Philosophy
Much has been made of Obama's comments at Notre Dame. Bill Cosby and Kurt Vonnegut's commencement comments were widely circulated a few years back. Our speakers last weekend were Judy Woodruff and Al Hunt. They were good. Some years you get folks who aren't. We had Harold Prince a few years back and for someone with such a rich theater background, he really didn't have a sense of the stage he was playing. He came off as angry and bitter (and I say this as someone who shares his politics and even shared his outrage at the time) in a way that masked any insights he might be trying to pass on at this meaningful point in the lives of the graduates and their families. It is a time of mixed emotions, joy and trepidation chief among them, and it requires the right touch.
So, suppose you got the call. In this tricky time of economic crisis with students about to head out into the so-called real world, what advice would you give them?
- Anonymity And Anonymity
Guy Brian at the MSU phil blog discusses a case in which Butler University sued one of their students who was blogging anonymously about the firing of a professor and saying mean things about administrators. The Deans had their widdle feelings hurt, so...
- Irony Can Be So Ironic: Is Ad Hominem Acceptable Here?
We have a rule here at the Playground with regards to comments -- no ad hominem attacks, that is, disagree with the argument, refute the purported fact, offer a counter-example, but don't attack the person. It is the argument, not the arguer that...
- The Feast Of Saint Bill...right
Brothers, Sisters, and Transgendered Comedists Everywhere, Bertrand Russell, in his autobiography, writes that his life was changed when he found a book by John Stuart Mill in his father's library. I had a similar experience, only I found a copy of...
- Rip Kurt Vonnegut
We lost a giant. Kurt Vonnegut is dead. A man of sharp intelligence and even sharper wit, his books were smart and clever, always with an edge but always human. Colored by his experience as one of the seven American prisoners of war in Germany during...
- Am I Being Petty, Immature, And Nasty Here?
Had my 20 year high school reunion last weekend. I was incredibly fortunate to grow up with wonderful, smart, spirited people. Catching up brought a flood of emotions. For the most part, people I had lost touch with, but thought about often, ended up...
Philosophy
Advice for Graduates
Much has been made of Obama's comments at Notre Dame. Bill Cosby and Kurt Vonnegut's commencement comments were widely circulated a few years back. Our speakers last weekend were Judy Woodruff and Al Hunt. They were good. Some years you get folks who aren't. We had Harold Prince a few years back and for someone with such a rich theater background, he really didn't have a sense of the stage he was playing. He came off as angry and bitter (and I say this as someone who shares his politics and even shared his outrage at the time) in a way that masked any insights he might be trying to pass on at this meaningful point in the lives of the graduates and their families. It is a time of mixed emotions, joy and trepidation chief among them, and it requires the right touch.
So, suppose you got the call. In this tricky time of economic crisis with students about to head out into the so-called real world, what advice would you give them?
- Anonymity And Anonymity
Guy Brian at the MSU phil blog discusses a case in which Butler University sued one of their students who was blogging anonymously about the firing of a professor and saying mean things about administrators. The Deans had their widdle feelings hurt, so...
- Irony Can Be So Ironic: Is Ad Hominem Acceptable Here?
We have a rule here at the Playground with regards to comments -- no ad hominem attacks, that is, disagree with the argument, refute the purported fact, offer a counter-example, but don't attack the person. It is the argument, not the arguer that...
- The Feast Of Saint Bill...right
Brothers, Sisters, and Transgendered Comedists Everywhere, Bertrand Russell, in his autobiography, writes that his life was changed when he found a book by John Stuart Mill in his father's library. I had a similar experience, only I found a copy of...
- Rip Kurt Vonnegut
We lost a giant. Kurt Vonnegut is dead. A man of sharp intelligence and even sharper wit, his books were smart and clever, always with an edge but always human. Colored by his experience as one of the seven American prisoners of war in Germany during...
- Am I Being Petty, Immature, And Nasty Here?
Had my 20 year high school reunion last weekend. I was incredibly fortunate to grow up with wonderful, smart, spirited people. Catching up brought a flood of emotions. For the most part, people I had lost touch with, but thought about often, ended up...