Philosophy
I went down the Center for American Progress in DC yesterday to record an interview with Rev. Welton Gaddy -- very nice and smart guy who tirelessly works not only for separation of church and state, but for a real caring, thoughtful brand of Christianity -- for his program "State of Belief." It was an interesting conversation in which he asked me interesting questions about the book and the relation between science, religion, and politics. He asked me the question I was expecting about meaningfulness for life in contemporary culture, but he also asked me about any epiphanies I had in working on the book. I had several aha moments connecting dots I never realized connected that way and so I chose one to discuss.
But the question interests me. The assumption -- and I think it is a fair one -- is that if someone spends a couple years working on a topic consistently, there are bound to be those moments of sudden insight. But not everyone has the luxury of researching a single topic and getting into the weeds where these hidden connections often remain obscured from view. Would it be a fair question, say, at a dinner party with someone new you've just met -- "tell me about the most recent epiphany you've had." (Yes, I realize that is not a question.) Are epiphanies a regular part of human life as normally lived? If someone asked you that (non)question at a dinner party would you be able to respond easily? And...what would your response be?
- Meta-auto Mechanics To Quantum Mechanics
Michael Schmidt asks, "In the context of your classroom, what is the significance of Auto Mechanics to Quantum Mechanics? What is the intended significance, and have you found there to be unintended consequences?"It does three things for me in terms of...
- Interview Advice
Philosophy jobs searches at colleges across the country work on the same schedule. The annual eastern meeting of the American Philosophical Association has traditionally been the place where all first interviews take place. Skype has meant that some departments...
- Nonsequitors, Class Discussions, And Salamanders
Michael Schmidt asks, "When having a classroom discussion about relatively open-ended things like ethics, how do you signal to students that you value their contributions, while at the same time move the discussion in a different direction (ethical issues...
- When Analytic Philosophy Is A Life And Death Matter
Aurora Goes to Washington tipped me off on this article from the Washington Post, "The Doctors Who Are Redefining Life and Death." What is interesting is that it brought back something I had meant to comment on a while back after the Saddleback forum....
- Don't Ask A Question You Don't Want To Know The Answer To
Aspazia had a fun little discussion about white lies in which the classic question, "What do you say when your wife/girlfriend asks, 'Does this make me look fat?'" came up. In the discussion, the following exchange occurred between Aspazia and...
Philosophy
How Common Are Epiphanies?
I went down the Center for American Progress in DC yesterday to record an interview with Rev. Welton Gaddy -- very nice and smart guy who tirelessly works not only for separation of church and state, but for a real caring, thoughtful brand of Christianity -- for his program "State of Belief." It was an interesting conversation in which he asked me interesting questions about the book and the relation between science, religion, and politics. He asked me the question I was expecting about meaningfulness for life in contemporary culture, but he also asked me about any epiphanies I had in working on the book. I had several aha moments connecting dots I never realized connected that way and so I chose one to discuss.
But the question interests me. The assumption -- and I think it is a fair one -- is that if someone spends a couple years working on a topic consistently, there are bound to be those moments of sudden insight. But not everyone has the luxury of researching a single topic and getting into the weeds where these hidden connections often remain obscured from view. Would it be a fair question, say, at a dinner party with someone new you've just met -- "tell me about the most recent epiphany you've had." (Yes, I realize that is not a question.) Are epiphanies a regular part of human life as normally lived? If someone asked you that (non)question at a dinner party would you be able to respond easily? And...what would your response be?
- Meta-auto Mechanics To Quantum Mechanics
Michael Schmidt asks, "In the context of your classroom, what is the significance of Auto Mechanics to Quantum Mechanics? What is the intended significance, and have you found there to be unintended consequences?"It does three things for me in terms of...
- Interview Advice
Philosophy jobs searches at colleges across the country work on the same schedule. The annual eastern meeting of the American Philosophical Association has traditionally been the place where all first interviews take place. Skype has meant that some departments...
- Nonsequitors, Class Discussions, And Salamanders
Michael Schmidt asks, "When having a classroom discussion about relatively open-ended things like ethics, how do you signal to students that you value their contributions, while at the same time move the discussion in a different direction (ethical issues...
- When Analytic Philosophy Is A Life And Death Matter
Aurora Goes to Washington tipped me off on this article from the Washington Post, "The Doctors Who Are Redefining Life and Death." What is interesting is that it brought back something I had meant to comment on a while back after the Saddleback forum....
- Don't Ask A Question You Don't Want To Know The Answer To
Aspazia had a fun little discussion about white lies in which the classic question, "What do you say when your wife/girlfriend asks, 'Does this make me look fat?'" came up. In the discussion, the following exchange occurred between Aspazia and...