, but I emigrated to Europe in 2012 and though I don’t hate the U.S., I […]
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From time-to-time, news items remind me of a conversation from years ago. I was with a group of fellow university students discussing a recent outbreak of armed conflict somewhere in the world. Being curious students, we talked about why the conflict had started. “Because the ___ are proud to […]
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Hannah Arendt is very well known in continental philosophical circles. She remains unfairly unknown outside of continental philosophy circles. Arendt is best known for her book Eichmann in Jerusalem, A Report on the Banality of Evil. That book was her report of the trial of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann, […]
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Two blocks from my home in Prague is my local pub. Once a week on average, I take a little table in the corner, converse with the owner and bartenders, and have a nice burger and beer. It is a part of my life, a pleasurable, brief escape from my […]
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Behold The Memeocene. Dialogue and politics are dead and we killed them. As human population and technology grows, there is increasing talk that we have entered a new epoch — the Anthropocene or epoch of humans. The idea behind the appellation is that the Earth–its biology and geology–is being altered by human […]
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My most popular Medium article, at least for now, is “Buddhism Is Wrong.” It was inspired by my spouse who sent to me a video of a lecture from a Hollywood celebrity. The article received many great, thoughtful, and supportive comments. It also received some rude and insulting comments. The […]
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