By the video above by Steven Johnson, I guess you have figured out that I do not agree with the myth of the arm chair philosopher, a person one sits and receives ideas and produce great philosophical thought all by
Attica Uprising Anniversary (Info & Resources)
41 years ago, the Attica Uprising came to an end when Governor Rockefeller (the same governor whose excessive drug laws would increase mass incarceration at astounding rates in NY) ordered State Troopers into the prison to kill and humiliate prisoners
Prisoner Art For Social Justice
John Jay College of Criminal Justice CUNY (university where I teach), is hosting a wonderful exhibit in their new art gallery called “Prisoner Art For Social Justice”. The exhibit comes from an organization called art for justice, that encourages prisoners
Intellectuals & Activists To Speak Out Against Prisons 9/14 Harlem, Ny
To Commemorate the 41st Anniversary of the Attica Uprising and to discuss the current state of prisons, mass incarceration, prison industrial complex and more, intellectuals and activists will come together in Harlem this Friday. Come out and Hear Angela Davis,
5 Things Academics Can learn From Bill Clinton’s 2012 DNC Speech
Former President Bill Clinton gave a speech at the 2012 DNC that, by social media standards, rocked the nation. By the look of the articles I’ve read , it appears that pundits and writers think the same thing. For almost 50 minutes,
How Sensitivity to Disgust Affects Your Moral and Political Views
A.J. Ayer in “Critique of Ethics” argues that moral judgments are not objective. He denies that they are even propositions at all. So for Ayer, when we say Fornication is wrong it is meaningless because there is no way to
Socrates Vs. St. Paul: A Brief Response to Cornel West & Simon Critchley Conversation on Love
A few months back, Cornel West joined Simon Critchley in conversation at BAM. Critchely was there to discuss his new book, Faith of the Faithless:Experiments in Political Theology. (I didn’t
Tales from Rutgers Summer Philosophy Institute 2012
This past week I had an opportunity to attend the Rutgers Summer Institute for Diversity in Philosophy. The week long institute was founded by Howard McGary as a way to recruit underrepresented students into philosophy and has been going strong
New York City and Activism
“Every revolution requires its thinkers. Every movement is grounded in a philosophy”- Dr. Anthony Monteiro. The Museum of the City of New York has a wonderful exhibit called “Activist New York”. It is a well informed exhibit that chronologically takes
Schomburg center for research in black culture: A visit
I took a visit to the Schomburg to visit the Gordon Parks Exhibit and Moletta Sleet Jr. Exhibit in Harlem this week. Both were great photographers who documented black life at a time when blacks were fighting but also ascending.
The Writer’s Life and George Orwell
This summer, in addition to teaching a summer course, I’ve been writing. I’ve been working on two papers, one for a chapter for a book and another is my writing sample. My summer has been filled with days and night
Black People And Atheism
No one group is monolithic. That is why I think videos like this are important because they demythologized misconceptions we have about cultures. Usually when we think about people of faith, Blacks some to mind. I will let the Anthropologists
Important Facts
Superstition and Reason
Today is Friday the 13th and I’m led to think about superstition. We all are somewhat familiar with it. It’s the rituals or the signs we interpret as bringing us good luck or bad luck. Here are some examples: “If
America, The Capitalists
It’s so strange how a rich nation like America can also be a nation that the Same nation that the info pic below describes… Here are some good reads about money, power, respect, and America. Is America more exceptional today
The Examined Life: (Full Video)
The Examined Life is by far my favorite philosophy film. Filmmaker, Astra Taylor, takes philosophers’ walks with some of the most renowned figures in philosophy. During the walks they speak on topics such as meaning, our obligation to the poor,
Race and Gender In The Philosophy Field: A Free Collection of Essays
Hypatia has just released a free online collection of essays that focuses on gender and race issues in the field of philosophy. The Purpose of the collection is to … bring together essays published by Hypatia over a twenty year
The 10 Commandments Of Good Thinking
KungfuHobbit prefers to call critical thinking; ‘How to think, not what to think’. That’s just fine with me. And if critical thinking is that, than I guess I am #TeamCritical. It would be great if our culture were not closed
Religion and Sex
It seems that all religions have something to say about sex. The Torah tells with whom and when not to have sex. Other religions have integrated their beliefs into law and therefore one can be killed for their sexual encounters.
