In the annual Runnymede Race Debate our panel debate the limits of free speech. Speakers: Sunder Katwala, director, British Future; Catherine Fieschi, director, Counterpoint; Nigel Warburton, philosopher and author of Free Speech: A Very Short Introduction; and Kirsty Hughes, chief
Diversity In Philosophy Conference
Myself along with others Members of The Society of Young Black Philosophers (Quayshawn Spencer and Luvell Anderson) presented at the Diversity In Philosophy Conference on the Status of Blacks in Philosophy. It took place at the University of Dayton in
Have a great summer Philosophy 231
I’ve enjoyed you all this semester. Now relax for the summer. Below is our class picture.
Literal Word Playing on George Yancey’s “Look A White” (Vine Video)
Angela Davis Speaks at the University of Chicago (VIDEO)
Angela Davis recently spoke at the University of Chicago for the CSRPC Annual Public Lecture and CSGS Classics in Feminist Theory Series. Her Lecture was entitled Feminism and Abolition: Theories and Practices for the 21st Century. Check out the video
Gender & Sexuality: Butler & Foucault Explained in Comics
This is a pretty awesome idea. Two of the most perplexing writers of gender and sexuality, Butler and Foucault, is explained through conversations with cats and Hipsters. (Courtesy of BINARYTHIS).
Who Invented Writing?
As I am sitting here doing my morning writing and internet surfing, I came across a cool video. Matthew Winkler, author of The Bloomberg Way: A Guide for Reporters and Editors, takes us on a historical journey to answer the
A Theory of Justice: A Very funny & Accurate Online Musical
Can you believe it? Some folks got together and decided to do a musical about Rawls’ political philosophy treatise, “A theory of Justice”. Yes, there actually is a musical filled with melodies about the veil of ignorance, the original position, and principles of justice.
The Long Shadow of Incarceration’s Stigma (Video & Pics)
Here is a great resource for any educator or activist interested in the New Jim Crow and the Collateral Consequences of Incarceration. This is a 1.5 hour panel I organized around the stigma of incarceration.
My New Article: “Gays and the Myth Of The Christian Minority”
I have a new article at the Huffington Post called “Gays and the Myth of The Christian Minority”. In it I argue that the so-called persecution of Christians who oppose homosexuality is a myth. Not only do I critique this
Have a good summer Philosophy 62
It’s been real and its been fun. I enjoyed your hard work, enthusiasm, sense of humor and insight you bought to the course. Have a great summer and don’t act awkward if we bump into each other next semester. 🙂
Philosophy For Everyone
The folks at Public Philosophy Network in New York City has a cool conversation series happening on the East Side. They are bringing philosophy to the public, the way it’s suppose to be. Check out the schedule below for some
My Event on “Collateral Consequences of Imprisonment” 4/24/13
The United States imprisons more people than any other nation in the world. An estimated 700,000 people are released from prison in the United States every year. Where do they all go? How do they imagine their lives? How do
My “Black Philosophers” Business Cards
My new business cards with words from Franz Fanon, Angela Davis, and W.E.B. Dubois on the back.
Free Angela Davis and All Political Prisoners
I’ve written so many posts on Angela Davis that I don’t know where to start. I respect her intellectually and always admire her passion to refuse to allow knowledges to stay within the ivory tower but to see it in
Beyond The Bars
I had the opportunity to attend the Beyond The Bars Criminal Justice Conference at Columbia University this weekend. The weekend event kicked off Friday night with a lecture by Angela Davis and Marc Lamont Hill. Saturday, was a host of
Writing Advice In The Palm of Your Hand (Literally)
This is pretty amazing. The People at Shared Worlds created a project called Hand In Hand. People working on the project asked fiction writers to scribble writing advice on their hands. This is what they came up with.
(If)Richard Dawkins Dies and Talks to God
Filmmaker Kevin R. Breen created a video called “Richard Dawkins Dies” which is “a delightfully South-Park-esque confrontation between Dawkins and God as the two engage in a smack-down at the heart of the creationism vs. evolution quasi-debate”, according to BrainPickings.
