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 »
I think we have to consider sacrificing Maryland. Some of my best friends are Marylanders. Nothing personal, guys, but this healthcare thing is important, and there’s only one way to break the impasse: hard scientific experimenting. Here is the plan. We isolate Maryland and turn it into a giant test case. We send in a
We have to consider sacrificing Maryland 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 »
Check out this documentary to be released this fall: Ten9Eight. Directed by Mary Mazzio, it is about a dozen instant-classic American success stories — and entrepreneurship’s power over poverty and adversity. In an upcoming issue of Kaizen I interview Steve Mariotti, founder and CEO of the impressive Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship. Several of the young
Ten9Eight: inspiring young entrepreneurs 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 »