This Week In Thought
Happy Friday. This week there has been some interesting ideas floating around the net from religion, same sex marriage, women and history. Im happy to share some things I believe you will find interesting. 1. Does Anayltical Thinking Erode Religious
A Public Service Announcement to Whites on Behalf of the New Majority and other questions
If we honestly take a look at the “History of White People” as Historian Neil Painter calls it, we will witness that with their discovery of the world has also come domination and colonialism of the world. With their power
Pastor Otis Moss III Speaks In Support Of Marriage Equality, Proving That the Black Church Doesnt Have Just One Voice
My Brother: Tell your brethren who are part of your ministerial coalition to “live their faith and not legislate their faith” for the Constitution is designed to protect the rights of all. We must learn to be more than
Animals and Their Sense of Morality
I know there is something about our human species that makes us believe that we are special and superior. In his GroundWork for the Metaphysics of Morals, Immanuel Kant believed that the thing that points to our personhood is our
How Men Are Trained to Hate Women
This Article by David Wong at cracked.com is simply Brilliant. It’s a humorous yet solid argument of how men are trained to hate women. He provides five reasons how that happens: 1) men are taught they are owed a beautiful
Scientific Case Against Racism
Throughout the centuries, people have found justification for the mistreatment of others by pointing to the differences among each other. The point is that if what justifies equality and proper treatment is humanness and rationality, that to deny someone of
Philosophy is Not a Science
When I fell in love with philosophy I did not perceive it as a science but as a part of the humanities. Matter of fact, I did not like what I believed to be the uncreative world of empirical research
The Cheat Song and Other Thoughts On Academic Integrity
After watching the cheating song video above it bought back memories of cheating instances while I was in school. At this point, I do not remember ever cheating while I was in school but I will not say that
Newsweek Cover: Forget the Church, Follow Jesus
Arresting cover from Newsweek. Check out the article here from Andrew Sullivan. In the article he discusses what he calls “Christianity in Crisis”. This is a topic I often discuss and debate about nonstop with my theist and atheist friends.
Do I Look Suspicious and Other Essays On The Trayvon Martin Case
The above video is a PSA of sorts created by my alma mater Howard University. The students are a part of the Students For Justice Organization on campus and here they focus on addressing the erroneous stereotyping of black males
Gender, Sexuality, and Other Terms You Should Know
I think notions of sexuality, gender, and orientation needs to be discussed and explained. I think the pic below provides a good beginners lesson.
What if Dr. Seuss Studied Social Philosophy?
What if Dr. Seuss studied social and political philosophy? I’m pretty sure these would be some of the books we would be left with.
My New Article: Our Obsession, Love, and Need for Satan (HuffPost)
I have a new article at the HuffPost Religion about our Obsession and Need for Satan. Here is a little excerpt. To read the rest, please visit here. In the beginning of every semester I discuss ancient Jewish monotheism with
What Philosophers Do–The Philosophers’ Response to the “What I Really Do” Meme
I think this meme really describe the perceptions about and reality of philosophers. My friends really do believe that I have the best job ever. They think that my classes are filled with adult students so that means at least
Your Brain in Love, Lust, and Breakup Mode
I love the philosophy of love and sex. Love and sex is what makes the world go round,( I think), so reflecting and theorizing about it is something I truly adore. And I mean intellectually reflecting and theorizing about it!!!!
The Race Problem Summed up in a Comic Strip
Breaking the “Thou Shall Not Critique Religion” Commandment
In my Western Civilization course, students and I discuss the biblical books of Genesis, Job, and Mark in several meetings of the course. We do this in order to examine what life was like living in the Ancient Near East
Don’t Trust Professor Wikipedia!
When I was younger, if I wanted to learn a fact I went to the encyclopedia. Of course it was a huge collection and only if you were fortunate did you have any in your house. But for school assignments I
Lessons from the Philosophical Bouncer
It’s the first week of classes and it’s during this time that I attempt to sell my kids on philosophy. I want them to know what philosophy is and what philosophers do way before we actually get deep into material.
What Does Your Moral Reasoning Look Like?
In my Philosophy 62 course my students and I have been reading out of Michael Sandel’s Justice. We have started the semester off discussing moral theories. I explained to my students, according to Sandel, that usually when we engage in
Must Read Links on Race, Sex, & Politics
Well its Monday. There is no better way to start the week off than with some intellectual goodies about race, sex, and politics. In the Guardian there is a good chunk of a chapter of Faramerz Dabhoiwala’s book on the first