Think that the political philosophy of Aristotle is out-dated? Think again. In this article, Matt Qvortrup — Professor of Political Science at Coventry University — explores the surprising modernity of Aristotle’s works & its relevance to current day politics. When thinking about government, for example, consider Aristotle’s claim in The…
At our Beat the Heat Philosophy Party in August, one of our presentations explored what philosophy is, what it isn’t, and why we should care. This fun video from the Crash Course series provides some additional insight about the matter, including a brief history of philosophy (primarily from a western…
The Olympics are about a lot of things. For this athlete, they are about trying to bring awareness and a sense of urgency to the threat & impact of climate change. Despite the fact that David Katoatau did not win a medal…he brings new meaning to the words “inspiration”, “champion”, …
Empathy and compassion are some of the greatest life lessons we can ever hope to learn. While expanding our minds is (and should be) a goal of our educational systems, lessons that help to expand our hearts are often (sadly) less of a focus. In this award-winning documentary, Mr. Toshiro…
Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard is oft regarded as a satirical, romantic iconoclast. Unlike many philosophers of his era, his prose was lyrical and poetic and the use of pseudonyms, paradox and irony were among his trademarks. Kierkegaard’s works explored such things as personal identity, duty, freedom, objective & subjective truths,…
There is no doubt that positive emotions are worth cultivating. But must we be upbeat all of the time? Is there a healthy side of negative emotions and some value in experiencing them? Many philosophers (Schopenhauer comes to mind here) argue that embracing the full range of our emotions (including…
More than twenty years after the war in the Balkans, generations of young men & women are still thick in struggle. Desperation, anger & frustration have led to increased violence by many young men and ideas about what masculinity entails have fueled the fire. According to Aleksandar Slijepsveic, youth coordinator…
A poignant, moving, and beyond insightful presentation, Executive Director at Zen Hospice Project & palliative care physician, BJ Miller, offers a clear-eyed view of mortality & things that matter to us all when dying: grace, dignity, respect, existential peace, wonder, comfort, feeling unburdened (and unburdening), enlightenment and love…those spaces in…
