There are some things in nature that evoke within us a feeling we have termed awe. Perhaps this is a poor word to express the reaction we have inside ourselves when we encounter such a thing, but it is the word we have. It is a word that attempts to give a voice to that […]
Are we a part of nature or separate from it? Perhaps you think the answer to this question is clear, yet for many of us, the way in which we view the natural world differs widely from individual to individual. Even within ourselves we carry a number contradictory beliefs regarding nature. Is it sacred or […]
Walking seems a simple enough activity. We celebrate it when our children do it for the first time, but once that threshold is crossed, we think nothing more of it; we just do it. About the only time we appreciate it is when we feel like we are doing too much of it or cannot […]
Once upon a time I taught World and European history. Both of those curricula involve the study of Classical Rome. Of course well known are names such as Julius Caesar and Augustus, but the second century saw a group of rulers known as The Five Good Emperors, a title bestowed mostly because they were not […]
Last semester I mentioned to my students that I believe one of the purposes of philosophy is to unsettle us. I then offered the age-old example of Socrates who likened himself to a type of biting fly that arouses a sluggish horse to action through irritation and pain. I then mentioned the philosopher Peter Singer, […]
How should one respond to uncertainty? With hope, passion, and a zest for life.
Read MoreHow much more rich would our relationships be
if they were based in goodness or kindness rather than justice or, even worse, dogmatic behavior which only can lead to chaos?
Nothing is ordained. The way we do things is our creation; we are the authors. The normal you want to go back to is really just the normal that existed right before COVID hit.
Read MoreThe most powerful, transformative substance on earth is also the most formless and malleable. What can the Tao Te Ching teach us about the nature of water?
Read MoreCan an idea such as truth be subjective? If it is existentially important, Kierkegaard thought so.
Read MoreTo live a life of meaning, you better get on with it! To live is to live now!
Read MoreWhat can the story arcs of Disney characters tell us about existential concerns?
Read MoreWriting can serves as a valuable tool for understanding.
Read MoreBeing in quarantine may begin to redefine the self.
Read MoreYoung people bear the brunt of many blanketed accusations related to behavior. An especially common one is that they spend all their time mindlessly absorbed in their phones. The trend of staring into cell phones is, of course, not strictly reserved to kids; I see plenty of adults of all ages staring into that magical […]
Read MoreNote: this essay was written in the summer of 2018. Going on a trip to “find yourself” after an emotionally traumatic event is a venerable old cliche, yet it happened to me. It was not on purpose and I did not recognize until some years later, but visiting Oxford in 2008 for three weeks as […]
Read MoreI finally got to visit Magic Kingdom! But was it my first time to do so?
Read MoreDoes our existence have meaning? Yes, it does both biologically and existentially.
Read MoreWhat does it mean when we say that the universe does or does not have meaning?
Read MoreWhy do we reject artificial or synthetic things?
Read MoreSince beauty is around us all the time, how should we respond to it?
Read MoreWhat is it to live authentically? And it is possible?
Read MoreBy Derek Parsons
Read MoreBy Derek Parsons
Read MoreBy Derek Parsons
Read MoreBy Derek Parsons
Read MoreBy Lexie Tankersley
Read MoreBy Hayli Self
Read MoreBy Dalton Taylor
Read MoreBy Carson Knox
Read MoreBy Lauren Hanigan
Read MoreBy Michelle Folk
Read MoreBy Ethan Eyre – Great Britain is leaving the European Union. How did we get to this point, what does it mean for Western Liberalism, and how should the individual respond?
Read MoreBy Maddie Keyser – Why do we bother preserving any rare materials in the first place? What is the value in using an original rather than a digitized copy or modern editions?
Read MoreBy Madeline Diamont – We can bleed and feel that pain, embrace it and wait for the scar to form so we can continue on with our lives and our mission to be better.
Read MoreBy Rory Jones – Life rules are not bad, but they must be assessed to determine if they align with the person we want to be or if they need to be cast off in favor of more robust life rules.
Read MoreBy Josh Petersen – Testimony, I think, defines in part what it means to be human — to cooperatively and socially understand the difficult and massive world around us. When we lose that ability, we also lose a part of what makes us human, what makes us social creatures.
Read MoreBy Taylor Gross – The amount of suffering in the world seems disproportionate to the amount of human progress.
Read MoreBy Emilee Clark –
Think about the relationship you have with people in your daily life and the status of those relationships? Do you value some more than others?
Read MoreBy Lillian Rutledge – In Albert Camus’ The Stranger, an existentialist novel, the sun causes Meursault to lose his sanity and his compassion, but it isn’t until the sun actually sets that he experiences this loss; specifically in jail following his trial, Meursault becomes distraught with God, with life in general, and feels as if […]
Read MoreBy Andrew Graziano – Only when you are captivated by an idea or theme do you then want to explore it. Mahler explains that the same concept applies to a piece of music.
Read MoreThere are some things in nature that evoke within us a feeling we have termed awe. Perhaps this is a poor word to express the reaction we have inside ourselves when we encounter such a thing, but it is the word we have. It is a word that attempts to give a voice to that […]
Read MoreAre we a part of nature or separate from it? Perhaps you think the answer to this question is clear, yet for many of us, the way in which we view the natural world differs widely from individual to individual. Even within ourselves we carry a number contradictory beliefs regarding nature. Is it sacred or […]
Read MoreWalking seems a simple enough activity. We celebrate it when our children do it for the first time, but once that threshold is crossed, we think nothing more of it; we just do it. About the only time we appreciate it is when we feel like we are doing too much of it or cannot […]
Read MoreOnce upon a time I taught World and European history. Both of those curricula involve the study of Classical Rome. Of course well known are names such as Julius Caesar and Augustus, but the second century saw a group of rulers known as The Five Good Emperors, a title bestowed mostly because they were not […]
Read MoreLast semester I mentioned to my students that I believe one of the purposes of philosophy is to unsettle us. I then offered the age-old example of Socrates who likened himself to a type of biting fly that arouses a sluggish horse to action through irritation and pain. I then mentioned the philosopher Peter Singer, […]
Read MoreWhile recently finishing the intriguing book Galileo’s Error by Philip Goff, I was reminded of an interview with the author and Philip Pullman as part of the Philosophy in the Bookshop series hosted by Nigel Warburton. This monthly event takes place in the Norrington Room at Blackwell’s Bookshop in Oxford, England. While watching the YouTube video, […]
Read MoreWhen I was growing up, a common refrain heard on the elementary school playground was: “I can do what I want. It’s a free county.” This was a frustrating argument my fourth grade brain knew on some level was not true, yet it was used to justify all kinds of nefarious school yard abuses. “It’s […]
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