We had a great time sharing the news about our upcoming philosophy symposia series on the military experience & culture AND the ethics of war & autonomous warfare, alongside Ross. P Nelson — Co-Founder of Raven’s Feather Productions & Director of GROUNDED (the play that inspired our community discussions series). Watch the video to learn more about the play and symposia!
Some experiences in life are so significant, so profound, so intense, that after we go through them, there’s a very real sense in which “we’re not the same person we used to be.” That might involve a change in how we understand ourselves or the world, or in what we value or take to be important. In this workshop, we developed some basic concepts and categories, that might help us make sense of these transformative experiences. We also pointed toward some of the bigger philosophical questions that are lurking behind the problem of transformative experience, including rational choice, personal identity, and freedom & the Good. Access the session recording & other resources here!
Whew……what can we say? It’s been a tough year for everyone. Not much elaboration is needed. We have all experienced it…each in our own way. As 2021 comes to an end, we are hopeful. Why? Because, amidst this year’s challenges, we have witnessed the power and beauty of community, of people coming together. We are honored and grateful for the support our fellow community members, near & far, have shown us & hope you enjoy our Merlin Mailer Year-in-Review newsletter. Read more here!
We are delighted to welcome Mitchell Conway onto the Merlin Team. Mitchell is a branch facilitator/educator at Cottonwood ALC and serves on the education committee for The Philosophy Learning and Teaching Organization. He’ll be adding an additional “hat to his collection” by joining our crew here at Merlin CCC as a Community Philosopher & our Youth Programs Advisor. Learn more about Mitch here!
Inspired by her interest in philosophy & psychiatry, Merlin Student Scholar Fellow Julianna Breit explores some of their similarities & differences and how practitioners in both are obsessed with “The Good Life.” Read her 2021 research & writing work here!
Gertrude Stein’s “there is no there there” has been used as a description for placeless spaces. By contrast, place has some kind of “there” going on. But what is this? What exactly is “place”? There are lots of ways to think about it. In this workshop, we reflected upon Helena’s sense of “place” in terms of our urban outdoors. Learn more & access resources here!
In this philosophy walk led by philosopher David Nowakowski we explored virtues — quirky and otherwise, old & modern – from the perspective of Aristotle. At our first stop we discussed courage, at our second magnanimity, and our third authenticity. Access audio recordings and photos here!
We are thrilled to announce our 2021-2022 Merlin Student Scholar Fellow, Julianna Breit. Julianna is our first undergraduate fellow. A junior at Carroll College, Julianna is double-majoring in Biochemistry and Philosophy with minors in Ethics and Value Studies, Neuroscience, and Chemistry. Her fellowship will involve a combination of research, writing, and philosophy in the community activities. Learn more about her & some of the projects she’ll be working on here!
