Dwight Goodyear – Page 9 – PHILOSOPHICAL EGGS

124. Nothing to Say? Reveal Some Secrets!

In his book Human, All Too Human, the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche wrote something we should all keep in mind: A friend’s secret. – There will be few who, when they are in want of matter for conversation, do not reveal the more secret… Read more ›

Dwight Goodyear

All Too Human, friendship, Human, Nietzsche, telling secrets

123. Seasons of Love

Love can arrive slowly like a golden leaf of autumn, suddenly like a first snow, quietly like a spring shower, boldly like a summer storm.

Dwight Goodyear

seasons of love

122. Thinking of Revenge? Consult Marsilio Ficino First!

The great Marsilio Ficino (1433-1499) was, among other things, an Italian renaissance scholar, Catholic priest, humanist philosopher, astrologer, doctor, musician, reviver of Platonism, and the first translator of Plato’s complete extant works into Latin. He was also the head of… Read more ›

Dwight Goodyear

Forgiveness, Marsilio Ficino, revenge

121. Soren Kierkegaard’s Theory of Demonic Evil

Soren Kierkegaard Introduction It is popular these days to think about evil from a scientific perspective that sees evil as, for example, a function of an improperly working brain. Such approaches typically remove free will and the more traditional parameters… Read more ›

June 14, 2017 4 Comments

Dwight Goodyear

Aesthetics, Love, Morality, The Soul

evil, Iago, Kierkegaard, Macbeth, Richard III, The Concept of Anxiety, the demonic, The Sickness Unto Death

120. Philosophy and the Sublime

Many of our efforts at self-examination presuppose at least a sense of things we don’t know. We sense our life is inadequate and take steps to acquire more knowledge to remove our ignorance. We widen our scope, gain new perspectives, and… Read more ›

June 14, 2017 3 Comments

Dwight Goodyear

Aesthetics, Love, Metaphysics, The Soul, Truth

Critique of Judgment, eros, Immanuel Kant, infinity, mathematical sublime, Plato, Rene Descartes, The Good, The one, the sublime, Timaeus, wisdom

119. Phil Goodyear on Balance

On June 10th, 1997 my father, Philip Goodyear (1941-1997), passed away due to an accident that occurred while he was volunteering to time racers in a town run. He was 56 years old. Part of my process of remembrance in… Read more ›

June 13, 2017 33 Comments

Dwight Goodyear

balance in life, Goodyear Video Service, Gremlins, Pascack Valley High School, Phil Goodyear, Philip Goodyear Award

118. Trump and Nietzsche: Alternative Facts, Power, and Tyranny

Sometime between 1883 and 1888 the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche made a startling observation: “No, facts is precisely what there is not, only interpretations.” This view, which Nietzsche called perspectivism, has recently found an unparalleled analogue in American politics. For example,… Read more ›

Dwight Goodyear

Morality, Political Theory, Truth

alternative facts, Kellyanne Conway, Nietzsche, perspectivism, power, Trump, Trump inauguration, tyranny

117. Derrida’s Aporia of Responsibility: A False Dilemma

Jacques Derrida, in his book The Gift of Death (Chicago: 1995) presents what he calls the “aporia of responsibility”. An aporia is an impasse, a state of paralysis where we are lost for how to move through some place, set… Read more ›

May 31, 2017 8 Comments

Dwight Goodyear

Morality, The Soul

aporia of responsibility, Derrida, Free will, The Gift of Death

116. In Defense of Memorial Day

Memorial Day is a day for honoring those members of the armed forces that died in battle. But, as you know, many people are more interested in barbecues and other forms of recreation these days. Faced with an increasing number… Read more ›

May 29, 2017 1 Comment

Dwight Goodyear

ethics, Memorial Day, moral exemplar principle, the mean, virtue ethics

115. A Fateful Passage in Plato’s Republic: The Luxurious State

Plato, in his dialogue Republic (see Book II, lines 368-374), has Socrates construct an ideal state in order to figure out what an ideal soul would look like. Socrates begins by describing a variety of people – shoemaker, weaver, builder, farmer,… Read more ›

Dwight Goodyear

Metaphysics, Morality, Political Theory, The Soul

Plato, The Luxurious State, The Republic, war

114. Philosophy and Contradiction

Aristotle (384-322 BC), in his Metaphysics, observed that philosophers study being or reality at the most general level. To do so, they need to use logic or syllogisms; and to use logic they need to be absolutely clear about certain principles… Read more ›

January 4, 2017

Dwight Goodyear

Metaphysics, Truth

Ages of the World, Aristotle, law of non-contradiction, Schelling

113. Kierkegaard on the Crime of Being Human

A few years ago my wife and I owned some chickens. Unfortunately, one the chickens was attacked by a raccoon and badly injured. After some time, the chicken was healthy again but somewhat disfigured. Much to my dismay, the other… Read more ›

January 3, 2017 1 Comment

Dwight Goodyear

Individuality, J.S. Mill, On Liberty, Soren Kierkegaard

112. Some Thoughts on John Locke’s Theory of Mind and Education

John Locke (1632-1704), in Book II of his Essay Concerning Human Understanding (1689) writes: “Our observation employed either about external sensible objects, or about the internal operations of our minds perceived and reflected upon by ourselves, is that which supplies our… Read more ›

January 2, 2017

Dwight Goodyear

Morality, Political Theory, The Soul

education, John Locke, Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Some Thoughts Concerning Education, tabula rasa

111. New Year’s Day: A Celebration of Real Beginnings

Many people make resolutions on New Year’s Day. It is a day of beginnings and endings and is often accompanied by faith and hope in the new. But can there ever really be a new beginning? Well, resolutions are often… Read more ›

January 1, 2017 2 Comments

Dwight Goodyear

Metaphysics, Morality, The Soul

110. A Note on Understanding Art

Many think we criticize works of art to find out which ones are better than others—to discover excellence and then, in reference to some overarching standard, rank works from the best to the worst. However, this view might overvalue value… Read more ›

December 26, 2016

Dwight Goodyear

Alexander Nehamas, art critique, Merit as Means, Nelson Goodman, understanding art

Michael Maier, Atalanta Fugiens (1618)

In alchemical lore, the philosophical egg represents a domain in which diverse materials undergo a fusion into something new, the philosopher’s stone, which can help one become wise. Heraclitus said: “Lovers of wisdom should be enquirers into many things”. My blog, full of long and short posts, is committed to this diversity and offers a domain in which various ideas come together in illuminating and often puzzling ways: they are like philosophical eggs. Cracking and digesting them should bring you some surprises and, hopefully, some nourishing wisdom.

Photo by Jackson Byrnes

My name is Dwight Goodyear and I am a philosopher who loves to teach. I am professor of philosophy at SUNY Westchester Community College in New York (although this site should not be taken to express the opinions of WCC). I teach a variety of courses every year including logic, ethics, ancient/medieval phil., modern phil., phil. of art, and phil. of love. I received the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, the NISOD Excellence Award for Teaching, the Abeles Endowed Chair for the WCC Honors Program, and the SUNY WCC Foundation Award for Scholarship. I received my Masters and Ph.D. in philosophy from the New School for Social Research in NYC and wrote my dissertation under Richard J. Bernstein. My main areas of interest are aesthetics, American pragmatism, existentialism, and metaphysics. I am also a musician who composes, performs, and records experimental works for piano and guitar that I refer to as musical gates or compositions that feature a strong sense of passing into a realm of mystery and revelation. I have ten recordings available on iTunes, Amazon, CD Baby, youtube, and elsewhere. My website is accessible at the top of this page. When not working on philosophy and music I am spending time with my wife and son.

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