Philosophy
Why is it that we treat the 4th of July as a martial holiday? With everything there is about this country to celebrate -- our advances in science and technology, our arts in terms of both high and popular culture, our geography, our diversity -- why is it that we focus on the military? I understand that the country began with the Revolutionary War, but it equally well started with smart people reflecting on the writings of Enlightenment philosophers and thinking hard about the nature of governance. Why is it only the fighting that we prize and not all the other things that we as a nation have created or model that we would be justifiably proud of?
- Philosophy And Political Persuasion: Causation Or Correlation?
It is very tempting to draw a causal connection between these two stories. First, the Texas GOP declared in their party platform, a formal opposition to teaching critical thinking. "We oppose the teaching of Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) (values...
- Martin Luther King Day And St. Patrick's Day
On Martin Luther King Day, here's a repeat of my St. Patrick's Day post: With parades and parties, we take St. Patrick?s Day more lightly than other holidays. We treat it more as a celebration than a moment for solemn reflection. This is a wonderful...
- The Meaning Of St. Patrick's Day
The Harrisburg Patriot-News is running my op/ed today: With parades and parties, we take St. Patrick?s Day more lightly than other holidays. We treat it more as a celebration than a moment for solemn reflection. This is a wonderful thing, not only for...
- Heritage Not Hate?
In the last week, we have had the Virginia governor declare April Confederate History Month and downplay the role of slavery and had Mississippi governor and former chair of the Republican National Committee Haley Barber back him up declaring the unimportance...
- Happy Independence Day
Happy independence day, everyone. To show that there's no hard feelings, here's a couple of thoughts relating to Great Britain. The first is truly a celebration of freedom. Alan Johnston, the BBC reporter who has done some of the best work in...
Philosophy
Reflections on the 4th
Why is it that we treat the 4th of July as a martial holiday? With everything there is about this country to celebrate -- our advances in science and technology, our arts in terms of both high and popular culture, our geography, our diversity -- why is it that we focus on the military? I understand that the country began with the Revolutionary War, but it equally well started with smart people reflecting on the writings of Enlightenment philosophers and thinking hard about the nature of governance. Why is it only the fighting that we prize and not all the other things that we as a nation have created or model that we would be justifiably proud of?
- Philosophy And Political Persuasion: Causation Or Correlation?
It is very tempting to draw a causal connection between these two stories. First, the Texas GOP declared in their party platform, a formal opposition to teaching critical thinking. "We oppose the teaching of Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) (values...
- Martin Luther King Day And St. Patrick's Day
On Martin Luther King Day, here's a repeat of my St. Patrick's Day post: With parades and parties, we take St. Patrick?s Day more lightly than other holidays. We treat it more as a celebration than a moment for solemn reflection. This is a wonderful...
- The Meaning Of St. Patrick's Day
The Harrisburg Patriot-News is running my op/ed today: With parades and parties, we take St. Patrick?s Day more lightly than other holidays. We treat it more as a celebration than a moment for solemn reflection. This is a wonderful thing, not only for...
- Heritage Not Hate?
In the last week, we have had the Virginia governor declare April Confederate History Month and downplay the role of slavery and had Mississippi governor and former chair of the Republican National Committee Haley Barber back him up declaring the unimportance...
- Happy Independence Day
Happy independence day, everyone. To show that there's no hard feelings, here's a couple of thoughts relating to Great Britain. The first is truly a celebration of freedom. Alan Johnston, the BBC reporter who has done some of the best work in...