Adding philosophical depth to anything and everything
Excerpts from How We Are and How We Got Here: A Practical History of Western Philosophy. British Reform Movement Significant developments in social philosophy and social reform took place in the United Kingdom in the 1800s. The Parliament of the United Kingdom passed a progressive series of laws beginning in […]
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I began teaching philosophy in 1998, and I love talking with students and helping them discover new ideas. Several years ago, I gave up on the mass produced introduction to philosophy textbooks. The offerings from the Big Four corporate educational publishers (Cengage, McGraw Hill, Pearson, and Oxford) are overpriced […]
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Transcript: Welcome to the insert philosophy here podcast. Inserting the principles of philosophy into real life. The last week of August and the first week of September is when students across the United States, Canada, and most European countries go back to school. There’s no overestimating the importance […]
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…but I’m really talking about the human perceptions of time. (Source: Piqsels) Yes, time. Yesterday, my spouse reminded me that this year is one of those decade-defined anniversaries of my graduation from high school. It honestly had never crossed my mind. I was too busy living in the present. Humans do […]
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I’ve taught university courses since 1998. Someone born that year could have just graduated from a university. Chances are good that such a person has graduated with a heavy load of student loan debt. That is more than unfortunate; that is morally wrong. Joe Biden promised that when he became […]
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John Dewey’s (1859–1952) scientific orientation was biology, and he was influenced by the developments in evolutionary biology. His philosophical starting point was the fact that people exist within a biological environment. We create beliefs to adapt to our environment. Dewey created the term “instrumentalism” to describe the human activity of […]
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Sometimes it seems that the right-wing is more interested in eliminating critical race theory than in eliminating COVID. Efforts to ban even the mention of this subject in schools made the rounds this last election cycle. Right-wing think tanks claim, without providing evidence, that critical race theory has come to […]
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I was eager to hear Mr. Starkey’s YouTube talk on on academic freedom because I know he was wrongfully censored, but I must say, his talk was disappointing. As a philosophy professor, I am compelled to offer a rebuttal against Mr. Starkey’s implied strawman argument at the center […]
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How to best teaching philosophy so students can understand and appreciate its importance. One of the biggest challenges for philosophy professors is reaching students who have little to no background or interest in philosophy. In the US, philosophy is seldom taught in high school and many students see a college […]
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Paulo Freire on Education. In a previous article, I discussed some of philosopher Paulo Freire’s views on political conflict. Though he didn’t shy away from politics, Freire was first and foremost a philosopher of education. In this article, I want to introduce you to some of the views of Paulo […]
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