We cover several key philosophical issues that bear directly upon education, read the works of several philosophers — Plato, Locke, Kant, Dewey, and others — who have influenced education greatly, and we look at several systems of educational philosophy.
My Philosophical Foundations of Education course Read More »
Given Heidegger’s towering presence in the landscape of 20th-century philosophy and “deep ecology” environmentalism, How Green Were the Nazis? is an important book.
Heidegger and National Socialism Read More »
I initially wrote “Would Immortality Be Worth It?” for my Introduction to Philosophy class. It’s a thought-experiment essay for a unit on The Meaning of Life towards the end of the semester. The essay was then published in Objectivity (1:4, 1992, 81-96) and is now online in pdf format. The issue I take up is
Would Immortality Be Worth It? Read More »
One of the books I use in my Introduction to Philosophy course is Lewis’s Mere Christianity. It’s very clear and accessible and covers a wide range of traditional religious philosophical themes. I’m reviewing it now in preparation for the new semester which begins (yikes) in two weeks. I find Lewis’s chummy, let’s-pop-round-to-the pub-for-a-quick-one writing style
Why C. S. Lewis gives me the creeps Read More »
The New York Times published a wide-ranging piece on John Allison and the controversies over Ayn Rand’s philosophy and influence: (“Give BB&T Liberty, but Not a Bailout”, August 1, 2009). It’s a mix of solid and straight-up reporting along with slightly off and completely wide-of-the-mark interpretations. Here’s a short letter I sent off to the
Rand in the New York Times Read More »
Like many of you, I am engaged with thinking through the healthcare proposals and debates and am occasionally frustrated with the scattered focus and the talking past the other guy’s position. So, as a start, I propose a clarification of the questions involved. As I see it, the overall healthcare discussion is a four-dimensional debate:
The four healthcare debates Read More »
. . I haven’t read Anne Heller’s book, but Timothy Sandefur’s review makes me want to. (Thanks to Bob H. for the link.) . . .
Sandefur reviews Anne Heller on Ayn Rand Read More »
My fourth and final contribution to contest, my earlier three being from John Stuart Mill, Immanuel Kant, and Aristotle. I am surprised that we have no entries from Hegel, Fichte, or Heidegger, noted for their why-say-it-in-eight-words-when-sixty-are-available tendencies. But to my knowledge, the longest sentence written by a philosopher is the following 309-word original from the
Philosophy’s longest sentences, part 4 Read More »