By David Kyle Johnson It seems odd to have to defend one of the highest grossing movies of all time [1], but criticisms of JJ Abrams Star Wars reboot “The Force Awakens” can be found everywhere: Vox [2], Sacred Matters [3], The Atlantic [4], Entertainment Weekly [ ]… I could go on and on. But they all seem to echo the same concern: The […]
By Daniel A. Kaufman The older I get, the more I find myself listening to Punk rock and the less I seem to be able to tolerate much of anything else. It’s weird, the idea of a middle-aged Punk. My parents, who belong to the Silent Generation, listened to classical, Big Band, and Sinatra-style lounge music, and I remember, as […]
By Steve Snyder “Field philosophy” is becoming a trend in the world of philosophy, but what exactly is it? The book “A Field Philosopher’s Guide to Fracking,” by Adam Briggle, helps to characterize field philosophy, with regard to one subject in particular, that of fracking. But before giving you a review of Briggle’s book, let’s get a general sense […]
My discussion on Judaism and Reform Judaism, with Rabbi Barbara Block, of Temple Israel, Springfield, MO. Originally aired on MeaningofLife.TV, part of the BloggingHeads.TV network, January 11, 2016. *Featured Image: Victoria Kaufman chanting Torah, during her Bat-Mitzvah, with her grandfather, Alexander Kaufman, her grandmother, Suzanne Kaufman, and Rabbi Barbara Block, looking on. (April, 2015)
by Mark English Though we all obviously share a physical environment – a bluish, dirty-watery, middling sort of planet orbiting a medium-sized, middle-aged star – we live in very different worlds in terms of culture and so in terms of group-based and individual values. But what exactly does the existence of these multiple, and often conflicting, perspectives and value systems […]
By Daniel A. Kaufman I want to sketch some ideas on explanations in the social sciences and how they differ from their counterparts in the physical sciences. The point is to start a discussion, which I hope will further sharpen my own views on the subject and pave the way for a subsequent, academic paper, as well as a dialogue, […]
By Paul So Philosophy of Religion is not my cup of tea, but still I have noticed that there is a tendency among many atheists to define their view as either (1) lacking belief in the existence of God or (2) believing that the existence of God is improbable. As an atheist, I can understand where they are coming from; […]
By Daniel A. Kaufman My discussion with Aryeh Cohen-Wade on Star Wars: the Force Awakens and more generally, on the cultural significance of the Star Wars (and Star Trek) franchises. Warning: Spoilers for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Originally aired on BHTV, January 2, 2016, on the “Culturally Determined” program.
By David Ottlinger What is above all needed is to let the meaning choose the word, and not the other way around. -George Orwell, “Politics and the English Language” *** The invention of new concepts on the internet has become something of a cottage industry. Certain terms of art like “privilege” and “punching up” have long been familiar in the […]
By Daniel Tippens If I had to capture the way I viewed my life as a kid it would be with the question, “Who’s in charge, here?” My first thought was always that I couldn’t be the one who’s in charge of my life right now, it had to be someone else. For me, my parents were in charge […]
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