Can we, sometimes, make free choices? Obviously, a lot rides on what we mean by free choices. Mark Balaguer has recently formulated a helpful definition in his book Free Will (MIT, 2014): a choice is the product of my free… Read more ›
So many children, including my own son, had intense joy today because of, among other things, MANY lies told about Santa. I loved Christmas as a child and still do. I had a happy childhood and have become a well-adjusted… Read more ›
On Christmas Eve our thoughts often turn to those who are no longer with us – especially those who we have loved. This is fitting. But it is also difficult to retain these thoughts for long. Memories can be as… Read more ›
In his book Human, All Too Human, Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) has an aphorism entitled Love and Duality which reads: “What is love but understanding and rejoicing at the fact that another lives, feels, and acts in a way different from and… Read more ›
In part one of this series we saw how aesthetics can play a role in global education (see here). Let’s continue by looking at some other ways aesthetics can help us learn. In his book The Aesthetic Understanding, Roger Scruton points… Read more ›
According to many people the world was supposed to end today. Why did they think this? There are certainly many reasons. But I would like to suggest one reason, informed by existential philosophy, that is often overlooked: some people want… Read more ›
Aristotle (384-322 B.C.) argues that all natural things have an end or purpose they are trying to consciously or unconsciously achieve. Nature is thus teleological: it is purposeful and all natural processes are undertaken for the sake of realizing essential… Read more ›
Aristotle, in his Metaphysics (Book Lambda, 1075a), notes that “thinking and to be an object of thought are not the same.” This makes sense: if I am thinking about a tree the tree is not my thought of the tree. Indeed,… Read more ›
In his book Zarathustra, Nietzsche has his character Zarathustra boldly tell of a thawing wind which reveals that all is in flux: “When the water hath planks, when gangways and railings o’erspan the stream, verily, he is not believed who… Read more ›
In the last post I noted the following virtues that John Dewey thought accompany intelligent action: Being conscientious or being interested in finding out what the actual good of a certain situation is Maintaining a bias toward fairness and objectivity… Read more ›
In the last post I noted the following virtues that John Dewey thought accompany intelligent action: Being conscientious or being interested in finding out what the actual good of a certain situation is Maintaining a bias toward fairness and objectivity… Read more ›
In the last post, I defined tragic conflict and suggested three reasons why we should take it seriously. Now, let us ask: How Can We Address Tragic Conflict? In 1960 Sidney Hook wrote an essay entitled “Pragmatism and the Tragic… Read more ›
In the following four-part post series I would like to explore the nature of tragic conflict, why it is important, and how such conflict can be intelligently addressed. I will be drawing upon a set of American philosophers in the… Read more ›
In his Meditations (1641), Rene Descartes argues for a version of metaphysical dualism that maintains the mind and body are two completely different types of entities. The mind is not physical and so is not extended, doesn’t take up space,… Read more ›
Ethical egoism is the view that people should always be motivated out of self-interest. The word ‘ethical’ here doesn’t mean good; it simply means that this form of egoism is not just describing but prescribing a course of behavior. So… Read more ›