In My Classroom…
In my intro philosophy course our theme has been “Justice” this semester. My students just finished Nancy Hirschmann’s “Subject of Liberty” where she argues how the negative and positive liberty of women are restricted and infringed upon in cases of rape, domestic violence, and welfare. It has been an enlightening experience for me as a […]
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 complex!! At times these philosophers disagree with each other on the subject but scientists don’t. […]
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 your hand itches that means money is coming. If you walk under a ladder or […]
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 timespan that address the question of women’s place in the profession of philosophy. It includes […]
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 I do in class is also what I’m interested in doing outside of it. […]