The Politics of Emotional Dismissal
I have a new Op-Ed in the Huffington post this week called “The Politics of Emotional Dismissal”. Here’s an excerpt below. Check out the full article here and leave a comment on the site if you can. Let me preface:
Your Inner Guru
Its Sunday and that means I am doing nothing but watching NetFlix. However, while being lazy I think I just saw one of the best documentaries with the best messages Ive seen in a while. I do not want to
The Power of Criticism
A lot of us hate to be criticized. No one likes to be told that their idea sucks or they are not living up to their potential, that they are not doing what they are suppose to, or they are
R-Kelly and Descartes (Stuff My Philosophy Students Say)
** I was given permission by my student to retell the following story. So in my intro to philosophy course at LIU we just finished wrappng up personal identity. For a few sections we compared physicalism (which says that we
The Journey of Writing an Academic Paper (The Gif Edition)
Writing is hard work. Editing is even harder. Thick skin is required. Check out the process of writing and editing in Gifs.
Detective Philosopher: A Short Lesson On Clarity (Humor)
They say, “you can take the woman out of philosophy but you cant take philosophy out of the woman.” (I dont know who said this, but someone said it). Philosophers are not only obsessed with questions but also with clarity
One Sentence: A Few Thoughts on Wittgenstein, Russell, & Writing
I’m always striving to be a better writer. There are so many thoughts in my head and the challenge is to get them out in a concise, clear manner and not to tackle too much at a time. I also
On Anger
One of my favorite research interests are the moral emotions specifically what Marilyn Frye calls “righteous anger” in “A Note On Anger”. I think that there is something valuable about moral anger. For example, it can be a strong motivation in
The Science and Philosophy Of Love
Plato was contemplating love over 2500 years ago in The Symposium and Phaedrus. Today, philosophers like Irvin Singer, Kolodny, and Alan Soble are sitting in their arm chairs still wrapping their philosophical brains around the idea. I mean, love is
Daniel Dennett On Spirituality
My students have been discussing Daniel Dennett’s “Where Am I” in class. We have just switched from ethics into metaphysics/philosophy of mind. The funny thing is, I don’t think they were expecting the dramatic switch and some assumed, by the
Diet Racism
It seems that people are all the rage about the Volkswagen Super Bowl commercial. Some feel that the white imitation of Jamaican dialect is racist. I think I hold Kamau Bell’s view of it here
Bell Hooks and Gay Marriage: My Response
My Response: Let me just say I love bell hooks. I think she is an excellent writer and a brilliant thinker. It’s nice to hear her voice once again in the public debate. It does appear that she has her
Class Pictures
Well another semester is about to begin. As I try to get motivated to start another one and get off this couch, here’s a look back at my brilliant and full of personality students from Fall 2012. St Johns Ethics
The Central Park Five
I had the chance to go to a film screening of the Central Park Five. The event was followed by a Q and A by three of the now grown men who were falsely accused as teenagers. The film made
Cornel West at John Jay College
Cornel West, Immortal Technique, and Khalil Muhammad came to our school to share information with our students. The discussion ranged from justice work to mass incarceration. My students enjoyed it and were greatly inspired. Much respect to the students of
Young African Genius and Thoughts on Prodigies
I am very intrigued by geniuses and prodigies. My favorite movies are Good Will Hunting, A Beautiful Mind, and embarrassingly Weird Science. Some of my favorite philosophers I consider geniuses: Wittgenstein, Bertrand Russell, and Kierkegaard. One of my favorite works by Kant
Bertrand Russell and the 10 Commandments of Teaching and Living
I love Bertrand Russell. Not only do I think he was a brilliant mind who lived a very very very long philosophical life, I also think that he was pretty cool. Like OG cool. His suits, that cigar, and that
The Science of Procrastination
We’ve all done it. What you may ask? Hold on, I will tell you later…. Ok, we are back. Sorry about procrastinating. Hey we all do it. I consider myself an academic planner but I do at times procrastinate about
Cornel West and Tavis Smiley After the Election
Cornel West and Tavis Smiley appeared on Democracy Now yesterday to discuss the election. Here are a few responses. The question is, are these critiques dead on or simply too harsh? On money spent on the election and Obama in
Obama Wins and His Anger Translator Celebrates
Here is some funny. Obama has been re-elected. Ok that’s not the funny part. That’s the “thank god, all fairies, and the stars and the moons because I was nervous” part. The funny part is Key and Peele or should
Snoppy and John Stuart Mill
Advice from Martha Nussbaum
I love Martha Nussbaum. Its not only because we share similar philosophical interests (value of the emotions, philosophy of law, political theory, and cosmopolitanism) but because I also think that she combines brilliance, class, grace, and confidence in a very